Once again, most Irish farmers are in for another week of dry weather.

The weather is so good some farmers are asking if they will pay for it later in the spring, while others are making the point that they’ve already paid for it in the past.

While temperatures are set to drop over the coming days, it is to remain largely dry and dry weather is great news, coming as it does at the right time.

The first task that depends on the weather is letting stock out to grass. By the looks of it, farmers up and down the country were able to let cows out to grass last week.

Milking cows are the priority stock when it comes to grazing. They are the primary income generators on the farm so they should get the priority feed.

Land is still wet enough in places and it won’t be until later in the week that wet spots will start to dry up.

Farmers should be considering grazing these normally wet areas as soon as they dry out, presuming they will dry out before the weather changes again. One thing is for sure, this fine weather won’t last forever so make the most of it while it’s here.

Maiden heifers are the next category of stock that should be prioritised for turn out. Early grass will drive on weight gain in advance of the breeding season.

These animals eat approximately 2.5% of their bodyweight daily, so if they weigh 300kg they will probably eat about 7.5kg/day of grass. After a few days of allocating grass you will know whether their allowance needs to be more or less.

I also see a few farmers have turned the oldest calves out to grass also. With many farms having 70% to 90% of cows calved, shed space is at a premium, particularly on farms locked up with TB.

Leaving the oldest of calves out to grass, even with the most basic of shelters could be better than leaving them in a stuffy shed.