IT seems strange to complain about the good weather but as the sunshine continues and there has been little or no rain there is now increased pressure throughout the agriculture sector. Many of Ireland’s green fields have become burnt and there is little or no grass growth in some parts of the country.

There are a number of factors worth considering when it comes to keeping paddocks and grassland in the best condition possible. It is also important to remember that the better the grass the higher feeding value it will have for your horse and save you money from buying additonal hay and grain.

STOCKING RATE

Firstly, you must take into account the size of the area you have available and the amount of stock you want to put on it. You must have a situation where the supply of grass is greater than the demand.

The main priority is to reduce the daily grass demand to below the daily growth rate. Stock rotation is essential to maintaining grass cover also. A rotation period of between three weeks and a month is suggested.

FERTILISER

Fertiliser should be spread in accordance to the weather – if soil moisture is below 60mm (as it is in times of drought) it is advised to wait until rain is forecast in order to get maximum benefit from what you spread. Currently soil moisture deficits (SMD) range from over 90mm in the south east to around 60mm in the north west (from Met Eireann 9th July). Much of the fertiliser applied in the last four to six weeks still remains in the soil and will be reactivated once adequate rainfall occurs.

In dryer soil conditions, fertiliser containing ammonium nitrate and calcium ammonium nitrate as their N source are much safer to spread. As a result, they have lower risk of volatilisation loss to the atmosphere. However, they are not likely to become active or taken up by plant roots until sufficient moisture is present.

Therefore, it is best to hold off on any further N fertiliser applications until temperatures decrease, such as dew at night, or prior to when rain is forecast on fields that were not fertilised in the last month.

When the rain comes, it is very important to moderate the animals’ access to the rapidly changing pasture, so as their systems can readjust to green grass again.

SLURRY

Applying slurry in hot sunny weather on very dry soil conditions will result in high N loss through volatilisation.

In addition, slurry spread with splash-plate will coat the remaining green leaf area on grass with slurry and cause this grass to burn under the current sunny and dry conditions. It is advised to wait until the hot weather has past before spreading slurry.

OVERGRAZING

Preventing grassland from getting overgrazed and maintaining a good grass cover will help reduce the amount of soil exposed to the sun. In order to prevent overgrazing and further damage to the soil, keep horses off unproductive pastures if it is possible.

Forage or concentrates should be added into the diet of the animal to reduce the demand on grass. Despite the lack of fresh grass, horse owners still need to ensure their animals are consuming at least 1.5% of their bodyweight in forage every day.

TOXIC WEEDS

Horses with access to forage usually avoid eating toxic weeds. However, during prolonged spells of dry weather, in some cases toxic weed may be the only green plants on the pasture. Horses are more likely to eat them as a result.

It’s important to stay on top of general farm management with regards to weeding in times of drought.

Essentially, if you’ve fertilised, don’t panic! Your fertiliser is still there. Once the rain comes it will reach the roots of the grass plant.

If you’ve not fertilised yet, watch the weather forecast. Fertilise in accordance with when the rain is forecast. If you have any specific concerns, contact Teagasc.

Who would have thought in February we would have been in this scenario?