Signpost: Drought forces tough calls as grass growth grinds to a halt 

With grass covers disappearing after weeks without significant rain, Denis Hickey is prioritising calves, feeding silage and preparing to sell some heifers to ease pressure on the grazing platform. 

Denis Hickey on his Dairy Beef farm near Midleton in Co Cork. Picture Chani Anderson

The last month has been quite challenging here on the farm. We have had no rain of any significance for the last five or six weeks. Grass growth has as good as stopped. The farm is very dry and the grass covers are more or less gone.

Currently, we are trying to keep the best of the grass for the calves, which are being fed more than 2kg of concentrates to keep them going. Calves are moved every three days to a different paddock, not necessarily for new grass, but rather to ensure that grazed paddocks are not grazed too tightly, which might affect subsequent regrowth when the rain does eventually come.