The promised rain is back again after an unprecedented spell of dry weather.
With ground conditions very dry and grass growth all but halted due to the lack of moisture it is a welcome sight. The additional moisture coupled with the high temperatures should go some way to getting growth levels back to an acceptable level but for all farmers careful grass maintenance is required. Fields that were cut for silage and hay will be that little bit slower to green up.
The recent fine spell has also seen as a great chance to take out paddocks for hay. This hay is for the most part high quality and a welcome addition to the fodder stocks for winter 2014.
It is a great time to clean out the straw storage on farm and ready the bale trailer also as the grain harvest is well underway in the Midlands and East Cork. The demand for straw is quite high so prices of straw delivered and availability may become an issue.
Talk to your local grain growers about buying straw, there is no point looking for it when it is all gone or paying big money for it in February.
