After a difficult winter in the UK and hay shortages meaning huge price rises, the team at DrDavidMarlin.com decided that we needed to either support our members by helping you prepare for a hay shortage or ensure that everyone knows that there won’t be a hay shortage and there might be the opportunity to shop around for the best price. With that in mind, we are delivering you a weekly #ForageForecast so that we can track grass growth and hay production this year!
With the exceptional grass growth this year we appreciate how difficult it is to manage your horses. Click on the red text below to take part in the webinar aimed at supporting horse owners on prevention and management at this tricky time.
Health warning
If you have horses or ponies prone to colic, obesity, EMS, laminitis, adverse behaviour etc, this is the time to limit grass intake. If you do, then ensure that you provide additional forage in the form of hay, preferably soaked or soaked and steamed.
Watch our Forage 4 Knowledge webinars with two leading experts:
Dr Helen Warren: Feeding forage in practical terms: Click here
Dr David Davies: Hay, Haylage and Silage: Click here
The last week’s grass growth:
- Average daily growth rates are changing direction, down 7.3 kg DM/ha, to 58.7 kg DM/ha
- Average growth rates are below the growth rates this time last year at 68.6 kg DM/ha and ahead of the 5-year average, 48.9 kg DM/ha
- Highest regional average daily growth rates are seen in the North West, 80.15 kg DM/ha
Reference:
The information on grass growth has come from the Forage For Knowledge page on the AHDB website: click here
