Dry spring delivers quality silage but slows grass growth in Youghal

Eamon and his son Donnchadh are farming in Carrigeen, Glendine, Youghal, Co Waterford, and are part of the Teagasc Future Beef programme with Signpost

Donnchadh and Eamon McCarthy on their farm at Carrigeen, Youghal, Co Waterford. Picture: Patrick Browne

Grassland management 

No two years are the same, and after a tough and wet start to 2024, 2025 has been the opposite. Looking at the rainfall for our region, we have received 139mm of rain since February until now. For the same period last year, we received 314mm of rainfall. The silage season commenced early, and although yields have been slightly down (seven to eight bales per acre), quality has been excellent. As we have a buffer of over 100 bales of silage in stock, we decided to prioritise quality.