Welcome to our March BarTech with thoughts, tops tips and advice from the UK Grass Experts. As production costs continue to rise, efficient grassland and herbal-ley management, as well as supporting solutions such as red clover, Lucerne or multi-species leys will help increase on-farm profitably as well as soil health, animal health and the environment.
There are over 18 million acres/7.3m ha of temporary and permanent grassland in the UK which equates to 42.2% of the utilisable agricultural area and making it by far, our largest single crop group. At present, the reseeding rate is estimated to be as little as 2 – 4% per annum meaning many growers are losing out on significant grass yield potential.
Now that spring is here, it is important to get out into the fields to carry out sward assessments, if you have not already done so. Decisions taken now can impact the performance of a long-term ley for its whole lifespan. Keep monitoring and measuring your grass weekly against your spring rotation planning.
Prioritising soil sampling is the fundamental first step, which should be kept up to date, with soil samples no older than 5 years. We would recommend soil sampling every 3-5 years and in England and Wales this is compulsory. Recent soil sampling reports state that only 9% of UK grassland soils are at target levels for phosphorus (P) & potassium (K), which are two of the most fundamental nutrients for crop establishment and development. pH should be above 6.2 and the calcium level should be no less than 2000ppm.
A healthy soil will establish and support healthy, highly productive swards of grass and the results from soil sampling will help you make the best use of nutrients in your grassland management.
Next, like condition scoring livestock will help to make appropriate rationing decisions, assessing the existing state of all your fields will make forage planning much easier. Getting out into the field and looking at soil structure, species presence, clover percentage and fertility indicators can highlight a poorer performing field and allow you to prioritise this for remedial action before it gets worse. The Barenbrug Good Grass Guide is a free tool that can help with scoring grass and can be used as a field record. Ranking all fields from Index 1 - in need of complete replacement, to Index 5 - to be maintained, will highlight those which are a priority for attention over the coming months.
The weather at Cropvale over winter had been very wet but we also experienced some cold snaps with hard frost. There has been little growth on site as it is still too cold, particularly at night. The plots have had their first dressing of fertiliser so as soon as ground temperatures increase, we expect to see a rapid response. At the time of writing, we are looking forward to the forecasted dry spell to dry up the ground.
A selection of variety plots have been sown for a few years with a range of genetics, the New Zealand varieties were looking particularly lush and green in early winter before the cold spell. The new sowings which went in in September 2020 are all looking very well including new trials plots with legumes and herbs mixtures being tested.
The next scheduled activity for April will be cutting schedules for the plots with Italians and hybrid ryegrasses.
Trials at Cropvale
There are continuous, wide ranges of trials running at Cropvale, with thousands of plots sown each year. Current plots include trials for extensive screening of breeding material for Italian, Hybrid, and Perennial ryegrasses. These include material from our UK Breeding programme in Northern Ireland as well Europe and New Zealand.
A selection of plots this year will be utilised to extend the mixture work with a synergy trial looking at overall disease resistance of mixtures compared to straight varieties. We sow a range of our own mixtures and competitor material to evaluate performance differences throughout the year, ensuring we are always offering the best. As an official disease testing site for the NIAB Recommended Grass and Clover List, Cropvale is an ideal location for this.
Also established are several biodiversity plots, both scheme specific environmental mixtures and alternative forage options. Next month will also see us sow a few more spring sown crops.
As part of the European trials we have established a coated clover trial examining the effect of some new rhizobia coatings for clovers, both red and white.
Find out more here about our dedicated grass trial and research site
Buoyant soya prices, carbon reduction efforts and concerns about...
Buoyant soya prices, carbon reduction efforts and concerns about nitrogen management have caused interest in protein-rich forage, such as red clover, to surge, reports agricultural grass experts Barenbrug UK.
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PROTA RED is a blend of red clovers for improved yield and disease resistance.
Discover our range of grass, forage, clover, herb and legume mixtures for the agriculture sector. Our premium agriculture grass seed ranges, contain the latest varieties and innovations from Barenbrug. Click an image to the right
Discover our range of grass, forage, clover, herb and legume mixtures for the agriculture sector. Our premium agriculture grass seed ranges, contain the latest varieties and innovations from Barenbrug. Click an image to the right
Discover our range of grass, forage, clover, herb and legume mixtures for the agriculture sector. Our premium agriculture grass seed ranges, contain the latest varieties and innovations from Barenbrug. Click an image to the right
