Plant/grass growth this year

looksee

There has been a lot of chat on various wild flower and similar forums about how big a variety of wild flowers there has been this year, and how big some of the growth has been (nettles and plantains with huge leaves).

Has anyone noticed any difference in the amount of silage/ hay there has been this year, or is it just anecdotal?

Say my name

I'd say everyone here has noticed the big growth in meadows this year.

I had 16.5 bales/acre on silage ground this year where the usual run for a year would be 10 or 12.
I also got 12 bales/acre on ground that was just fertilized for grazing 27 units Nitrogen.

I also heard ag merchant talk of someone getting 25 bales of silage per acre.
It's unheard of for any year.

restive

I actually thought growth was quite poor here in may. Very Dry. But June seems to have compensated. One of my neighbors cut around the first of June and he was telling me his yield was back on previous years.

I am however hearing that bales are cheap this year. Farmers are renting meadow and baling it, paying the owner 5- 10 euros per bale.

Reggie.

I'd say it's down to the dry weather last year. The ground cracked that much it aerated the country
All the nutrients and moisture found it's way into the ground as opposed to getting washed off it in previous winters and springs.

Buford T. Justice XIX

looksee wrote: »

There has been a lot of chat on various wild flower and similar forums about how big a variety of wild flowers there has been this year, and how big some of the growth has been (nettles and plantains with huge leaves).

Has anyone noticed any difference in the amount of silage/ hay there has been this year, or is it just anecdotal?

I was looking for a more up to date graph but this shows the cumulative grass growth across the country up to the start of June and a comparison with the previous 2 years.

It shows the dip due to drought last year as well.

gozunda

One explanation I heard was that the warm weather last year and the mild winter has meant that soils have lost less nutrients due to rainfall etc.

In tropical climates some soils can suffer from the upward movement of soil nutrients and loss through ploughing and cultivation.

In Ireland nutrients would have a greater tenancy to suffer from leaching through the downward movement of the same nutrients and loss to groundwater and runoff.

Lower loss of nutrients may just be help driving greater yields - that and the mild weather.

That said around here - most of the soils are heavy clay. The dry spell in April/May meant that growth was quite poor during that period.

Gawddawggonnit

Reggie. wrote: »

I'd say it's down to the dry weather last year. The ground cracked that much it aerated the country
All the nutrients and moisture found it's way into the ground as opposed to getting washed off it in previous winters and springs.

+1.
Tillage crops supposed to be looking a picture also...

GrasstoMilk

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

+1.
Tillage crops supposed to be looking a picture also...

Unbelievable. Theres a heap of hybrid winter barley sown around, unreal heavy looking and the warm days now are suiting it. There will be bumper straw crops around.
Neighbours is at most 2 weeks away

GrasstoMilk

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Unbelievable. Theres a heap of hybrid winter barley sown around, unreal heavy looking and the warm days now are suiting it. There will be bumper straw crops around.
Neighbours is at most 2 weeks away

Also offered 20 acres of haylage this evening, dont need it but taking it as I usually ask for it but rarely get it.
2nd cut dry cow silage is going to be very heavy crop, possibly heavier than 1st.
2nd cut milker silage taken and 3rd cut busting away out of it already.
Maize crops have also taken off!

Gawddawggonnit

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Also offered 20 acres of haylage this evening, dont need it but taking it as I usually ask for it but rarely get it.
2nd cut dry cow silage is going to be very heavy crop, possibly heavier than 1st.
2nd cut milker silage taken and 3rd cut busting away out of it already.
Maize crops have also taken off!

Excellent.
Way to go.

Gawddawggonnit

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Unbelievable. Theres a heap of hybrid winter barley sown around, unreal heavy looking and the warm days now are suiting it. There will be bumper straw crops around.
Neighbours is at most 2 weeks away

Lol.
Love the way the dairy farmer looks at a crop and only sees straw!!

TL17

Say my name wrote:

I had 16.5 bales/acre on silage ground this year where the usual run for a year would be 10 or 12..

Good to hear that. Thought mine was very heavy at 15. Made with a fusion. Was damp enough before I cut. Don think quality will be great

GrasstoMilk

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Lol.
Love the way the dairy farmer looks at a crop and only sees straw!!

Dont need that much this year ironically. 20 acres bought already and that will be plenty. 50 left over from last year.
Cubicles now and no going back

Buford T. Justice XIX

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

I was looking for a more up to date graph but this shows the cumulative grass growth across the country up to the start of June and a comparison with the previous 2 years.

It shows the dip due to drought last year as well.

I'd better add the tweet itself as the image is removed.
https://twitter.com/PastureBase/status/1136231001418608642?s=19

visatorro

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Unbelievable. Theres a heap of hybrid winter barley sown around, unreal heavy looking and the warm days now are suiting it. There will be bumper straw crops around.
Neighbours is at most 2 weeks away

And me with last year's expensive straw sitting in the shed looking pretty!

looksee

Thanks for all that! I didn't understand the technicalities but there does seem to have been some good growth anecdotally, even if Teagasc figures don't seem to be exceptional.

Buford T. Justice XIX

The latest grass growth curve showing the drought starting to bite now.

Say my name

It's a pity there's not a record for mixed species sward growth.

I know they say it takes a few years for the soil to increase with enough carbon and get some drought resistance. But still..

There is a sward in oak park (well it looked like one) even if it looked to be grazed too low.

GrasstoMilk

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2500734303310992&id=927922940592144

Unless we get significant rain we will be feeding silage by this time next week.
Demand is 47 and growth was 57 last week..its unlikely it will be any more for the past week

Buford T. Justice XIX

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2500734303310992&id=927922940592144

Unless we get significant rain we will be feeding silage by this time next week.
Demand is 47 and growth was 57 last week..its unlikely it will be any more for the past week

Demand is 60 here atm and growth 30 on grazing block. It's better on the heavier silage ground so we might be bringing some of the second cut back into grazing rotation fairly soon.

Timmaay

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

Demand is 60 here atm and growth 30 on grazing block. It's better on the heavier silage ground so we might be bringing some of the second cut back into grazing rotation fairly soon.

Demand has been around 35 here since early June (we did take out a hell of alot of bales from excess paddocks then although), we absolutely couldn't risk trying to run a demand of 60 during July or August around here.