Darragh McCullough: We are already thinking about the next drought and taking action to protect our herd

Yes, none of our manure is spread through splash boards. And yes, we buy proprietary urea – when it’s available. And we use sexed semen to reduce the number of unwanted bull calves.

Straw is incorporated into stubble to increase soil carbon storage and we have reduced our fertilizer use along with the percentage of protein in the nuts fed to cows during the summer months.

But the actual change in weather patterns, as opposed to the changes in politics, is also forcing us to do things differently around the farm.

The first step was the switch to multi-species turf four years ago. While in many ways this has proven to be a boon in terms of reducing fertilizer use and improving cow and soil health, it has also been motivated by the increased frequency of droughts during the summer months here on the east coast.

The multi species copes better with droughts due to the deep taproots of plants like chicory and plantain. The older grass species included in the mix, such as cocksfoot and timothy, also tend to be better able to cope with a large moisture drop.

But disappointing scan results this fall prompted another look at how heat waves are affecting cows.

It wasn’t the fact that the percentage of cows scanned empty was twice the normal 6-7 percent. The shock was compounded by the expectation that this would be one of the best years for fertility in the herd.

Earlier in the spring we had spent a lot of money investing in heat detection collars for all cows. At the end of June, the boys were excited about how technology helps.

Cows and heifers in heat have been identified more easily and accurately, which is increasingly important when attempting to use sexed semen. So the first scans showed that conception rates up to the first service were better than ever and we looked forward with some confidence to a terrific set of scan results in the fall.

Our theory to explain the low pregnancy rate blames the heat and drought that gripped the area in July and August.

Higher embryonic death seems to have been a problem affecting not only the farm at home but many other herds in the area.

The cows’ chopping and switching on and off grass, silage, palm kernels and nuts was likely a factor. Another may have been the long waits for drinkers when the drought was at its worst.

So the first step is to install a larger water reservoir to ensure there is always enough water available during peak demand. A few extra drinks will likely help, too.

The other change on the agenda is overseeding about 40 acres with red clover. This is new to us but after seeing it grown successfully on many Irish farms we can see how it could be a useful addition to our drought management strategies.

Red clover does not do well for grazing, but what it lacks in grazing resilience it makes up for in the amount of high-quality forage it can produce annually.

Teagasc has produced over 15 tonnes of dry matter per hectare with no fertilizer input. It is amazing to imagine that the plant has the ability to suck nitrogen from the sky and turn it into the equivalent of around 300kg/ha of fertilizer per year. We are hoping for four cuts per year, processed into bales that can easily be fed in forage or around the yard.

So far we have muddled through dry periods with a combination of grass silage and palm kernel. But the grass silage has a lower protein content than regular lush pasture, and palm kernels are another product that raises sustainability questions when produced in Asia, West Africa and South America.

Red clover seems to tick many of those boxes. It’s about as sustainable as a feed that can be grown as it will be on the other side of the planet as opposed to the other side of the planet.

With little or no fertilizer it should yield a 17-18 part protein feed that is much higher than traditional grass silage. That makes it a better buffer feed when the normally lush, protein-rich pasture dwindles to parched stubble during the next heat wave.

​​Darragh McCullough runs a mixed farming business in Meath, elmgrovefarm.ie