Paula Hynes: From parched paddocks to the final shows of summer

The dry weather is putting farmers under immense pressure, with the extra workload every day of feeding what is realistically a winter diet, writes Aherla dairy farmer and Irish Examiner columnist Paula Hynes

It is hard for the consumer or public to comprehend just how much pressure farmers are under at the moment, but 2026 has been an extremely difficult year, writes Aherla dairy farmer and Irish Examiner columnist Paula Hynes. Picture: Denis Minihane

The dry weather continues. It really is putting farmers under immense pressure, with the extra workload every day of feeding what is realistically a winter diet when there should be ample grass in paddocks right now.

We are feeding bales to the cows every day, along with increased meal feeding in the parlour, and we have also started feeding bales to the in-calf heifers, along with a high-energy ration every day.

The forecast is again showing little or no rain for the next 10 days and, unfortunately, August is racing by, so all we can hope for in the short term is that September is an exceptionally good month for growing grass.

It is hard for the consumer or public to comprehend just how much pressure farmers are under at the moment, but 2026 has been an extremely difficult year.

Milk prices have been low. The spring was cold and wet right into May, which meant grass growth was already behind. The weather then switched to very warm, dry weather and has pretty much remained that way since, meaning the cost of producing milk has become extremely high.

With the extra workload of feeding animals, it also means it is harder for farmers to take a break and get a few days away.

The lack of grass is also impacting beef farmers, who need to feed more to finish cattle for the factory. Lighter cattle have reduced in price, as buyers are short on grass and not looking to buy cattle in the short term.

Sheep farmers have also seen prices in the factories reduced due to the drought. Factories know farmers will be keen to reduce numbers.

UK farmers are even worse affected, as I have seen first-hand from Wales down to the south of England, where grass growth has been non-existent. I have even seen maize silage crops dying in the fields.

Right across Europe, fodder crops have died or are non-existent, and so much land has also been affected by wildfires. If Ireland does need to import fodder due to the prolonged drought here, it is very hard to see how we will be able to import it from the UK or mainland Europe.

Cheers to Baileys

As our show season winds down a little, Becky headed to Virginia in Co Cavan to work with Hillholm Holsteins at the Baileys, Ireland’s most prestigious dairy cow class.

The Baileys started in 1983, and huge credit goes to Diageo as title sponsor, along with Tirlán and the entire team at Virginia Show, including the Gaynor family.

Without doubt, it is the dairy cow class of the year to watch, and we decided to take a spin up for the day to cheer on our friends and a very special cow.

It is quite a long show, so as to give the cows the very best chance to relax and look their best for the class, they left Cork on Sunday and did not compete until Wednesday.

Becky is back home on Wednesday night and heads straight to Kerry to clip for Euro Holsteins and prepare their animals for Limerick Show.

The final outing for our animals as regards summer shows is Inniscarra Show, which we love supporting. If these shows lose the support of cattle breeders, they will lose out on funding, which is crucial to help towards the cost of insurance.

Inniscarra Show takes place on Sunday, August 30, and really is a great family day out, with cattle and sheep classes and a fantastic dog show.

There is also fancy dress with fantastic prizes, vintage machinery on display and one of the big attractions, Iniscarra’s Fittest Family.

It is a great opportunity for people to get out and see one of the final agricultural shows of the season. This year, the show will include a Jersey calf class and a showmanship class.

It is such a shame Bantry Show now clashes with Inniscarra Show, and I do think the Irish Shows Association needs to address this so the two shows do not clash in 2027.

As the curtain drops on the agricultural show season, our next outing will be the National Dairy Show in Millstreet in October, so we will be busy working on the team for that.

Georgie is also putting in a lot of clipping practice, working on a different heifer every day and practising blowing up toplines with the hairdryer.

Clipping and preparing show heifers is a fine art and also takes a huge amount of practice, so it is good to see her so keen.

A silver lining

The one positive coming from all this dry weather across Europe and North America is that global demand for dairy is increasing as traders look to secure product.

The southern hemisphere is also under severe threat of an El Niño weather pattern, which may well affect New Zealand milk production as they near their peak milk production season.

Chinese milk production has dropped by more than 5% this year, and its imports of product from New Zealand have increased by more than 11%.

Production across the US and Europe had increased in the first half of 2026. However, traders globally are very aware the production curve has most likely taken a downhill turn, and their concern in the short term is to secure product for October and November, especially milk powders, all of which are on an upward trend in price.

Notably too, Tirlán has been taking a little heat recently as it is now supplying US retail giant Costco with own-brand, grass-fed butter.

Costco has a customer base of 90 million shoppers, and its own-brand butter was previously all sourced from New Zealand.

Surely these are contracts more Irish processors should be chasing, rather than just seeking out the premium brand with Kerrygold?

Premium brands do not add enough to farmgate milk prices in Ireland, and we are constantly being told our milk price is dictated by global markets, so surely Tirlán chasing these global markets is a wise move.