Warmer weather brings prospect of grass growth

Unfortunately, the change is forecast to bring widespread wet and windy weather.

The warmer weather predicted from this weekend was welcomed by IFA president John Bryan, bringing the prospect of spring grass growth starting at last for many farmers.

The upbeat message from the farmers’ leader is encouraging after a difficult and costly farming winter.

But before farmers push ahead with spreading fertiliser and sowing crops, he repeated his call to them to re-assess fodder supplies for livestock and to make any surplus available to neighbours who are short.

He also reminded co-ops, feed mills and banks of their obligation to support farmer customers, to ensure adequate feed supply and cashflow. Farmers under pressure should contact Teagasc, IFA, or a neighbour to discuss their difficulties.

Farmers are looking forward to temperatures rising on Saturday. Unfortunately, the change is forecast to bring widespread wet and windy weather, with heavy rain at times, remaining unsettled next week. But higher temperatures promise resumption of grass growth, after the coldest March on record, except in the south and southwest — where it was only the coldest March since 1962!

A measure of the cost to farmers of the late spring came from Bank of Ireland Business Banking, confirming this week that overdraft balances amongst its farmer customers are about 15% higher in March compared to last year, due to extra feed needs, with more than 1,000 lending applications from farmers in the past month.

The bank said the overdraft increase was in line with their expectations of the lasting effect of last summer’s difficult weather.

Department of Agriculture figures show a 19% increase in cattle deaths in January and February. Entering March, milk deliveries for the year were 3.76% under quota.

There is also delayed sowing of crops, which is likely to significantly reduce tillage farm output.

Beef prices are buoyant, and dairy commodity prices are rising. But without the expected rise in average farm income for 2013, which these trends will bring, many farmers could be facing financial disaster. That’s the proof that Irish farmers cannot bank on predictable weather.

Even the greenfield dairy farm created in Co Kilkenny with the help of the Department of Agriculture, Glanbia, FBD Trust, the Irish Farmers Journal and AIB has been buying bales of silage and hay for the milking cows.

The run of very poor weather over the past year shows that it is a gamble to farm without a big reserve of winter feed for livestock.

Irish farmers can depend more on reliable weather than New Zealanders, now enduring a serous drought; and Americans, still struggling with the effects of last year’s drought.

Even our near neighbours suffer greater weather shocks.

Temperatures fell to minus 12.5C (9.5F) in the Scottish Highlands last Sunday, and the Scottish government will spend £500,000 to help livestock producers dispose of animals lost in the severe weather.

Farmers in Wales and Northern Ireland also suffered major weather-related losses.

At the other side of the world, the Climate Commission predicts “a significant increase” in droughts across important Australian agricultural areas which are major suppliers of food to Asian markets, and the world’s second-largest exporter of wheat and third-largest shipper of raw sugar and beef.

Food exporter countries with more temperate climates, like Ireland, must help to fill the gap when the big powers suffer weather setbacks.

But farmers can’t take chances here either, especially with livestock.

Every livestock farm should build up and hold a buffer store of winter feed. The way the weather is going, it would be no surprise if farmers end up feeding silage in May or June.