Organic Grass Farming

The Common Goal: A High-Performing Sward

And that’s the question that’s common to both organic and non-organic systems, for the best possible grass production relies on a robust, healthy, dense population of grasses (and herbs and legumes) that together can give you the quality, resilience and exemplary biomass that will convince you (if you’re not already of that persuasion) why home-grown feeds hold the most promise for productivity and profitability.

Now, if you ARE farming grass organically, of course you have fewer options available to you. You can’t use chemicals, for a start. But that means turning to different tactics to achieve the same results – and it’s these tactics that others can adopt.

As a farmer, of course you have choices to make in the way you farm. You might choose, or even believe it’s your responsibility, to farm more effectively, more sustainably. With grass the most vital input in any dairying system, not to mention beef and sheep too, the strict regulations concerning organic production serve only to highlight the importance of home-grown feeds.

Reducing Feed Reliance and Embracing Regenerative Agriculture

Both organic and conventional farmers alike are looking to reduce their reliance on bought-in feed, and a recognition that some of the practices followed over many years by organic farmers are just as applicable in non-organic situations.

Here’s where we also consider the surge in regenerative agricultural practices. Yes, ‘regen’ can still be a little hard to tie down, but its central themes of soil health, carbon sequestration and biodiversity are now widely accepted.

What does that mean for the progressive grass farmer?

Well, let’s go back to that opening question. It’s not so much about variety per se, but the varietal characteristics necessary in an organic, or low/no-input production system. Remember, what we’re trying to do is to create an amazing plant stand. That demands a ‘Big Four’ basic elements: out-of-the-blocks emergence, rapid establishment, a high density from the get-go, and competition that knocks touchline football dads into a cocked hat.

Of course, many of our varieties exhibit all those characteristics in spades. Nevertheless, we’ve selected two in particular – Galgorm and Seagoe – as the ‘best of the best’ to act as the base of our organic mixtures.

There’s also an element of pragmatism here: grass-seed blends must have a minimum of 70% organic seed to be described as such. Understandably, we don’t grow organic versions of every variety, and that’s why we’ve chosen these two: they really are out there in front, and capable of doing some very heavy lifting in meeting the ‘Big Four’ described above.

Herbal Leys, SFI and Biodiversity

Yet while mixtures intended for use in organic systems have always looked different from more conventional mixtures, reflecting the different objectives, in recent years those lines of distinction have blurred, as first herbal leys and then SFI mixtures, or swards for biodiversity, have become more common and more popular.

There’s quite an art to developing each grass mixture. I consider how species and varieties will perform in the circumstances, with one key question in mind for each mixture: what farming challenge am I trying to solve?

For example, am I looking for something that offers farmers a quick spring growth? Are we meant to be delivering winter tolerance? Is this mixture suitable for the summer dry?

Primary objectives for organic mixtures are weed suppression and nutrient management. We’re creating mixtures that can thrive without herbicides or synthetic fertiliser.

Yet cutting out those inputs, or at least reducing reliance on them, is where conventional farmers are beginning to show real interest too. It’s understandable: who wouldn’t want to avoid the expense and hassle of spraying for weeds, and to manage without chemical fertilisers, if a sward can make a good job of it by itself?

Swards ‘designed for organic’ typically sport a high tiller density, explains Janet, which creates a pasture that’s on the ‘offensive’ with a dense and healthy stand: weed seedlings can’t compete against grass, or grass-clover stands.

Then there’s white clover: it can reasonably provide up to around 150kg/ha of nitrogen. Red can reach as much as 200kg/ha.

The Role of Clover and Herbs in Soil & Animal Health

Clover, other legumes and herbs also have a ‘superhero power’ in the form of their roots. Diversity in root depth and structure is highly effective in improving nutrient cycling, and a varied sward brings activity in different zones, at different times through the year. This nutrient mobility has a tremendously beneficial effect on soil health and fertility.

Of course that’s great for the health of the sward. It’s also great for the health of your animals: research shows how these diverse swards offer grazing animals a more balanced – in terms of minerals and vitamins – intake, plus the different proteins available when grazing involves more than grass alone.

Deep Roots, Deep Resilience

Consider this: ryegrass roots grow to a depth of around 15cm. But tall fescue’s roots grow as deep as 1.5m, as can many herbs and legumes. That’s why mixed swards retain their productivity during dry periods.

Tall fescue’s a great example of how the organic movement has made the most of its own restrictions. They’ve simply added more tools to the toolbox. Their solutions are like a patchwork quilt. A solution here, an adaptation there, recognising that they don’t have the blanket options of agricultural chemicals and fertilisers.

Physical, cultural, temporal control. It’s these that allow for the variation in management approaches which together deliver the desired outcomes.

With that in mind, there’s no reason why you can’t be a conventional farmer who thinks like an organic farmer.