Watch: How to draw up a simple fodder budget using PastureBase Ireland

This month’s farm visits on the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farm Programme have focused on building autumn grass and completing fodder budgets for the winter ahead.

In the below video, Co-ordinator of the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farm Programme, Sandra Hayes outlines how to draw up a simple fodder budget using the PastureBase Ireland programme.

Having visited the farm of Teagasc/Tirlán Monitor farmer Francis Nolan, where details of the fodder stocks available and planned wintered livestock were gathered, Sandra provides a step-by-step guide on how to use this programme to examine the fodder situation on the farm

Watch the video below:

Fodder stocks and grass availability

As part of a fortnightly update from the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farms, Sandra touched on the fodder stocks and grass availability, adding: “Some farms have over five months fodder; others that are tighter are looking at different meal supplementation and/or stocking rates for the winter.”

As of September 6, the average farm cover for farms enrolled in the programme was 713kg DM/ha, with an average cover per livestock unit being 232kg. On the grass situation on farms, Sandra explained: “Growth rates over the last two weeks have varied from 40 to 75kg DM/ha/day. This is due to weather conditions. Many of the monitor farms could do with some rain, as it is the limiting factor.

“Some have got rain but the accompanying wind has dried up any moisture in the ground very quickly. To combat this lower growth rate, the farms have been dropping demand as best they can with zero grazed grass or silage.”

For more information on the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farms, access the full fortnightly update here.