Reducing stock now 'could feed whole herd for a couple weeks next spring'

Teagasc advises that farms should prepare winter fodder budgets each year to ensure adequate reserves so that farmers are not reliant on buying expensive substitutes.

Taking out a small number of your stock early "could feed the whole herd for a couple of weeks next spring", Joe Patton, head of Teagasc’s dairy knowledge transfer department has stressed.

In the coming days and weeks, don’t just look at your fodder supply on farms, but ensure you look at the demand side as well in the short term, Mr Patton advised recently.