Drought 2020

Danzy

kk.man wrote: »

I took his advice and made hay when I'd say others waited for crop to thicken. Old adage make hay when the sun shines might just turn out to be true this year.

Did likewise, got hit last year, dry week and bailed a wet weekend

ruwithme

Base price wrote: »

I turned the heating on for a hour when I came in from the yard. No rain as such here only a slight drizzle this afternoon for about 20 mins.

It wouldn't be June in Ireland if we hadn't a few hungry evening's.

farawaygrass

Do ye find ken ring accurate enough? I thought the journal looked back on his predictions at the end of a year before and his prediction success rate wasn’t spectacular.

yosemitesam1

farawaygrass wrote: »

Do ye find ken ring accurate enough? I thought the journal looked back on his predictions at the end of a year before and his prediction success rate wasn’t spectacular.

Find his predictions vague and open to interpretation, maximises the chances of being someway right I suppose

_Brian

farawaygrass wrote: »

Do ye find ken ring accurate enough? I thought the journal looked back on his predictions at the end of a year before and his prediction success rate wasn’t spectacular.

He’s like allot of the non science predictions, always leaves enough wiggle room in his forecast to be able to claim some success. Plus Irish climate is so varied across such a small country that get married him a pass with someone somewhere most of the time.

Gods Gift

I’m goin to try another rain dance.

_Brian

We had heavy mist right through from Friday evening to maybe 10 last night.

Grass is still wet to walk through thismorning. That’s plenty to kick off growth.

14 day Forecast ahead looks like more days with some rain than rain free.

kk.man

farawaygrass wrote: »

Do ye find ken ring accurate enough? I thought the journal looked back on his predictions at the end of a year before and his prediction success rate wasn’t spectacular.

He is never far off IMO... Could be a couple of days either side of his predicted period. Last few years he was more or less spot on for hay making. I don't follow him all year round watching Irish weather would drive ya cracked.

endainoz

https://www.thatsfarming.com/news/ken-ring-weather-forecast-for-ireland-for-2020

Would be hard to call that spot on in fairness. No mention of the dry spell or anything close to it. "Risk of flooding in November" yeah a five year old could predict that. I used to follow his forecasts too at one point but forecasting months in advance simply isn't possible. His forecasts are also too vague so they can be interpreted as such.

If you'd mention this guy on the weather forum, you'd get the simple response of "a broken clock is right twice a day".

I'd be more inclined to follow those guys and in fairness met eireann are rarely wrong contrary to popular belief.

What met eireann get blamed for is when tabloid rags run with headlines and sensationalise everything. Then it's met eireanns fault.

alps

_Brian wrote: »

He’s like allot of the non science predictions, always leaves enough wiggle room in his forecast to be able to claim some success. Plus Irish climate is so varied across such a small country that get married him a pass with someone somewhere most of the time.

You get day by day charts if you pay the subscription.

I did a few years ago and it was spectacularly inaccurate..

jus_tin4

Put out fert on sat and going to pray for rain during the week - will be defo looking at working into any left over bales tomorrow - made the pit on friday and say the yield was around 1/2 on an average year. For sure need rain here soon

forgottenhills

I find the Met Eireann phone app to be the most accurate way to forecast rainfall although its not 100% accurate. It is using radar and computer based models to predict rainfall. You can zoom over an area of the country and let the Maps - Rainfall Forecast model run to see exactly where rainfall is predicted and to what intensity (colour coding) for the next 7 days. Also what direction rain is spreading from. I find that it is very rarely wide off the mark, at least for those areas I look at.

Timmaay

50mm forecast for here from Wed to Fri! Would be an absolute jackpot if that hit!

Bass Reeves

Timmaay wrote: »

50mm forecast for here from Wed to Fri! Would be an absolute jackpot if that hit!

Virtually no rain forecast in my area for next 5-7 days

Say my name

Maybe this is common knowledge ..but there's fertilizer being sold with sodium included. Sweetgrass and all that jazz.
Don't buy and spread fertilizer with sodium if in a dry time or it looks like you're going to be in a dry year. There'll be enough sodium in the soil from evaporation with the weather.
The only time it should be considered and how it became a thing here was with our wet climate and then maybe it might offer some benefit.

The dry countries are doing all they can to counteract sodium in soil with compost, humates, etc and even last week here companies are pushing farmers to spread fertilizer with sodium. Making the situation worse.
Anyways as always cop on is needed by the farmer.

Keep Sluicing

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

Find his predictions vague and open to interpretation, maximises the chances of being someway right I suppose

Hes as accurate and open to interpretation as a fecking horoscope

Reggie.

Keep Sluicing wrote: »

Hes as accurate and open to interpretation as a fecking horoscope

Mystic meg

Mortelaro

Timmaay wrote: »

50mm forecast for here from Wed to Fri! Would be an absolute jackpot if that hit!

Roughly 22mm cumulative expected in SE wicklow at various times from wenesday to friday via latest ECMWF with a grid point in north Arklow
Possibly more on higher ground within a few miles of the coast
Its drifting in from the East

Gawddawggonnit

Say my name wrote: »

Maybe this is common knowledge ..but there's fertilizer being sold with sodium included. Sweetgrass and all that jazz.
Don't buy and spread fertilizer with sodium if in a dry time or it looks like you're going to be in a dry year. There'll be enough sodium in the soil from evaporation with the weather.
The only time it should be considered and how it became a thing here was with our wet climate and then maybe it might offer some benefit.

The dry countries are doing all they can to counteract sodium in soil with compost, humates, etc and even last week here companies are pushing farmers to spread fertilizer with sodium. Making the situation worse.
Anyways as always cop on is needed by the farmer.

That’s incorrect.
I’ve some experience of farming saline soils and it’ll be a cold day in hell before Ireland encounters such difficulties.
Plus the little amount spread in Irish fert is negligible...kinda equivalent to a pinch of salt on the spuds, thus helping cleanouts.

Danzy

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Kinda equivalent to a pinch of salt on the spuds, thus helping cleanouts.

Epsom salts do that but what had that to do with cattle?

Gawddawggonnit

Danzy wrote: »

Epsom salts do that but what had that to do with cattle?

Epsom salts are also excellent for greening up a crop. Loads of Mg.

whelan2

Good old Irish water. Took 12 days for them to come out to fix a massive water leak on their line that's flowing into my field. At least I have a lush green area :cool: I have no idea how long it was leaking before I found it

Say my name

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

That’s incorrect.
I’ve some experience of farming saline soils and it’ll be a cold day in hell before Ireland encounters such difficulties.
Plus the little amount spread in Irish fert is negligible...kinda equivalent to a pinch of salt on the spuds, thus helping cleanouts.

I've came back high in sodium and chloride in soil tests myself and I am in Ireland. So I've a little experience.
And i ran into drought in 2018 faster than my neighbours who continued with their grazing when I was trawling the countryside for fodder.
I'd agree though clean outs have never been an issue since.

The only time sodium is required is if there's high rainfall and it's leached out and even then I'd have serious questions about the salt they're using. Table salt v's sea salt comes to mind.
One's a killer. The other has every available mineral on the planet.

Say my name

Danzy wrote: »

Epsom salts do that but what had that to do with cattle?

Are you putting Epsom salts on your spuds??

Gawddawggonnit

Say my name wrote: »

I've came back high in sodium and chloride in soil tests myself and I am in Ireland. So I've a little experience.
And i ran into drought in 2018 faster than my neighbours who continued with their grazing when I was trawling the countryside for fodder.
I'd agree though clean outs have never been an issue since.

The only time sodium is required is if there's high rainfall and it's leached out and even then I'd have serious questions about the salt they're using. Table salt v's sea salt comes to mind.
One's a killer. The other has every available mineral on the planet.

At the risk of repeating myself...it’ll be a cold day in hell before Ireland has a problem with saline soil.
End of.
Discussion over.

alps

Say my name wrote: »

Maybe this is common knowledge ..but there's fertilizer being sold with sodium included. Sweetgrass and all that jazz.
Don't buy and spread fertilizer with sodium if in a dry time or it looks like you're going to be in a dry year. There'll be enough sodium in the soil from evaporation with the weather.
The only time it should be considered and how it became a thing here was with our wet climate and then maybe it might offer some benefit.

The dry countries are doing all they can to counteract sodium in soil with compost, humates, etc and even last week here companies are pushing farmers to spread fertilizer with sodium. Making the situation worse.
Anyways as always cop on is needed by the farmer.

Did you spread sea water for a time?

yosemitesam1

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

At the risk of repeating myself...it’ll be a cold day in hell before Ireland has a problem with saline soil.
End of.
Discussion over.

Is it irrigation that causes it or very dry ground getting wet on top and sucking salt up from depth?

Say my name

alps wrote: »

Did you spread sea water for a time?

4 litres per acre diluted at 20:1 went out the year before. 4 litres!!
There was basalt as well if that had a bearing.

I'm having to now get on humical stuff to counteract. Black water from dungheaps sprayed on.

The only way I'd touch seawater again is if the sodium chloride is taken out and washed three or four times.

The trouble is companies now are offering more products with sodium chloride in it for sale in Ireland for use as mineral enchancers or fertilizers.

zetecescort

whelan2 wrote: »

Good old Irish water. Took 12 days for them to come out to fix a massive water leak on their line that's flowing into my field. At least I have a lush green area :cool: I have no idea how long it was leaking before I found it

And a hosepipe ban announced today

Gawddawggonnit

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

Is it irrigation that causes it or very dry ground getting wet on top and sucking salt up from depth?

Both.
The latter is a lot more prevalent than the former.
A combination of both is the worst case scenario.
Ancient heavily weathered soils, coupled with falling water tables in arid conditions are the most common causes.