The week was a cracking one to get the final few bits of first cut done on farms, while some even managed to nab some quality second cut from ground that was first mowed in early May.

Cutting in May at a light cover followed by rain washing in slurry and fertiliser has really pushed on second cut crops and a lot will be ready again within a fortnight.

Hay seems to be everywhere you look on the road, be it just baled or ready to bale.

We seem to have a small obsession in Ireland of making hay (even those who suffer from hayfever like myself).

Some good-quality green hay is useful in any yard, be it for feeding stock on straw bedding (which will help to reduce the amount of bedding used) or just for a sick animal instead of having to open and waste a bale of silage.

Silage

The fine conditions have also made it ideal for silage harvesting. While it may be tempting (especially where bales are made) to wilt grass for several days and reduce the bale count, the longer grass is on the ground after cutting, the more nutrients it loses.

Teagasc has shown that excessively high dry matter (above 35%) leads to no additional weight gain in cattle.

Once grass is cut, tedd immediately and bale in 24 to 48 hours post-cutting.

Haylage, like hay, is really only useful for the likes of ewes on straw-bedded pens or perhaps to add some fibre to the diet of intensively fed cattle.

Grass quality

Grass quality seems to be getting under control on a lot of farms and should be in a better state by the end of the weekend, with many taking out some surplus paddocks as silage.

Growth for the coming week or so is still in the mid 60s, so the majority of farms will be in a surplus.