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Grassland Management
20 April 2020
Liver fluke is a parasite that effects the health and welfare of livestock, specifically cattle and sheep. This research investigates whether liver fluke in silage pose a risk to livestock
19 April 2023
Top 10 tips for making the best big bale silage.
21 December 2021
To benefit from higher grass yields in the long term, spring reseeds need a light grazing and careful management in their first 6 months. Start by doing a ‘pull test’ to establish whether seedlings have rooted properly and then use young calves to nip off leaves from 6 weeks after establishment. “The last thing you want to do is to graze and lift out seedlings,” says LIC consultant Sean Chubb. “You only want to take off the top 4 cm to encourage regrowth and tillering, so use calves because they won’t graze as low or as hard as older stock. There is no point in doing all that hard work if you then have to oversow next spring. “In their first year, new leys need preferential treatment: leave a residual growth of 5 cm, potentially graze less and then perhaps correct for this in autumn. Accepting less tonnage this year means you will be rewarded with better growth in future.” Using heavier livestock not only risks overgrazing and slowing regrowth, but also compaction where reseeding has involved a full seedbed preparation leaving a light, fluffy soil. When direct drilling into an established sward, however, cows can be used to do a light first grazing. After its first grazing, a new ley should be left to grow to 2.5–3 leaves and not be overgrazed. Leaving slightly higher covers avoids taking energy out of the plant: roots need to grow down and out, says Sean. “This is particularly important going into summer. New leys are more susceptible to drought and dying from overgrazing,” he points out, adding that a typical 10% of the platform reseeded each year is not a large enough area to affect measuring and software calculations.
9 April 2020
Oversowing can provide a cost-effective way of improving pasture without the need for seedbed preparation. It is useful in situations in which you do not want to – or can’t – plough, if there are gaps in the sward (for example, after poaching), or if you need more rye-grass or clover.
16 April 2020
Recent research has shown that infective liver fluke cysts can survive in spoiled silage.
5 May 2021
Deep-rooting crops that are good to fill the summer grazing gap also help to improve soil structure and fix nitrogen.
3 April 2020
Farmers are encouraged to review their nutrient management plan to optimise grassland productivity this harvest season.
15 April 2020
Silage slippage decreases the nutritional and hygienic value of silage and causes significant wastage but each and every year the issue is seen on farms. Join us for a webinar with Dave Davies looking at clamp silage
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16 April 2020
Join AHDB Beef and Lamb and Dr Liz Genever, Independent beef and sheep consultant, for a webinar on getting the most out of your permanent pasture.
27 March 2020
The cost of a lost grazing day to businesses is an important calculation, even for experienced grazing managers.
27 March 2020
Waterlogged swards need a kick-start this season. Grazing managers who rely on their usual fertiliser rates could see disappointing growth rates. Paddocks that were flooded, or severely waterlogged, over winter need rejuvenation, followed by higher nitrogen and sulphur applications.
27 March 2020
Farmers who took part in the AHDB Beef and Lamb-funded project, Beef from Grass, have seen fantastic results through implementing rotational grazing into their systems, with some trialling outwintering.