Fodder reprieve after mild start to winter 24/25

Farmers received “a great reprieve” late this year thanks to a warmer start to the winter, coupled with better grass growth this autumn.

Westmeath IFA member Paddy Donnelly has said that the good conditions have allowed stock to be left out longer, which puts less pressure on silage stores for the winter.

“We got a great reprieve because we have only a few days left in November and the stock is only going in now because ground conditions have been very good,” Paddy said.

“We had poor grass growth in the early part of the year, but for September and October, we had good growth, which helped us to leave them out longer and save silage for the colder months.”

We had an “unseasonably warm” start to the winter, which meant any cattle that went indoors early had problems with pneumonia, but the more recent cooler weather has meant conditions indoors are better now.

“People down south of the country have been feeding silage quite early in the year, and I don’t know overall what the position is with feed, but here in Westmeath, farmers are in a better situation and will get by,” said Paddy.

“There should be enough feed to last for the rest of the winter.”