Teagasc have recently updated the national fodder survey across dairy and drystock farms nationwide, with input from approximately 650 farms. It comes as a follow-up to a provisional survey completed in late June after first cut silage completion, which indicated an emerging deficit on a significant proportion of farms.

National outlook - 20% of farms have a small deficit to fill, but 18% of farms have a deficit of greater than 10% to fill and must act now!

The provisional data in June had shown dairy and drystock farms were, on average, 10% behind target for winter feed requirements. This was contingent on achieving normal second cut yields and grazing season length. The results in June showed, however, that approximately 25 % of Teagasc farmer clients were at significant risk of feed deficits, which was consistent across the regions and enterprise type. PastureBase data has shown a 1.2 tonne Dry Matter per hectare reduction year to date, versus the five year average, with over 75% of farms that are actively recording data on PastureBase, significantly behind target for average farm cover to support autumn grazing on farm.

The updated September Fodder Survey results now include second cut silage and the majority of third cut silage crops, and account for silage used to date due to below average growth rates and varying weather challenges in certain regions. The regions were defined as:

• Midlands/North East: Cavan, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Westmeath
• South East: Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Wexford, Wicklow
• South: Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford
• North West: Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo

The national results show that 62% of farms have fully secured their winter feed (including one month reserve), with a further 20% showing minor deficits of less than 10% of winter feed requirements. Second cuts were reported as light in most parts of the country and this has further affected feed reserves. Of the remaining farms, approximately 6% reported significant deficits of 20% or greater, which is an improvement on the June position. Nonetheless, with some of these farms already feeding silage due to lower than target grass covers, there is concern that such deficits could well increase before normal winter housing date.

Fifty percent of respondents have already taken action to secure additional forage. Approximately 30% of respondents expected to have cash flow issues over the winter period as a result of having to purchase additional feed.

Table 1. Winter feed balance by region and enterprise, September 2024

Other results from the survey showed that 60% of farmers intended to reduce stock to lower feed demand, such as empty or poor performing cows, and heavier cattle. Only 54 % of respondents had slurry tanks emptied at this point so it is crucial that farmers take opportunities in the coming days to get slurry nutrients to the most suitable parts of the farm.

Commenting on results, Aisling Claffey, Teagasc Ruminant Nutrition Specialist, said; “Nationally farms have made good progress since June in securing enough winter feed, but there remains a significant number with shortage issues. We encourage all farmers to complete a fodder budget for their farm if they have not already done so; take early and appropriate action to secure fodder and/or reduce demand. It is important to test silage quality and prioritise the best quality silage for freshly calved cows and young growing stock. If lower grade forage is bought, ensure this is fed to cows during the dry period and reserve the better quality silage for next spring.”

Tom Curran, Head of Advisory Services Teagasc said; ”While our client farms are broadly on target for winter feed, a significant proportion of farms need to be watchful of winter feed stocks in the coming weeks and months. The options to fix shortages are better value and more plentiful, if early action is taken. We would like to thank again all the farmers who completed the survey, and I encourage any farmer with concerns on this issue to contact our local offices for independent advice. We encourage all farmers to do their own individual fodder budget to assess the situation on their own farm, and to assess appropriate diet formulations based on silage quality and feeding value.”