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19 March 2025

‘Grass grows grass’ – protecting farm cover a priority on Teagasc/Tirlán Farms

‘Grass grows grass’ – protecting farm cover a priority on Teagasc/Tirlán Farms


March’s improved weather has allowed a return to day and night grazing on the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farms. However, Co-ordinator of the Programme, Sandra Hayes explains why monitoring average farm cover has now become a priority for the farmers enrolled.

As the saying goes: ‘grass grows grass’, and ensuring we retain sufficient grass reserves on farm over the next few weeks has now become a priority for the farmers enrolled in the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farm Programme. If we let average farm cover dip too low this time of year, it will have a knock-on effect not only on the grass available at the start of the second rotation, but also in subsequent rotations and the total tonnage produced for the year.

As a group, the average farm cover across the farms for the week of March 8 was 749kg DM/ha, 245kg DM/ha behind the same period in 2024 – when challenging conditions made grazing particularly difficult – and varying greatly across the farms, from 511kg DM/ha right up to 1,081kg DM/ha.

Over the coming week or two, the monitor farmers will be measuring and monitoring grass carefully to ensure it doesn’t drop below 600kg DM/ha. To achieve this:

  • AFC should be reviewed weekly and compared to the spring feed budget on PastureBase Ireland;
  • The remaining grazing area will be divided to ensure some grass remains in the diet – having both positives on milk solids production and cow body reserves;
  • Supplementation will be introduced, if required, and;
  • Chemical fertiliser and slurry applications will be brought up to date on grazed paddocks to encourage growth and to help build average farm cover.

For more information, including and update from Steven Fitzgerald’s farm, visit here.

Upcoming events

The Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farm Programme will be involved in three Teagasc Breeding Week 2025 events over the coming weeks. Taking place in Dungarvan Mart on March 25, Cillin Hill, Kilkenny on March 26 and Teagasc Grange on March 28, farmers in the programme will share their plans for breeding, while expert speakers will cover sexed semen, animal health, using the Dairy Beef Index and selecting bull teams.

Further details on these events are available in the below video:

Find out more about Teagasc Breeding Week 2025 here.