Farmers urged to budget fodder as drought effects stretch into winter

While Ireland and Scotland have largely been spared the worst of the dry weather, swards were severely stressed across much of England and Wales.

Mr Cosgrave said: “I’ve been visiting farms in England as part of my role judging the British Grassland Farmer of the Year competition, and in certain parts of the country, the situation is dire. It’s a really difficult situation for farmers to be in.” 

Strategic nitrogen applications are key to recovery 

For farmers in areas like Ireland and Northern Ireland, where grass growth has remained reasonable, Mr Cosgrave recommends strategic nitrogen applications before closed periods begin on 15th September.  

Applications of 25-35kg of nitrogen per hectare in the first half of September can help build grass covers and extend grazing into late autumn. However, the situation is more complex for drought-affected areas.

The expert advises against rushing to apply nitrogen immediately after rainfall, explaining that dry, drought-stressed soils often contain significant pent-up nitrogen reserves.

“When the grass is not growing, it’s not utilising nitrogen. When we get a re-wetting of the soil after a long dry period, we get a bloom in microbial activity in the soil, and that tends to produce a lot of mineralised nitrogen,” he said. 

Instead, farmers should wait for grass to green up before applying nitrogen. For those in NVZs in England and Wales, there is some flexibility, with up to 80kg of chemical nitrogen permitted between 15th September and 31st October, though applications are limited to 40kgs per hectare at any one time. 

Farmers need to be patient despite urgency  

The most important guidance for farmers watching their paddocks recover is to resist the temptation to graze too early. Current grass growth rates in drought-affected areas are running at just 10-20kgs of dry matter per hectare per day, compared to the 40kgs typically expected in September.

“There’ll be an urgency there. Farmers will be desperate to get their stock onto these paddocks, but they need to be patient and build up some substance in the grass,” Mr Cosgrave warned.  

“It requires grass to grow grass. You need to have leaf to build on to get grass growth rates into the 40kg range.” 

This means continuing buffer feeding while allowing sward covers to build up, even when paddocks begin to green up after rainfall. 

Forward planning is essential for winter survival 

Mr Cosgrave’s key recommendation is forage budgeting for the months ahead. With silage production well back and limited straw availability, farmers should assess their fodder supplies, and they may need to make difficult decisions about purchasing additional feed or reducing stock numbers.  

“There’s no point in discovering later on that you’re not going to have enough forage only to get you to maybe the end of November or December,” he emphasised.  

“The later that budget is done, and if forage needs to be purchased, that forage is likely to be more expensive,” he continued. 

The expert also points to the example of one farmer who purchased standing wheat to make whole crop silage, a decision that seemed expensive at the time but now looks shrewd given current market conditions.  

Looking beyond immediate challenges, Mr Cosgrave highlighted ongoing research into farming system resilience, particularly as climate change brings both drier and wetter periods.

He advocates for farmers to consider diversified swards when making reseeding decisions, incorporating species like plantain, chicory, and red or white clover alongside traditional perennial ryegrass.  

“Adding these other species can slow down the drought impact so that you don’t reach that critical point where perennial ryegrass simply stops growing. 

“These herbs and alternative species can maintain growth levels during dry periods, reducing the overall impact on the sward.” 

While extreme drought will affect all species, the deeper-rooting herbs can maintain growth longer during dry spells, while perennial ryegrass recovers more quickly when conditions improve, creating a complementary system that provides greater overall resilience.

Farmers should also consider adjusting their brassica strategy, Mr Cosgrave suggested.  

While brassicas are typically grown to feed livestock over winter months or extend grazing in late autumn, establishing them earlier can provide valuable stopgap feeding during summer stress periods from late June through August. Hybrid brassicas and forage rape varieties are particularly suitable for this approach. 

For farmers harvesting maize crops early, there may be opportunities to establish quick-growing grass crops like hybrid grasses or Westerwolds, which could provide late-season grazing or early spring feed while serving as cover crops over winter. 

As weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable, the message for farmers is that they must adapt and plan for both drier and wetter periods ahead.  

The expert added that with the variable conditions across the UK and Ireland highlighting the vulnerability of traditional farming systems, patience and strategic planning have never been more important for sustainable grassland management.  

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