The impact of weather: 5 reasons why livestock farmers should measure forage quality
Sciantec
Agriculture
Fresh grass and home-grown forage are among the most valuable and cost-effective feed inputs on any livestock farm. However, inconsistent weather patterns can cause variation within forage quality, which can’t always be seen to the naked eye. Significant changes in nutritional value can occur rapidly, long before they are visible in the field.
As forage quality is one of the biggest drivers of livestock performance, regular forage analysis provides the data needed to accurately balance rations, control feed costs, and optimise productivity.
By measuring dry matter, metabolisable energy (ME), digestibility (D-value) crude protein, fibre, sugars, and minerals throughout the season, farmers can remove uncertainty, make informed feeding decisions, and protect animal health, productivity, and profitability.
Knowing what your forage is delivering allows you to feed with confidence.
We’re here to help. For a limited time only, we’re offering 20% off our fresh grass (FN02) and grass silage (FN03) analysis packages. Click the link at the end of this blog to learn more!
The impact of weather & why forage quality analysis matters throughout the season
Seasonal growing conditions, including variable weather conditions, can have a major impact on grass growth and quality. Being aware of the effects of these conditions and monitoring any changes through regular forage testing allows farmers to respond proactively and develop strategies to build consistency and resilience in forage quality and avoid the worst impacts.
Being forearmed is always being forewarned!
1. Weather impacts forage quality before you can see it
Temperature, rainfall, and drought influence fibre, digestibility, sugars, and protein levels well before any visual signs emerge. Forage analysis transforms the effects of the weather into quantifiable data, enabling you to take action before productivity declines.
Such preventative actions might include:
- Adjusting grazing timing and pressure
- Supplementing precisely based on measured deficits
- Optimising cutting and conservation strategies
- Planning ahead to avoid sudden productivity losses
Forage analysis turns hidden weather stress into actionable management decisions, allowing productivity to be protected rather than repaired.
2. Rapid growth and excessive rainfall can dilute nutritional value
After heavy rainfall, rapid grass growth can lower the energy, protein, and mineral content per kilogram of dry matter. Assessing quality with analysis helps avoid assuming that rapid growth automatically indicates high feed value.
When excessive rainfall increases the risk of rapid grass growth but of inferior nutritional quality, consider:
- Adjusting grazing timing and rotation
- Supplementing energy, protein, and minerals
- Harvesting surplus grass early and selectively
- Improving sward structure and composition by including more plant species in the sward
Use forage analysis to act before animal performance declines. Measuring feed value rather than relying on visual appearance ensures that rapid grass growth is managed productively.
3. Protein content is weather-dependent, not calendar-driven
Crop growing conditions, including soil moisture, grass growth class and grass growth rate, control nitrogen uptake. Crude protein accumulation often declines during dry or cool periods, and the extent of any decline can only be revealed by analysis.
To minimise weather‑driven declines in crude protein, farmers can:
- Measure actual protein levels rather than relying on assumptions or the time of year
- Adjust nitrogen timing to match crop uptake and conditions
- Improve soil health to stabilise nutrient supply and crop uptake
- Incorporate legumes and multispecies to diversify swards
- Optimise grazing and cutting decisions
- Supplement protein only when analysis shows it is needed.
By managing protein as a weather‑responsive variable rather than a fixed seasonal expectation, farmers can protect performance, fertility, and margins even under challenging growing conditions.
4. Sugar levels fluctuate with the weather
Cool nights and sunny days increase water‑soluble carbohydrates (WSC), improving palatability and rumen energy supplies. Higher WSC also improves silage fermentation, increases intake, and raises usable energy for livestock.
Monitoring forage quality helps farmers capitalise on these conditions and target when to take silage cuts or prioritise fields for high-performance grazing. Farmers can take advantage of weather‑driven sugar fluctuations by:
- Monitoring WSC levels regularly.
- Timing silage cuts to cool‑night, sunny‑day conditions. Consider late-morning/afternoon cutting, when sugar content increases.
- Prioritising high‑sugar fields for high‑demand stock.
- Aligning sugar with protein for rumen efficiency.
- Adjusting grazing time to maximise intake.
- Using high‑sugar forage strategically across the system.
By treating sugar (WSC) as a dynamic, environment‑responsive energy source farmers can significantly lift feed efficiency and animal performance, often without increasing costs.
5. Seasonal weather variability increases the variation in forage quality
Climate change and its impact on increasing seasonal weather patterns affect the energy, protein content, and fibre fractions of forage. More frequent forage analysis reduces nutritional uncertainty caused by weather and provides data that allow farmers to adjust livestock rations with confidence.
To mitigate weather‑driven variability in forage quality, farmers should undertake frequent forage analysis. This enables them to:
- Adjust rations dynamically based on real data
- Allocate forage by quality
- Build flexible grazing and conservation strategies
- Plan feed reserves more effectively
In our next blog, we’ll talk about the decisions you can make as a result of regular forage analysis. Watch this space for updates!
Act now to get 20% off forage analysis
Forage analysis removes seasonal uncertainty.
In a season where timing is critical, testing gives you control. Because once quality declines, the opportunity to act has already passed.
For a limited time only, we’re offering 20% off our fresh grass (FN02) and grass silage (FN03) analysis packages.
Click here to sign up for your discount code.
Additionally, soil analysis is a key starting point for improving forage production, as it clearly shows which nutrients your soil can (and cannot) supply to your crop. Instead of assuming, your soil analysis results help you to manage your fresh grass or forage crops based on real data, matching nutrient inputs to crop demand.
Contact our sister laboratory, NRM, for more details.
For more information on our forage analysis packages, contact us today.
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