Daily growth rates continue to increase by 10.5kg DM/ha to 22.7 kg DM/ha, showing similar results to 2018. The highest growth rates so far, have been recorded in Shropshire at 51 kg DM/ha.
Recent frost has been limiting growth, especially in areas with lighter land, which could result in a shortage of grass for grazing. Many units are still housing at night and/or feeding silage to help mitigate this issue. The ground in many areas is also reported to be wet and it is advised to assess ground conditions weekly to guarantee they are dry before any fertiliser application.
Grass DM content ranges from approx. 14% in Carmarthen to approx. 24% in Devon. ME content across the country has a smaller range of 12-13 MJ/kg DM, and protein content has a wider range from 16-17% in Devon to 25-26% in Carmarthen and Leicestershire.
(AHDB, 2020)
