Grassland Update 2018 by WynnstayGroup

GRASSLAND UPDATE 2018

www.wynnstayagriculture.co.uk

GRASSLAND CASE STUDIES

FORAGE FOCUS IN 2018 Industry update from Adam Simper, Grass and Roots Seed Product Manager Quality home-grown forage is the cheapest feed available if managed well and maximising production from forage can help protect against volatility in both feed and livestock commodity prices. With a great deal of uncertainty as to how British producers will fair in a post-Brexit era, increasing the productivity of grassland is a sensible way to help future-proof your farm business. To achieve this, the focus must not only be on improving grass yield, but also quality and palatability. It is therefore important to reseed underperforming leys with mixtures containing varieties from the Grass and Clover Recommended List.

Seed to feed To optimise production from grassland, the aim should be to reseed 10 to 15% of the available acreage each year, with mixtures containing Recommended List varieties. Although this requires an investment, within six years you will potentially have reseeded the whole farm with high performing mixes. However, reseeding is just step one in the process and grass needs to be carefully managed throughout the growing stages, to ensure that the ley reaches full potential and produces the best possible forage. From accurate fertiliser applications and targeted weed control to harvest management, attention to detail is vital to deliver the best possible production gains.

Whilst this can seem costly, reseeding is a sound investment and providing new leys are managed correctly, a cost-benefit will soon be realised through either increased production from quality forage or the ability to increase stocking rates.

Choosing your mixture Getting farm-specific advice on the right grass seed mixture is essential to getting the most from your ley. Factors that need to be considered are; seasonal growth requirements, soil type, field location and the end requirement, whether it be cutting, grazing or both. When deciding what to include in our mixtures, I always select varieties from the Grass and Clover Recommended List, to ensure that we are using the ‘best of the best’ to help maximise the quantity and quality of forage produced onfarm. All too often, grassland producers underestimate the variability in performance between varieties within mixtures and give selection much less consideration than they would an arable crop for example. However, there are much bigger differences between grass seed varieties than cereal varieties, and careful selection can pay dividends. For example, when selecting a winter wheat variety, arable farmers can gain £154/ha* by choosing the highest yielding variety compared to the lowest yielding variety. For grass varieties, the potential gain is much greater. For instance, when choosing a late tetraploid variety from the Grass and Clover Recommended List for England and Wales, the difference between the highest yielding and lowest yielding variety for its total first year cutting yield is 2.1t DM/ ha. Working on a basis of DM costing £120/t, this equates to a potential financial gain of £255/ha. *Calculation Highest yielding Wheat = 11.66t/ha, Lowest yielding Wheat = 10.56t/ha, Difference = 1.1t/ha If wheat is at £140/t it equates to £154/ha financial gain

To celebrate 100 years Wynnstay has developed a limited edition Centenary Grass Seed Mix

The Centenary Mix is a five year red and white clover ley containing the five year red clover, AberClaret. It is a high protein, high energy grass mixture, producing two to three cuts of silage that will finish livestock very well. The red clover content can also help fix between 100-150kg/N/ha/ year, presenting the opportunity to reduce nitrogen application.

Adam Simper, Grass and Root Seed Product Manager 07808 901179 adam.simper@wynnstay.co.uk

www.wynnstayagriculture.co.uk Tel: 01939 210777

David Chesters, Cheshire, Beef & Sheep, Herald & Chicory “We’re very reliant on forage for our ewes and lambs, so we require a highly palatable and nutritional ley. The Herald and Chicory mix suits our very dry land and produces high quality grazing which has enabled us to feed minimal concentrates, while still achieving the desired milk yields and growth rates.”

Roger Thomas, Pembrokeshire, Dairy, Crusader “We choose long-term mixes so that we don’t have to reseed as often. Crusader produces both an excellent yield of silage, and a quality ley for our cows to graze in the summer months. We’re very happy with the seven acres we reseeded with Crusader in 2016, and plan to reseed a further 23 acres with the same mix next year.”

Chris Shingler, Shropshire, Dairy, Tower “We’ve used the Tower mix for a number of years as it fits in well with our arable rotation. The mixture establishes very well, producing huge yields with quick regrowth in between each cut of silage, allowing us to take a fourth cut in mid-September. The late season growth that Tower produces allows us to extend the grazing season into the winter months.

Merv Attwell, Somerset, Dairy, Imperial “Our ground is relatively wet therefore we require a mix that will produce a strong and robust ley. Imperial does exactly this, allowing us to take three cuts of quality silage while providing good grazing ground for the rest of the year. We’ll be reseeding another 50 acres in 2018.”

Jess Nicholls, Somerset, Beef, Royal

Huw Walters,

“Royal produces a good quality, robust sward and allows us to take four cuts to produce silage, hay and haylage, as well as providing a quality ley to graze. We’re looking to reseed another 40 acres with Royal again next year.”

Carmarthen, Dairy, Tower “Tower ticked all of the boxes, as it allows us to take six cuts of high quality silage to be included in our milking and youngstock rations. In 2017, the silage yielded well, producing high D and ME values. We drilled 25 acres in 2017, and 56 acres the previous year, so it is definitely our short-term mix of choice.”

Chris Price, Herefordshire, Beef, Arable & Soft Fruit, Sovereign “We reseed every two to three years to fit in with our arable rotation, so a medium-term mix suits our system well. Sovereign produces the high clover content required to deliver a high quality silage, with little inputs, and it‘s a mix that will continue to appear in our rotation.”

Grassland Update 2018

MODEL FARM - GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT A proactive grassland management programme is essential to producing quality home-grown forage. Attention to detail, from seed selection to feeding, can increase both yield and quality. In order to get the most from your forage, there are key targets and management techniques that can help achieve optimal utilisation and maximise performance from forage.

www.wynnstayagriculture.co.uk Tel: 01939 210777

Grassland Update 2018

TECHNICAL FOCUS

GRASS SEED MIXTURE SELECTOR

Planning and measurement is the key to getting the most from grassland At a cost of £240 to £250 per acre, reseeding is a major investment and it therefore warrants close attention to detail at each stage of the process. From fertiliser applications to monitoring grass utilisation and quality, careful planning and management will pay dividends and help producers realise the full value of a new ley.

Our range of grass seeds has grown to become one of the most popular ranges of mixtures in the UK. As well as attracting new customers, this growth has been driven by an increased rate of repeat ordering - one of the most positive indicators that our customers are pleased with the product, performance and value of the mixture range. In addition, we also offer bespoke mixtures tailored to your specific requirements and management regimes.

Dave Mitchell - Fertiliser Manager “Before drilling a new ley, the nutritional picture of the field needs to be understood, and N, P and K requirements, along with soil pH must be assessed. In a 2016 survey conducted on farms in the west of the UK, 84% of fields had a low pH level. A low pH restricts the availability of N, P and K to the crop and therefore devalues any fertiliser applications, as demonstrated below: N availability

P availability

K availability

Total fertiliser wasted

58%

34%

52%

53%

pH 5 pH 5.5

77%

48%

77%

36.2%

pH 6

89%

52%

100%

19.67% (all P)

Short Term

When creating a nutritional programme, it is important to allocate nutrient applications on a field-by-field basis and according to soil test results. The most important nutrient to apply is always the one that is at the lowest level - essentially a plant will only yield as much as the least available nutrient allows. It is also beneficial to monitor the impact of nutrient applications. For example, conducting leaf analysis tests during the growing season will provide you with the necessary information to make accurate and cost-effective decisions.”

Weed control

Dr Simon Pope - Crop Protection Manager “Weed control should be planned ahead of the current growing season following a review of previous problems. Specific weed issues can be identified for targeted herbicide application, and appropriate chemicals can be bought in advance, ensuring they are ready to be applied as soon as the weather permits. When targeting perennial weeds, it is important to remember the fundamental principle of weed control is that in order to kill a weed, you must get a lethal dose of herbicide down to the root. To achieve this, the weed must have sufficient green leaf area to take up the chemical applied and must be actively growing, to move the chemical from the leaf down to the root. It is a waste of resources to grow weeds, as you want all of the available nutrition going into producing a robust ley for grazing or silage. Once you have started to lose productivity, it takes time for this to be regained, so planning and having chemicals ready to apply will make a big difference.”

Grass utilisation and feed quality

Mark Price - Dairy Specialist “A useful metric to compare grassland performance across all systems is grass dry matter (DM) utilisation, which is a measure of how much forage dry matter is actually consumed per ha. By taking this approach, it allows a comparison to be made between any farm-produced feed, be it silage or grazed grass, and can be a useful way to compare performance and benchmark grass efficiency. For grazing ground, DM utilisation can be easily calculated through the regular use of a grass plate meter. Producers will notice that the better the quality of the grass, the more livestock will consume, increasing grass utilisation per ha. It can be calculated similarly in forage, with either a plate meter or weighing machine in the forage harvester, used to measure yield. However, losses that occur between harvest and feeding need to be taken into account. These include; loss in the field, fermentation loss, waste while feeding out and refusals in the feed troughs. Small improvements in grass utilisation will reduce the cost of grass, while failing to utilise sufficient DM per ha can substantially add to costs. Along with an appropriate reseeding programme to ensure high quality and productive leys, earlier cutting dates and the use of an effective silage additive, can all help lift grass DM utilisation.” www.wynnstayagriculture.co.uk Tel: 01939 210777

Medium Term

Fast Grass 1 year ley

Long Term

Squire 3 year ley

Herald 6+ year ley

Grazing

Silage

Hay

Equine Horse & Pony Mix Horse Hay Mix (Short Term)

Poultry

Tower 1-2 year ley

Kingdom 6+ year ley

Fortress 3-4 year ley

Grazing

Silage

Hay

Shield 4 year ley

Grazing

Silage

Hay

Organic 3 Year Red Clover Mix

Short Term

Poultry Mix Plus

Organic 4-6 Year Intensive Dual Purpose

Medium Term No Clover

Organic Long Term Cutting & Grazing

Medium Term Plus Clover

Grazing

Silage

Hay

Horse Herb Mix

Long Term No Clover

Gateway Mix

Long Term Plus Clover

Look out for our NEW Centenary Mix - celebrating 100 years in agriculture!

Crusader 6+ year ley

Grazing

Silage

Hay

Stronghold 4-6 year ley

(Long Term)

Royal 6+ year ley

Grazing

Sovereign 4-6 year ley

Overseeding

Majestic 6+ year ley

Grazing

Centenary Mix 5 year ley

Organic

Poultry Mix

Horse Hay Mix

Source: Dr P. Hargreaves, 2015

Extras

Conventional Mixtures

Fertiliser management

Imperial 7+ year ley

Grazing

Silage

Hay

Available with Chicory

Available with Clover

No Clover Version

Available with Plantain

Available with Festulolium

Grassland Update 2018

CONTACTS WYNNSTAY SEED DEPARTMENT 01939 210777 (Shropshire)

WYNNSTAY ARABLE

01939 211266 (Fertiliser)

01939 210555 (Crop Protection)

WYNNSTAY WOODHEADS 01757 617000 (Yorkshire)

WYNNSTAY FEEDS

01691 828512 (Llansantffraid)

01267 231341 (Carmarthen)

WYNNSTAY RETAIL 01691 662690

www.wynnstayagriculture.co.uk

@WynnstayGroup

Wynnstay (Agricultural Supplies) Ltd • Eagle House • Llansantffraid • Powys SY22 6AQ • Part of Wynnstay Group Plc, Eagle House, Llansantffraid, Powys, SY22 6AQ Telephone: 01691 828512 • Email: info@wynnstay.co.uk • www.wynnstay.co.uk Registered in England and Wales Vat Reg No. 168 7221 87 Registration No: 5009019 Registration No. 2704051

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