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Grass Sward Aftercare

This post was written by

Barry Murray MSc | Chief Agronomist Goldcrop Limited

 

In order to keep grass swards yielding at their best potential then it is important to manage them correctly.  Use of ‘Easy Care’ Teagasc bred varieties such as Oakpark are designed to meet the needs of intensively stocked farms as they are able to withstand poaching and, when mixed with highly digestible tetraploids such as Astonenergy, are able to extend intervals whilst keeping the grass nice and leafy.

Ongoing dock control is extremely important.  If clover is an important constituent of the sward then only Eagle of Prospect can be considered.

If clover is less important then products such as Doxstar Pro or Pastor Trio can be used.    A slightly cheaper product on the market this year is Pasture Pack.  This is a co formulation of Thrust and Tandus which offers excellent control of docks, thistles and general grassland weeds and can be used up to 4 days prior to silage cutting. It can also be used as a spot treatment option.

Derogation will provide challenges in the year ahead for livestock farmers but clover is a valuable part of a sward.  Mixtures have to include 0.6 kg/acre of clover going ahead but mixtures should be designed to be ‘easy care’ maximising grass intake whilst allowing high livestock numbers on the land.  Ongoing control of docks and other weeds should feature as part of any management strategy of a progressive dairy farm.

 

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New Grass Season, New Rules.

 

Barry Murray MSc | Chief Agronomist Goldcrop Limited

2020 saw the introduction of new measures with regards to clover usage for those farmers who are in, or were about to enter, Nitrates Derogation 2020.   All new reseeds must contain 1.5 kg/ha (0.6 kg/ha) of naked clover.  This includes white clover varieties such as Chieftain in grazing mixtures. Red clover varieties such as Fearga in silage mixtures is another example.

What Should a Progressive Farmer look for in a Grass Seed Mixture?

Reseeding is a vital part of keeping any livestock farm productive and profitable.  Every farm should aim to reseed at least 10% of the farm annually, regardless of weather conditions.  Modern recommended list grass varieties offer improvements in yield and digestibility over older material by the very nature of being on a recommended list.  Anything that is new on the Irish Recommended List must offer improvements on any variety that it replaces.  This ensures genetic progress is carried through from a research-level to an on-farm commercial scenario. Reseeding also offers an opportunity to control difficult weeds such as docks, thistles and unproductive grass weeds such as creeping bent and scutch.

Cork is a county that has a rich tradition of dairy farming and has one of the largest dairy herds in the country at nearly 390,000 cows.  With peak cattle and calf numbers in the early spring coupled with on/off grazing practices that might be employed during difficult weather periods in the spring, the mixtures that contain varieties which have the following characteristics are vital:

  • High Spring growth
  • High Ground Cover Scores
  • Great Palatability (i.e. high grass intake and as a consequence higher milk yields and live weight gain)
  • Ability to stretch grazing between rounds without getting stemmy
Varieties that would satisfy that would include:
  • Astonking – a new very high yielding late diploid with exceptional spring growth
  • Meiduno – An exceptional late tetraploid variety with unreal spring growth and high total yield
  • Astonenergy – the best ever  variety for graze out, digestibility and animal performance 
  • Oakpark – The highest ground cover score late diploid on the recommended list that offers excellent seasonal growth and is also suitable for silage if required

Information from research farms such as Teagasc Moorepark and Clonakilty Agricultural College must also be considered.  These are some of the leading research farms in the world and are on our doorstep. The research that is carried out, particularly the livestock grazing trials must be considered. This is because they operate under the same regimes as many leading dairy farms. 

 

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/check-out-this-new-reseed-from-beginning-to-end/

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