Farmers invited to series of fodder clinics

Starting on Wednesday, August 26, Teagasc has organised a series of fodder clinics for farmers located in the counties most impacted by the drought.

Commencing in Teagasc offices in Portlaoise, Tullamore and Naas on August 26, other clinics will take place over the next week in Teagasc offices in counties Carlow, Wicklow, Wexford, Kilkenny, Waterford, Tipperary, East Cork, Louth and Meath.

“Our advisors are available to help farmers plan for the months ahead and into the winter,” said Sandra Hayes, Manager of the Teagasc Laois/Kildare/Offaly Advisory Region in advance of the fodder clinics.

Encouraging farmers to contact Teagasc, she added: “We would urge those coming to the clinics to bring details of their existing fodder stocks on farm, and the number of livestock numbers expected to be on the farm over the next nine months, so that a fodder plan can be put in place.”

“Taking action early will help individual farmers to make the best decisions for their farm enterprises,” added Thomas Curran, Head of Advisory Services in Teagasc, who noted that these clinics are part of the ongoing Teagasc advisory effort to support farmers in planning their feed and fodder requirements for the remainder of 2026 and the spring of 2027.

Webinar series

In addition to the fodder clinics, a series of webinars with practical advice and the latest information will take place in the regions most impacted and are due to commence next week.

The first two webinars will take place on the evening of Thursday, 27^th August for the Teagasc Carlow/Wicklow/Wexford advisory region and for the Meath/Louth/Dublin advisory region.

“On the webinar, we will have advisors covering fodder budgeting, advice on formulating diets, managing livestock numbers, exploring the option of catch crops and deciding, if, and when to apply fertiliser and slurry,” said Ger Shortle, Manager of the Teagasc Carlow/Wicklow/Wexford advisory region.

Dates and locations of the fodder clinics and webinars are available in the below table:

Ongoing articles are published through Teagasc Daily and are available here.

Also see below presentation to the National fodder and feed committee on 21 August, which covers the situation regarding grass, fodder, tillage crops and horticulture.