OPTIMISING GRASSLAND on farm is one of the most economical means to produce milk and beef. In order to achieve high quality grass, it’s important to put a full reseeding programme in place annually that considers all the elements of reseeding. The ultimate aim is to reseed 10% of the platform annually, resulting in a completely renewed grazing platform every 10 years. Current grassland management figures highlight that every extra tonne of grass DM utilised is worth an additional €173\ha to the farm. We’ve put together an easy technical and products guide that we recommend you consider for each of three key stages of your reseeding journey, in order to achieve “Great Grass”.
GREAT VALUE RESEEDING OFFER Reseed with the ‘Great Grass Reseeding Product Range’, and get €100 back. All your needs for each step of your reseeding journey.
SIMPLY PURCHASE:
Stage one:
Pre-SEEDING
Round-Up Flex 15L
Stage two:
RE-SeEDING
10 Bags of Grass Seed
€100 BACK
Stage tHREE:
POST EMERGENCE DB Plus 10L x3
*T&Cs apply. Must purchase a minimum of 15L of product from Stage 1, 10 x acre bags of grass seed, and 30L of product from Stage 3, through your trading account between 19th July – 15th September to qualify for this offer. Qualifying customers will receive a €100 credit, which will appear on your October statement. Purchases beyond these close off dates will not qualify and this offer cannot be exchanged for cash. Each customer account can only qualify once for this offer.
Stage ONE: PRE-SEEDING recomMended products
Available to purchase in branches, through your Business Manager or online at GlanbiaConnect.com
Gallup XL 5L
Mizr 20L
9098561
• Herbicide for
9019580
• Herbicide for burning off grass • 20L pack treats 8 acres • 360g/L Glyphosate formulation
burning off grass
• 360g/L
Glyphosate formulation
Roundup Biactive XL 5L 9075939
• Controls grass and weeds
• Triple strength formulation
• For use in non-
crop areas • 6 litres will treat one hectare
Roundup Gold 450 15L
Roundup Power Max 10KG Roundup Flex 480 15L
9079671
9082097
9071950
• Provides more cover per gallon • Consistent Roundup formulation • Premium surfactant formulation that
• Rainfast in 1 hour • Dust free granules • Dissolves quickly
• Rainfast in 1 hour • K salt allows for ease of handling
allows for increased spreading
Round-Up XL • • • •
5L
9080711
20L
9080712
Professional grade herbicide Very efficient way of controlling weeds Will not harm soil Dilution rate - 40:1 or 30:1 in badly infested areas
and completely in water • Suitable for use in a wide range of weather conditions
and storage
• Effective
results even in cool or hot temperatures • Effective in hard water
Soil Fertility
Target turnaround time to get a reseed back into production should be 60 days. Generally, decisions around reseeding are negative due to the view that paddocks are out of production for too long. The time that the sward is out of production can be minimised by cultivating seven to 10 days after spraying off the old grass – a major failing at farm level is to wait too long after spray off. When spraying off paddocks for stitching in – let the grass cover grow to 400-500-600Kg DM/ha before spraying off. This is due to avoiding old grass coming back into the sward.
Offer available from 19.07.2021-15.09.2021
The paddock/field for reseeding should be sprayed off with a high-quality glyphosate product in order to kill off any existing vegetation present. Where ploughing, without spraying off it is common for weed grasses to regrow quickly and are then very hard to control. Where minimum cultivation is being practiced the vegetation needs to be either grazed off or topped to allow a cleaner surface with little trash as possible.
Stage TWO: RE-SEEDING Choosing The Correct Seed Mixture No single grass variety has all the desired agronomic traits and a grass seed mix can address this. When it comes to selecting the correct seed mixture, the Pasture Profit Index (PPI) is essential to reference specific characteristics and values within the pasture.
• Diploid: Tetraploid proportion; • For grazing: 50% diploid: 50% tetraploid
(reduce tetraploid % on difficult soils); • For silage: 60% diploid: 40% tetraploid
Diploids have more tillers per plant and, due to the lower water content per cell, have a higher DM/ kg of feed and more energy than tetraploid plants. Both varieties have similar protein levels. Tetraploids are more palatable to livestock, leading to higher intake, and are more drought tolerant. However, their higher water content goes hand in hand with a lower DM compared to diploids. On heavy soils subject to poaching, the persistence of tetraploids may suffer, while seeding rates for tetraploid grasses will need to be higher because of the larger seed size.
(narrow range in heading dates are advised); • Clover inclusions should also be considered
(now a requirement for derogation farms considering reseeding).
Diploids Vs. Tetraploids The main difference between diploids and tetraploids is the number of chromosomes per cell in the grass plant. Diploids have two sets of chromosomes per cell while tetraploids have four. Diploids have tended to dominate mixtures in Ireland in recent years but tetraploid varieties are a key component of modern grass seed mixtures. Because of the extra chromosomes, tetraploids have a bigger cell size and have a higher ratio of cell contents (soluble carbohydrates) to cell wall (fibre), indicating that they have a higher water content per cell.
Ideally, seed mixtures should have less than a seven days’ range in heading dates between cultivars. In a silage mix, high overall DM production and density are the key targets. Silage mixes should not be used where swards are used mainly for grazing. A small range in heading dates (e.g. seven to 10 days) is preferable to shortening the heading period. All varieties will head, however, some have a greater tendency to head and continue to re-head, which is not desirable in a grazing sward.
HEADING DATES EARLYS
Head out during the first half of May
INTERMEDIATES
Head out during the second half of May
LATES
Head out during the first half of June
Stage TWO: RE-SEEDING Benefits of mixed grass / white clover swards Animal Sward Economics • Increased dry matter intake
• Increased dry matter production
• Increased milk solids production
• Potential to reduce nitrogen fertiliser
+ 1.5Kg DM/cow/day
• Increase farm profit by €150/ha
+ 800kg DM/ha
with white clover contents >25%
+ 30Kg MS/cow/year
• Dry matter intake • Feed quality • Animal performance • Total grass growth
• Nitrogen use
Establishment of a white clover sward 1. HIGH FERTILE SOILS REQUIRED i. Index 3 & 4 for P and K ii. Soil pH 6.3 2. SOWING DATE i. Early summer/autumn 3. WHEN RESEEDING i. Fine firm seed bed ii. Sowing depth of 10 – 12 mm iii. 1.2 – 3.7Kg/ha (0.5 - 1.5Kg/ac) iv. Soil contact – roll post sowing
4. WHEN OVER-SOWING
ii. Ensure correct timing of chemical application
i. Ensure existing sward has a high perennial ryegrass content
6. GRAZING MANAGEMENT
ii. Sow immediately after grazing or surplus silage (<4 cm)
In order to maintain a sward clover content of 25%
iii. 3.7 - 5Kg/ha (1.5 – 2Kg/ac) iv. Ensure soil to seed contact post sowing – roll v. Graze at <1100Kg DM/ha for the following 3 rotations 5. POST EMERGENCE SPRAY
ii. Post-grazing sward height – 4 cm (50Kg DM/ha) iii. Grazing rotation of 18 to 21 days mid-season iv. Early grazing in spring to stimulate plant growth
i. Ensure spray is clover safe
Fertilisation for reseeding
i. Target pre-grazing herbage yield of 1,300 – 1,600Kg DM/ha
GAIN MOMENTUM PROGRAMME N RECOMMENDATIONS ABOVE 210KGS N/HA (KGS/HA)
TIMINGS
N
JAN/FEB
20
MARCH
40
APRIL
45
MAY
45
JUNE
30
• Use either Grow Lime or Granulated Lime
JULY
25
N,P,K Fertiliser
AUGUST
25
SEPTEMBER
20
pH and Lime • For good establishment of grass seeds, pH must be above 6.3 • Always good practice to spread lime before reseeding where the pH is lower than this
• Where the pH is adequate, if there is a significant level of trash on the field, good practice to apply a level of lime here also
• Phosphate is also important for seed establishment. Best to use a fertiliser containing a significant level of N & P
• Use 30-40 units N /Ac and 20–30 Units of P /Ac. A Popular fertiliser to use is 10/20/20 ( 3 X 50Kg/Ac )
• Always make use of soil samples to plan P & K application
OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
Stage TWO: RE-SEEDING recomMended products
Available to purchase in branches, through your Business Manager or online at GlanbiaConnect.com • Mastercrop Premium Grazing Sward and Mastercrop One Cut & Graze is available in 12.5Kg bag • 1Kg Clover included to comply with Derogation requirements
SUITABILITY:
PREMIUM GRAZING SWARD
Intensive, continuous grazing systems.
ABERCHOICE
2.0 Kgs 11th June
ASTONENERGY ( T )
3.5 Kgs 1st June
ABERGAIN ( T )
3.0 Kgs 4th June
OAKPARK
3.0 Kgs 2nd June
MED LEAF WHITE CLOVER
1.0 Kgs
12.5 Kgs
Excellent spring and seasonal growth Contains Astonenergy (T) number one for sward clean out under animal grazing Oakpark brings advantage of high ground cover 56% Tetraploids
SUITABILITY:
PREMIUM ONE CUT & GRAZE ASTONKING
3.0 Kgs 5th June
BALLINTOY ( T )
2.0 Kgs 4th June
MEIDUNO ( T )
3.5 Kgs 3rd June
OAKPARK
3.0 Kgs 2nd June
MED LEAF WHITE CLOVER
1.0 Kgs
12.5 Kgs
Grazing with one large silage cut in late May/Early June. Judicious use of Tetraploid varieties which have high yield, palatability and droughttolerance characteristics Also suitable for early grazing before closing up for silage 47% Tetraploid
MULTI-SPECIES SWARD
Comments
ASTON ENERGY PRG
3.0 Kgs
Grass
High digestibility and top graze out variety
OAKPARK PRG
3.0 Kgs
Grass
Excellent spring growth with high ground cover
TIMOTHY
1.0 Kgs
Grass
Grows well in cold soils, especially in spring, different root structure to PRG
MEADOW FESCUE
1.0 Kgs
Grass
Thrives in lower fertility soil and fertiliser & offers variety in root structure
WHITE CLOVER
1.0 Kgs
Legume
Persistent under tight grazing, fills in gaps in swards
RED CLOVER
1.0 Kgs
Legume
More erect than white, deeper tap root, not persistent under tight grazing
SAINFOIN
1.0 Kgs
Legume
Antiparasitic ( anti worm ) properties & Tannins that help reduce risk of bloat
RIBWORT PLANTAIN
0.5 Kgs
Herb
High mineral content, deep root structure, robust under intensive grazing, diuretic
CHICORY
0.5 Kgs
Herb
Different root structure, Anti worm properties, used as a drought feed
12 Kgs
Sow 14 Kgs / acre
At Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, multi-species swards with ryegrass, red and white clovers, chicory and plantain fertilised with 150kg of N yielded more than perennial ryegrass receiving 250Kg of N under a regular cutting regime. Seed mixes may change due to availability of varieties.
Stage three: POST EMERGENCE It is recognised by Teagasc that using a quality post emergence spray to control a broad spectrum of weeds will result in enhanced grassland yields.
It takes about 11 months for a new sward to fully establish; therefore, the management of the reseed in this period is important. • Graze the new reseed as soon as the plants do not pull out of the ground (pulling test), at a cover of approximately 700–1,000Kg DM/ha; • Historically, first grazing were completed by youngstock/calves; however, where ground conditions allow, graze with the main grazing herd to move through the cover more rapidly; • For the next few grazings, frequent light grazings (≤1,400kg DM/ha) are advisable; • Avoid cutting for silage in the first year of establishment.
WEED CONTROL Post emergence spray should be applied five to eight weeks after reseeding Teagasc research indicates that a paddock capable of producing 10t DM/ha, with a 1t infestation of docks, will reduce yields of grass DM by 10%. Therefore, a typical paddock growing 10t DM/ha/year with a 40% infestation of docks, will grow 6t DM/ha and 4t DM/ha of docks – resulting in a 40% reduction on the grass DM yield potential of that paddock. Use appropriate spray, clover safe or non clover safe.
PROBLEM
SOLUTION
DB Plus 10L Docks and Chickweed
Docks, Thistles, Chickweed, Buttercups and Dandelions Docks, Thistles, Nettles, Buttercups, Dandelions and Ragwort
HERBICIDE
9120084
While Stocks Last
DOSE RATE
7L/ha
Esteem® 5L/Pastor Trio 9106284
1 L/ha (new sown leys)
DESCRIPTION
• Must be used when weeds are very small • Best applied 4-6 weeks after reseeding • Only clover safe herbicide available
• Controls broad spectrum of weeds such as buttercups, docks, thistles, chickweed, fat-hen and mayweed. • Not clover safe Last date for use on new leys is 31st August
Envy® 3L HERBICIDE
9094133
1.5 L/ha
• Can also be used on established grassland at 2.0 l/ha • Excellent on daisy, buttercup and dandelion • Not clover safe
2.0 L/ha
• Controls chickweed and established docks • Not clover safe
Hurler® T 5L Docks and Chickweed
HERBICIDE
9039603
Herd/PU numbers will be required for the purchase of Agrochemicals.
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