Grassland Development Farm Project

The Grassland Development Farm Project has been set up to make beef and sheep farmers more efficient in their use of grassland and forage. The focus farm meetings will aim to cover a range of issues over the coming years, depending on what is applicable on each farm. These will include the following themes and sub themes.

Identifying the need for reseeding

Soils

• Soils: classification , compactions and drainage problems
• Options for slit aeration/spiker
• How to soil sample plus practical guidance
• Use of information, pH guide
• P & K indices, use of fertilisers, recommendations for grassland silage

Grasses

• Identification of sown grasses versus weed content
• Weed and grass identification practical
• Estimating how much dry matter is the sward producing

Establishment methods

• Plough, cultivate, reseed
• Slot seeding, Aitchison drill, Moores Drill 
• Oversowing

Costs and returns 

• Value of reseeding and nitrogen sensitivity
• Value of getting clover establishment
• Alternatives to a full reseed

Grass varieties and mixes

• For permanent/rotational/fertility building
• Additions to grass clover mixes, plantain chicory
• When and where to use red and white clover

Management of reseeds

• Cut V graze in year 1
• Fertiliser maintenance

Planning a grazing programme

• Planning a clean grazing rotation
• How to set initial stocking rates (at turnout)
• Building in flexibility 
• Supply and demand curves
• Requirements for conservation
• Monitoring the feed wedge
• Sward heights
• Using a plate meter
• Rotational Grazing in summer
• Nitrogen usage and stocking rate – when to apply nitrogen and how much
• Weed control

Conservation and feeding of forage

Conservation aspects

• Planning forage production requirement for cattle and sheep
• Producing a year round grazing plan for grass, forage crops, aftermaths, silage, bought in feed
• Setting up pastures for conservation – when, where and how
• Rolling, dung contamination, age of sward, target date and D value assessment
• Accurate costing of dry matter costs in £/kg for first cut, second cut and aftermath
• Grass versus silage costs
• Forage crops – costs of dry matter

Feeding aspects

• Return on feeding different classes of stock  
• Wintering costs per cow and ewe
• Outwintering options – using forages, deferred grazing
• Deferred grazing
• Forage analysis, energy and protein values, mineral and trace element values and correction
• Feeding costs

Clover versus nitrogen

• White Clover- contribution of N, nutritional aspects
• Red clover – feeding issues, silage making