Ground conditions

The year finished very well with exceptionally good ground conditions helping winter planting and autumn grazing.

With grazing finished, recording closing covers and soil sampling paddocks are some of the last tasks to be completed on the grazing block this year.

With upwards of 30mm to 40mm of rain forecast on Friday night through to Saturday and coming hot on the wheels of some heavy snowfalls, ground conditions will come under pressure.

The dry conditions make it a good time of the year to take soil samples and make a nutrient management plan for the year ahead.

Many farmers find themselves in the situation where they are not sure if they should continue grazing beyond the closing target cover or house now.

The crops are a glorious verdant green, though the latest sown crop, the gluten free oats is slower to emerge than I expected given the mild conditions.

Organic oat grower and suckler farmer Eoghan O’Sullivan recently won the Flahavan's organic oat grower of the year award.

Good grazing conditions shouldn't detract from the reality that cows will need to be dried off shortly in order to protect body condition score next spring