Farmers are being told to assess silage, hay and other forage stocks before winter feeding pressure intensifies
Livestock farmers are being urged to assess winter forage stocks now after drought-hit grass growth forced some businesses to use conserved feed months earlier than planned.
AHDB has warned that farms which wait until winter to identify a forage shortfall could face fewer buying options and tighter availability.
Its latest guidance, published on 21 September, advises producers to calculate exactly how much silage, hay, haylage, straw and forage crop they have available against expected livestock demand.
The assessment should be made on a dry-matter basis, rather than simply by counting bales or estimating fresh weight, to give a more accurate picture of what is actually available to feed.
Where a deficit is identified, farmers are being encouraged to act early and consider bought-in forage, alternative feeds, extended grazing, ration changes or adjustments to livestock requirements.
The warning follows a difficult growing season in which prolonged dry weather restricted grass growth across many livestock areas.
Some farms were forced to begin feeding silage and hay during the summer, eating into stocks that would normally have been reserved for the winter months.
Pressure could also be compounded by shorter cereal crops in some areas, potentially reducing straw availability for farms reliant on it for feeding or bedding.
AHDB said producers should first establish how much forage they actually have before looking at replacement options.
Requirements will vary according to livestock numbers, the expected housing or feeding period, stage of production, forage quality and likely wastage.
Calculating the position now should give farms more time to respond if stocks are insufficient.
Good-quality forage will also need to be prioritised carefully, particularly where supplies are limited.
Higher-quality silage may be most valuable for animals with greater nutritional demands, including growing stock, finishing animals and freshly calved cows, while lower-demand livestock may be able to make greater use of poorer-quality forage as part of a properly balanced ration.
Alternative forages such as maize silage, wholecrop cereals, straw and forage crops may also help stretch grass silage supplies.
However, AHDB warned they should not be treated as direct tonne-for-tonne replacements.
Their feeding value varies considerably depending on dry matter, energy and protein content, meaning changes to diets need to be properly balanced if livestock performance is to be maintained.
Farmers considering bought-in feed are therefore being advised to compare options on nutritional value and delivered cost rather than headline price alone.
Forage analysis can also help producers decide which feeds offer the best value and which groups of livestock should receive the highest-quality material.
Where conditions allow, extending the grazing season could provide another way of reducing pressure on conserved forage.
But the potential for additional grazing will differ significantly between farms depending on rainfall, soil conditions, grass recovery and livestock demand.
Grassland recovery has also been uneven following the prolonged dry spell, with heavily grazed pastures generally taking longer to respond even where rainfall has returned.
Concentrates and suitable feed co-products could provide another option for farms facing larger forage deficits, although AHDB said comparisons should again take account of energy, protein, dry matter and transport costs.
Any reduction in silage also needs to be matched by adequate replacement nutrition, as poorly balanced rations could affect growth rates, body condition, fertility and overall animal performance.
AHDB's central message is for farmers not to leave purchasing decisions until winter.
Demand for forage could increase at the same time across livestock-producing areas, potentially leaving businesses that identify shortages late with fewer options.
Availability from Ireland and mainland Europe could also be constrained, limiting the ability to rely on imported supplies if domestic demand tightens.
Farmers are therefore being encouraged to draw up a realistic winter forage budget now and establish the size of any potential deficit before deciding how best to address it.
AHDB has also made a feed and forage calculator available to help businesses compare conserved stocks against livestock requirements.
For drought-hit farms that have already eaten into winter reserves, calculating the shortfall early could prove increasingly important as the main winter feeding period approaches.