The period of warm sunny weather during September and October and the accompanying excellent late season growth will be remembered by many grassland farmers as the highlight of 2015. However, the persistent and heavy rain throughout a large part of the summer brought challenges for many, especially in the north and west.
Spring
The 2015 growing season started with growth close to the seasonal average throughout March and early April. However, grazing conditions were challenging on many farms throughout large parts of this period. Despite the difficult ground conditions, growth rates increased rapidly through mid and late April, with growth at individual sites exceeding 130 kg dry matter per hectare per day by late April. However, a return to cooler temperatures resulted in a rapid decrease in growth in early May, while the showery weather made grazing conditions difficult in some areas once again. Furthermore, the showery weather limited opportunities to harvest first cut silage, with silage making delayed by up to two weeks on some farms.
Mid-season
A more settled period of weather during June resulted in a surge in grass growth, with growth at all four sites being between 95 and 111 kg dry matter per hectare per day in mid-June. Grazing conditions were excellent at this time, and grass utilisation efficiency was high on many farms. However, grass growth dipped below average in mid-July as soil moisture levels fell rapidly, with this ‘moisture deficit’ beginning to restrict growth. These effects were short lived as cool temperatures and heavy showers combined to make grazing conditions challenging by late July. This weather persisted over the next five weeks, with over 4 inches (112 mm) of rainfall recorded at Hillsborough in August. This change in the weather also impacted on the harvesting of second cut silage, with a settled ‘window’ in the weather proving elusive. As a result, second cut silage turned into a prolonged stop-start operation in many areas. Given the unsettled weather, grazing conditions also became more challenging during late August, with some farmers having to re-house animals.
Autumn
The arrival of warm settled weather in early September brought a welcome change. Grass growth responded to the higher temperatures, with daily growth rates of 50 to 60 kg dry matter per hectare recorded, well above the seasonal norm for mid and late September. This warm settled spell continued throughout September and October, with growth remaining above average throughout this period. Indeed, the daily growth rates in excess of 20 kg dry matter per hectare through late October and into November, were particularly exceptional, being over twice the seasonal average for the time of year. While grazing and growing conditions were excellent on many farms at the start of November, heavy thundery downpours during the first two weeks of November brought the grazing season to an abrupt end on many farms.
Annual production during 2015
The annual yield of dry matter produced across the four GrassCheck sites during 2015 was 13.1 tonnes dry matter per hectare, with two of the four sites producing 13.6 tonnes dry matter per hectare. This is over 18% above the long-term GrassCheck average of 11.1 tonnes dry matter per hectare.
Figure 1: Average grass growth measured at Hillsborough and Greenmount in 2015, compared to the average of the previous eight years.
Summary
In summary, 2015 was an excellent year for grass growth, although grazing conditions were difficult on some farms, particularly in the north and west. Flexibility in terms of multiple field entry points, good drainage, good laneways and on-off grazing when necessary, were all essential parts of managing grazed grass successfully on local farms during the wetter months. With margins for beef, sheep and dairy farmers forecast to remain tight into next year, a renewed focus on grassland management, together with a targeted approach to concentrate feeding, offers real opportunities to reduce costs during 2016.
by Andrew Dale (AFBI) Norman Weatherup (CAFRE)
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