Drought again beginning to bite in the South and East

The drought conditions are particularly serious on dairy farms where good grassland managers had been wrapping surplus grass which had gone too strong

July and August are often very difficult months to manage grass in normal conditions, never mind when the crop comes under the heat and moisture deficit stress that it is currently under. Picture: iStock

I visited several farms over the last week and spoke to many more over the phone where grass supplies continue to deteriorate as a result of a significant moisture deficit. A lot of the South and East still have moisture deficits of more than two inches.

The forecast isn’t overly promising, and many dairy and some beef producers are now supplementing stock with silage or other forages.