Survey reveals wide production variance

A RECENT Teagasc survey of 17 typical farms on reasonably free-draining soil indicates that there is a huge difference in production between farms.

The top farms produced 14.4 tonnes of grass dry matter per hectare, while the lowest produced only 8.9 tonnes per hectare, worth €250 per tonne.

Financially, this is a difference of around €1,250 per hectare or €500 per acre. This amount of feed would feed an extra cow per hectare.