Strong Autumn Grass Growth Improves National Feed Supply
Grass growth patterns varied considerably throughout 2026, with a major peak in late May followed by a pronounced decline in early August. The subsequent autumn recovery in grass growth was rapid.
Current grass growth is approximately 49 kilograms of Dry Matter per hectare per day on dairy farms and 37 kg DM/ha/day on drystock farms this week. Grass supply on farms is likely at an all-time high for this period, with pre-grazing yields of approximately 2,200 kg DM/ha. The rapid recovery in autumn grass growth has resulted in a significant improvement in the national feed supply situation.
Over the last number of weeks, Teagasc advisors have completed approximately 430 winter fodder budgets for drystock and dairy clients nationwide. This follows on from an initial survey completed in August and forms part of an on-going advisory programme to promote better planning of feed security livestock farms.
Results were presented this afternoon, Friday 16th October, to the National Fodder and Feed Security Committee meeting, which was chaired by Mike Magan and held at Teagasc Oak Park, Carlow. Data were collected on farms in early October following completion of most grass silage and maize crop harvests. Strong autumn recovery of grass growth following the summer drought has led to significant additional forage being saved on farms, and this is reflected in survey results.
Significant improvement in grass supply improves the overall feed supply compared to August results, 5% of farms now have severe fodder deficits and a further 6% are at significant risk of shortages
Survey feed budgets were collated by region and by enterprise (dairy and drystock):
- Midlands/NorthEast: Cavan, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Westmeath
- SouthEast: Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow
- SouthWest: Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick
- NorthWest: Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo
The national situation shows that on average, 71% dairy and drystock farms are on target for adequate winter fodder supplies with a further 17.5% close to having adequate winter feed conserved. There are 5% of farms with severe winter feed deficits and a further 6 to7% at risk of significant shortages (Table 1). This is broadly in line with previous years of normal grass growth.
The considerable regional variation in the feed supply evident in August has reduced somewhat, however the South-East region still has greatest proportion of farms in the high-risk categories. Farms in this region reported heavier usage of supplementary forage feeding during July and August due to the drought. Grass growth recovery plus contingency measures have led to marked improvements. When analysed by enterprise, 6.2% of dairy farms and 3.6% of drystock farms now report shortages of less than 20%, while 63% of dairy farms and 76% of drystock farms report adequate or surplus feed stocks. Overall, there is a weighted average forage surplus of 3 to5% nationally, which remains below the target of 120%, but nonetheless represents a marked improvement since August.
Table 1. Winter forage supply by region October 2026
| Region | Surplus Feed | On Target | 5-10% Deficit | 10-20% Deficit | >20% Deficit |
| South East | 34.5% | 34.5% | 18.1% | 6.0% | 6.9% |
| Midlands/NE | 30.1% | 41.7% | 17.5% | 5.8% | 4.9% |
| North/West | 27.4% | 47.9% | 13.7% | 5.5% | 5.5% |
| South West | 27.4% | 44.0% | 16.7% | 8.3% | 3.6% |
| Overall | 28.9% | 42.2% | 17.5% | 6.2% | 5.1% |
Commenting on the results of the survey, Joe Patton, Teagasc Survey Co-Ordinator said: ‘The numbers of farms with very severe fodder shortages has dropped considerably compared to our August survey, which of course is a very welcome change. It is vital that farms facing this situation take action now to balance supply and demand heading into winter. In addition, our survey shows that about 1 in 5 farms are in a marginal deficit of 5 to10%. While this is a quite manageable deficit, we encourage these farmers to complete a fodder budget and keep numbers updated as the winter progresses, so that small deficits can be eradicated early.’
Michael O’Donovan, Teagasc Grassland Science Department said: ‘Autumn grass Dry Matter production has responded well across the country since late August, and for the South-East region in particular. Farmers have made excellent use of higher-than-average grass growth rates to replenish feed stocks with third cuts of silage, and importantly also to build grass covers for autumn grazing. Autumn grass supply is high on both dairy and drystock farms, which is encouraging. It is important that Autumn grass is well utilised before closing for the winter. We would also like to encourage farmers to re-evaluate their fodder budgets in PastureBase Ireland in the coming weeks and make sure to update the fodder budget with the extra fodder conserved in the past month.’
Tom Curran, Head of Advisory Services in Teagasc said: ‘This updated survey confirms that nationally there has been a very significant improvement in supply of conserved forage on farms. The recovery has been driven largely by strong grass growth through September into October. Challenges do remain on a proportion of drystock and dairy farms, and it is clear that immediate actions to improve supply or reduce demand will be essential on these farms. A number of options are available to farmers, and our Teagasc advisors are happy to help farmers with these decisions. Finally, Teagasc would like to thank the farmers who participated in the survey’.
The presentations from today’s meeting are available to view online here