Grass growth rates are above the 5 year average in the UK but don’t get excited just yet, we need the rain to stop long enough for the farmers to get all of their crop off the fields – fingers crossed! Let’s keep the conversation going in our private members’ FB group, tell us how the cut is going in your area, click here
So why are we reporting grass growth and why are we doing our hay tracker? The team at DrDavidMarlin.com wanted to support the horse community by helping you either prepare for a hay shortage and to find hay at the best price locally to you or to inform you and shout from the rooftops if there was no reason for high prices and hay was in abundance. So where are we now? It’s tricky, grass has grown with the above 5 year growth rates reported by the great work done by the AHBD, but the unusual summer with heavy rain has meant some farmers are finding getting the hay cut, dried and baled is proving a problem in some areas. Let’s keep the conversation going in our private FB group.
Health warning
The highest grass growth rate was reported in the South East; however, if you have horses or ponies prone to colic, obesity, EMS, laminitis, adverse behaviour etc, this is the time to limit grass intake wherever you live. If you do, then ensure that you provide additional forage in the form of hay, preferably soaked or soaked and steamed.
Watch our Laminitis and EMS webinar, click here
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
Looking back at last week’s grass growth:
- Average daily growth rates are changing direction, up 4.3 kg DM/ha, to 46.4 kg DM/ha
- Average growth rates are on par with the growth reported at the same time this time last year and the 5-year average
- Highest regional average daily growth rates are seen again in the South East, 75 kg DM/ha
Reference:
The information on grass growth has come from the Forage For Knowledge page on the AHDB website: click here
