From drought recovery to winter planning: Making the most of autumn grass

After one of the most challenging grass-growing seasons in recent years, rainfall has provided an opportunity for grassland to recover. But with autumn now underway, the focus needs to shift from recovery to making the most of the grass available and planning ahead for winter and spring 2027.

For livestock farmers, the decisions made over the coming weeks will have a direct bearing on forage availability, grazing opportunities and animal performance through the winter and into next spring.

Our recent webinar, Recovering grassland and setting autumn priorities, explored the practical steps farmers can take following drought to support grassland recovery, manage forage supplies and prepare for the months ahead.

Hosted by AHDB’s Katie Evans and featuring grazing consultant James Daniel of Precision Grazing, the session covered:

• Supporting grassland recovery after drought
• Avoiding common grazing mistakes during recovery
• Making informed reseeding and overseeding decisions
• Selecting grass and forage species for greater future resilience
• Assessing livestock condition and performance
• Completing a winter feed budget and planning forage supplies
• Options for managing potential feed shortages
• Planning now to protect grass supplies for spring 2027

Whether you're concerned about current forage stocks, grazing management or building resilience for future dry seasons, the webinar provides practical advice to support decision making on farm.

Watch the webinar back now to review the advice and consider how the recommendations could be applied to your own farm.

With grassland recovery underway, the next priority is understanding exactly where the farm stands going into winter.

Our next webinar, Managing autumn and winter post drought for a successful spring, will build on the previous session and focus on autumn and winter management decisions – helping farmers maximise available grass, make best use of existing forage and protect grass availability for spring 2027.

The key message is simple: decisions made this autumn will influence spring grass availability.

The session will focus on three key areas:

• Complete a winter feed budget
• Understand your current forage position
• Match forage and supplementary feeds to livestock requirements

Different classes of livestock have different nutritional requirements. Assessing available forage alongside animal demand can help farmers determine where forage supplies need to be prioritised and where supplementary feeds may be appropriate.

Where a shortfall is identified, there are a range of potential options to consider.

Comparing alternative feeds and forages, including their availability, cost, nutritional value and suitability for different livestock, can support more informed decisions about how to fill the gap.

The aim is to give farmers a clearer picture of their position this autumn and practical information to help them plan for winter while protecting the foundations for spring grazing.

Watch the previous webinar back and register for the next session on 8 October to continue planning from grassland recovery through to winter feed management and spring 2027.