First silage cut of the year - at Mullagh

Patrick Gaynor got what is probably the first cut of silage in the county, on his farm at Mullaghland, Mullagh, last week. The photo was taken on Friday, May 21, when Longfield contractor Ronan Doughty joined four-year-old Setanta (sitting on the bale) and Patrick to gather the bales, with Mullagh lake in the background. The land is near the Meath border and "fairly dry", said Patrick. "It got slurry about two months ago and six bags of nitrogen six weeks ago. It was slow enough to start but once it started it grew fairly well." Patrick usually gets a grazing off it in January but this year the animals didn't go out as there was nothing on the ground. Patrick got eight bales to the acre from the first cut, is hoping to get another cut in the middle of July and then grass for the rest of the year.