For grassland farmers, this has been a year of 'haves and have nots'. While some parts of Scotland and Ireland have enjoyed one of their best grass-growing seasons in memory, others watched paddocks burn off through a record-breaking hot, dry summer. Many farmers were forced to dip into winter forage stocks months early. 

As a result, Philip Cosgrave, Yara's Country Grassland specialist, knows farmers may need to keep cattle out grazing longer this autumn. And, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent, should also consider new grazing strategies for the future, from growing more diverse swards and herbal leys to different crops altogether. 

Recovering but running short

Rain has returned across much of the UK and Ireland and many drought-hit areas are now growing above-average levels of grass for the time of year. The problem, Philip says, is what happened in July and August. "Because of supplementary feeding earlier on, farmers may not have the forage stocks they would like at this stage of the year and are running short." Maize hasn't been spared either in the worst-affected areas, with both the quality and yield disappointing. 

Encouragingly though, most swards have recovered well considering how dry it's been. Where grass hasn't come back, some remediation work will be needed, and stitching in grass seed is an option.

Building resilience into swards

With plenty of reseeding under way, Philip believes the last few seasons should prompt farmers to rethink what goes in the ground. Rather than relying on perennial ryegrass-only swards, he points to more diverse mixtures including red and white clover, and deeper-rooting species such as plantain and chicory.

"These types of mixtures haven't totally insulated farmers from the dry weather, but certainly they seem to be a little bit more resilient," he says. "On beef and sheep farms in particular, there's a lot of interest in diverse swards and herbal leys, and I think we need to look at that seriously."

Different crops altogether could also play a role. "Late spring-sown brassicas, ready to graze from late June into July, can carry stock over the period when a dry spell is most likely to hit grass growth," Philip explains.

Plugging the winter feed gap

But for those short of winter feed, decisions need to be made sooner than that. Destocking is one option – selling cull cows or beef-cross cattle from dairy herds as stores sooner – to reduce winter feed demand. Alternative feeds are also worth costing, from concentrates and by-products to undersized potatoes from arable farms that aren't making the grade.

Looking ahead, Philip suggests talking to arable neighbours about sowing a late brassica or hybrid brassica crop that livestock could graze well into autumn. "If you can keep stock out grazing longer, whether it's on grass or on one of these brassica crops, you are going to reduce the requirement for silage or hay," he says.

While there is surplus silage further north, transport costs make moving it south uneconomic for many. And bought-in forage may not match the quality of home-grown silage. "It's about costing different feeds and looking at their relative feed values and seeing which one is value for money," he says.

Above all, Philip urges farmers to be proactive. "These are not one-in-ten-year events anymore. These are more than likely one in two or three-year events, so it's important for farmers to start planning for these now."

Making the most of autumn growth

For the more fortunate farmers with grass growing well, Philip cautions against chasing extra growth with October nitrogen. "You should be applying your nitrogen in September, growing the grass in September and early October, and then keeping that grass and allocating it," he says. With current nitrogen prices, the response in kilograms of dry matter per kilogram of N applied this late is likely to be low and may not be economically justifiable.

Organic manures are a better bet. Watery slurry and dairy parlour washings contain readily available ammoniacal nitrogen and give a quick response. Getting them out in early October, while grass is still growing, captures that value before it is lost to nitrate leaching over winter – and lowers store levels ahead of the closed period.

Managing grass into winter

Where grass is still plentiful, careful management is key. Lush, leafy reseeds with high clover content and low dry matter carry a bloat risk for cattle and sheep, so stock need watching closely.

For the final rotation, prioritise good graze outs to ensure the best quality in spring and target paddocks for grazing in October that are dry and have good access. These paddocks grazed in October will then be closed longest and carry the highest level of cover over winter for grazing first in the spring.

Budget now

Finally, Philip stresses the importance of a forage budget. "Everyone should probably be doing a forage budget at this time of the year," he says. "If you are short, it's about making the right decision on how you plug that deficit – whether you can offload stock, buy in forage, or whether by-products or concentrates would be more cost effective than buying silage or hay."