Countryside Seeds Ltd

Countryside Seeds Ltd

As of the 1st July a slight change to the business, it's become incorporated and with it a change of name. Farm machinery sales have not been a part of Farm Equip's business for a number of years and we felt now was the time for a new name to reflect more of what we do, so Countryside Seeds Limited was born.

We still offer friendly service and advice with up to date products at keen prices.

Company History

Farm Equip was launched by myself (Kevin) on the 1st January 1980. Initially selling farm consumables from the back of a yellow transit van.

Over the past few years the business has become almost predominately the sale of seed in its varies guises where it be a single bag of lawn seed to tonnes of grass/cereal seed.

I am in the very lucky position to be a distributor for some of the UK’s leading seed houses which include Barenbrug UK Ltd, DLF Trifolium Ltd, Grainseed Ltd and Soya UK to name a few.

I am more than happy to work with the customer on compiling their own mixture.

To contact me you may PM through the forum or I am very happy to be telephoned on 07881 804442.
Email: [email protected]

As like a lot of you I'm self employed so no 9-5 here so please telephone at your convenience.

 

[Great In Grass]

KALE IS A WELL PROVEN, HIGHLY ADAPTABLE FODDER CROP WHICH CONSISTENTLY PROVIDES VERY HIGH YIELDS OF SUCCULENT GREEN FODDER.

Caledonian is a high yielding marrow stem type kale with clubroot tolerance. Its huge yield makes it ideal for utilisation by dairy and beef cattle.

POTENTIAL

• HIGH YIELDING GIANT TYPE KALE WITH POTENTIAL YIELD OF 18,000KG DM/HA

ADVANTAGES

• Excellent tolerance to frost
• Good aphid tolerance
• Very high dry matter yields
• Good winter hardiness
• Good clubroot tolerance

LIMITATIONS

• Suited to bigger cattle and colder climates

Sowing rate:
Drilled: 1-2kg/acre (2.5-5kg/ha)
Broadcast: 3kg/acre (7.5kg/ha)

Pack sizes: Available in pack sizes of 5kg or 25kg (untreated), 2kg (treated)

 

[Great In Grass]

KALE IS A WELL PROVEN, HIGHLY ADAPTABLE FODDER CROP WHICH CONSTANTLY PROVIDES VERY HIGH YIELDS OF SUCCULENT GREEN FODDER.

KEEPER is a medium height kale with excellent leaf to stem ratio (greater than 50% leaf).

ADVANTAGES

• Leafy type for sheep production
• Excellent crop utilisation due to highly digestible stem
• Superior animal production due to enhanced forage quality
• Good regrowth if lightly grazed during late summer

LIMITATIONS

• Suited to smaller stock classes and warmer climates

Utilisation: Graze in situ & Zero Graze
Sowing period: Spring & Early Summer
Utilisation period: Autumn & Winter
Days to maturity: 170-220 days

 

[Great In Grass]

LUCERNE IS A HIGHLY NUTRITIOUS FORAGE FOR LIVESTOCK. IT COMBINES GOOD DIGESTIBILITY WITH HIGH PROTEINS, PROVIDING EXCELLENT MILK YIELDS OR DAILY LIVE WEIGHT GAINS. A MORE MATURE HAY CROP WOULD BE MORE SUITABLE FOR FEEDING YOUNG STOCK.

One of the most underrated and under-utilised forage crops available to livestock farmers in the UK.

To utilise lucerne, allow a minimum of 50% flowering (50% of the tallest stems have a flower) prior to first grazing/cutting. If the stand is weedy at establishment it can be grazed/cut ONCE if it is 15-20cm tall and then left to flower a minimum of 50%.

>300 - 500g/hd/d - rotationally grazed or cut
High MJME and high protein, which is easily digested

Sowing rate:
8-10kg/acre (20-25kg/ha). Drill at 5-12mm deep on normal soils or up to 25mm on light sandy soils

Pack sizes: Available in pack sizes of 25kg

ADVANTAGES

• Perennial - Well managed crops can persist for up to 5 years
• Performs well in free draining, drier environments due to tap roots
• Dual purpose

LIMITATIONS

• Legume - pH 6.0 and high levels of P to establish
• Requires good management

Utilisation: Grazing and Silage
Sowing period: Spring
Utilisation period: Year-round
Days to maturity: 40 days (approx)

http://www.barenbrug.co.uk/documentLibraryDownload.asp?documentID=1976

 

[Great In Grass]

BARVICOS IS A COMMON VETCH THAT DELIVERS A QUICK COVERAGE OF SOIL AND IS HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE AND RICH IN PROTEINS.

A common vetch that fixes large amounts of nitrogen and is high in protein. Barvicos can be used for annual forage production either alone or in a mixture with grasses. It is also ideal for green manuring.

Barvicos has vigorous growth and is winter hardy. It will establish and grow well on most soil types, helping to load up nutrients and hold in the soil for use by spring cropping or reseeding.

Vetch can be used typically 70-100 days after sowing, when 30-50% of the plants have flowered.

Sowing rate:
16-20kg/acre (40-50kg/ha). It is recommended to sow vetch at a depth of 2-3cm

Pack sizes: Available in pack sizes 25kg

ADVANTAGES

• Deep rooting and improves soil structure
• Quick coverage of soil
• Highly productive and protein rich forage variety
• Can be sown both in spring and autumn
• This vetch can be sown either as monoculture or as part of mixtures with other species, such as clovers and/or annual grasses
• Good resistance to colder temperatures
• Good resistance against diseases

Utilisation: Cutting/Silage
Sowing period: Spring & Autumn
Utilisation period: Summer & Winter
Days to maturity: 70-100 days (approx)

 

[Great In Grass]

Barenbrug have released an updated Wild Flower advice guide. Booklet attached as a PDF file.

 

[Great In Grass]

Brand new grasses among plots sown at Stoneleigh by Barenbrug

Experts from Barenbrug will be at Grassland & Muck this May, offering UK farmers advice on how to get more from their grass, and which species and varieties to pick – depending on enterprise requirements.

In preparation for the triennial show, Barenbrug has sown 28 demonstration plots at Stoneleigh – including three areas devoted to brand new products.

​

• Bar Finisher – a mix of chicory, white clover, red clover and plantain, which produces a leafy, high quality feed from spring to autumn, and offers excellent animal performance potential
• Artemis – a highly nutritious lucerne that combines good digestibility with high proteins to support excellent milk yields or daily live weight gains.
• Hybrid 4x4 – a highly productive hybrid ryegrass cutting ley designed for a three or four year rotation system.

Highlighting the vast array of grass varieties and mixtures available to UK farmers, the Barenbrug team has also sown areas dedicated to numerous perennial ryegrass species including Fintona, the highest yielding ryegrass variety ever developed. There are also plots allocated to Comer – a highly palatable Timothy grass which grows well in very wet conditions; Bartyle – a Cocksfoot that is ideal for dry areas thanks to its drought tolerance; plus tall fescues, silage crops and clovers.

David Johnston, a top grass seed breeder from AFBI – the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute – will join Barenbrug’s grass experts at Grassland & Muck. Together they’ll dispense advice on getting a grip on grass growth. They’ll also be discussing Barenbrug’s Good Grass Guide. This free handy toolkit is designed to help farms gauge grass quality and work out what to do with fields in different states of repair to ensure maximum return on investment.

Visit the Barenbrug team at Grassland & Muck at outdoor stand number 310.

 

[Great In Grass]

"Becva" direct drilled late October 2016 after Maize near Tiverton, Devon. Becva is a Westerwolds x Festulolium species with a two year life span. Photo taken 25th April 2017.

 

[Great In Grass]

A mixture consisting of Perseus, Lofa (Festuloliums) and Red clover, no applied nitrogen, just FYM!

10% sugar in the standing crop.

Looking to cut in the next few days.

 

[Great In Grass]

Autumn 2017 Conventional Wheat Seed Availability:

Group 1.
KWS Zyatt
Skyfall
KWS Trinity
RGT Illustrious
Crusoe
Gallant

Group 2.
KWS Siskin
KWS Lili
Cordiale

Group 3
KWS Barrel
Britannia
KWS Basset
Zulu

Group 4 (Soft)
Bennington
LG Sundance
Savello
LG Motown
Leeds
Revelation

Group 4 (Hard)
KWS Kerrin
Shabras
Frieston
Dunston
Graham
Reflection
KWS Santiago
KWS Crispin
Evolution
Dickens
Costello
JB Diego
Grafton
Rellay

 

[Great In Grass]

Autumn 2017 Conventional Barley Seed Availability:

Malting Barley:
Craft
SY Venture
Talisman

Feed Barley:
KWS Orwell
Surge
KWS Infinity
KWS Glacier
KWS Tower
KWS Cassia
Estoria

6 Row Barley:
Bazooka
Sunningdale
Funky
Volume

 

[Great In Grass]

Autumn 2017 Conventional Oats, Triticale & Beans Seed Availability:

Oats:
RGT Lineout
Eagle

Triticale:
Securo

Beans:
Bumble
Tundra
Wizard

 

[Great In Grass]

Farming Couple Hope to Turn Grass into Gold in 2017
A young Scottish farming couple from Fife are hoping to turn Grass into Gold in 2017 after renovating a number of their fields as part of a nationwide research programme.

Craig Malone and Katreen Millar from Pitcairn Farm near Lochgelly are taking part in Barenbrug’s Grass into Gold – an initiative that is exploring the effect that proactive grassland management can have on grass quality, and grazing and forage yields, on ten UK farms.



Mhairi Dawson from Barenbrug and Craig Malone from Pitcairn Farm

Working closely with Mhairi Dawson, Barenbrug’s Scottish grassland expert, Craig and Katreen have so far made improvements to three fields on their farm, where they run 500 Blackface ewes to produce mule lambs, and buy in heifers to bull and sell with calves at foot.

On two fields that were slow to start in spring and less productive than other areas of grassland, Craig and Katreen have implemented a soil improvement programme. This followed a visual assessment of the fields by Mhairi, who diagnosed a phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) deficiency – later confirmed by a soil sample. Tissue samples also revealed low sulphur contents of the grass, meaning plant utilisation of nitrogen (N) was low.

To remedy the situation, Craig and Katreen have been gradually introducing fertiliser to the land to correct soil status. Together, Mhairi, Craig and Katreen have also been overseeding a number of different fields. They’ve tackled an area of old grass at the back of the farm, which was unproductive, and difficult to plough and cultivate because of the presence of pylons. Here, the team overseeded a mixture that can put the life back into long-term leys and restore productivity. Containing ryegrass and clover, this blend increases grass quality for better animal performance and can repair damage caused by poaching. Several younger leys have also been overseeded; first with a ryegrass, enabling the team to monitor the emergence of any broad-leaved weeds that might need spraying out. A white clover was then added.

Separately, Craig and Katreen have taken advice from Barenbrug on introducing red clover to their farm. Having seen very good results with white clover in terms of nitrogen fixing and lamb weight, they wanted to find out if red clover would boost productivity further. Following Mhairi’s advice, a red / white clover blend has been sown in one contained area of the farm. Less sensitive to poaching and heavy traffic than a pure red plant, a blended product will last longer. Red clover leys generally persistent for four to five years while red / white clover blended with a perennial ryegrass mixture can last for up to ten years.

Crucially, because red clover can cause fertility issues in breeding sheep, Craig and Katreen have been careful to sow the mix on one field, which can be avoided by sheep six weeks before and after tupping. Barenbrug has also supplied seed for Craig and Katreen’s forage crop acres where they typically grow swede, forage rape and stubble turnips.

Commenting Craig said:
“It’s been great to work with Mhairi and the team at Barenbrug over the last year. With their help we’ve made some fairly incremental changes that will, hopefully, make a big difference to the bottom line of our business over the coming years. We started to notice an improvement in some of the fields last summer and look forward to assessing the results more carefully in 2017.”

Commenting Mhairi said:
“From grass grazing is key to the success of Craig and Katreen’s business and I’m delighted with the progress that we've made so far. Grassland management is a long-term investment but can make a huge difference to animal productivity, yields and overall profitability. I am particularly excited to see how the overseeding has improved the old pastures and the impact the red clover has on the young cattle.”

Craig and Katreen are one of ten farms taking part in Barenbrug’s Grass into Gold scheme. There are two other farms in Scotland; one in South Lanarkshire and one in Stirlingshire. Other farms taking part in the programme stretch from as far afield as Dorset, Sussex, Pembrokeshire and County Londonderry.

Credit:

 

[Great In Grass]

One of Barenbrug's Grass into Gold Farms (Birchills) cutting High D. Find out more about their farm: http://www.barenbrug.co.uk/viewNews.asp?news_id=325 …

 

[Great In Grass]

You know it's the best - here's how Secure Covers reduce waste.

 

[Great In Grass]

Brand new grasses among plots sown at Stoneleigh by Barenbrug

Experts from Barenbrug will be at Grassland & Muck this May, offering UK farmers advice on how to get more from their grass, and which species and varieties to pick – depending on enterprise requirements.

In preparation for the triennial show, Barenbrug has sown 28 demonstration plots at Stoneleigh – including three areas devoted to brand new products.

​

• Bar Finisher – a mix of chicory, white clover, red clover and plantain, which produces a leafy, high quality feed from spring to autumn, and offers excellent animal performance potential
• Artemis – a highly nutritious lucerne that combines good digestibility with high proteins to support excellent milk yields or daily live weight gains.
• Hybrid 4x4 – a highly productive hybrid ryegrass cutting ley designed for a three or four year rotation system.

Highlighting the vast array of grass varieties and mixtures available to UK farmers, the Barenbrug team has also sown areas dedicated to numerous perennial ryegrass species including Fintona, the highest yielding ryegrass variety ever developed. There are also plots allocated to Comer – a highly palatable Timothy grass which grows well in very wet conditions; Bartyle – a Cocksfoot that is ideal for dry areas thanks to its drought tolerance; plus tall fescues, silage crops and clovers.

David Johnston, a top grass seed breeder from AFBI – the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute – will join Barenbrug’s grass experts at Grassland & Muck. Together they’ll dispense advice on getting a grip on grass growth. They’ll also be discussing Barenbrug’s Good Grass Guide. This free handy toolkit is designed to help farms gauge grass quality and work out what to do with fields in different states of repair to ensure maximum return on investment.

Visit the Barenbrug team at Grassland & Muck at outdoor stand number 310.

 

[Great In Grass]

Derby County - Seeds of success - RPR STADIUM

Derby County is a cut above the competition with RPR Stadium
Working as a groundsman since he left school at 16, Nathan Scarff knows a thing or three about top-notch turf. In just two years as head groundsman at Pride Park Stadium he’s turned Derby County’s pitch into a playing surface that’s been recognised as the best in the division by the Football League – and made more than £3,500 in cost savings per year in the process.

“I wasn’t happy with the seed I’d inherited and I instinctively knew RPR Stadium was the best choice for us,” says Nathan, who was named Groundsman of the Season in 2015/16 for his work at the Derby County pitch. “I’d trialled several grass seeds while I was at Ipswich Town FC and Barenbrug’s seed always came out on top for wear, winter colour and disease resistance. While other competitor grass seeds performed well in certain areas Barenbrug was an all-round high performer in all categories and my gut instinct told me it was the right one for Pride Park.”

Indeed, despite an increase in the number of games played each season, from 32 in 2014/15 to 40 in 2016/17, the RPR Stadium has continued to perform, showing impressive disease resistance and looking camera ready even after wear and tear – helping secure a ‘Highly Commended’ in the Groundsman of the Season competition this year.

The grass is always greener
Nathan says RPR Stadium’s most impressive features have been the man power and money saved since its introduction.

Rather than a monthly fungicide spray for leaf spot, Nathan’s team now only treats the turf three times a year – saving them around £600 per annum.

“Its disease resistance is fantastic,” says Nathan. “We also spotted some fusarium recently and thought we’d have to treat it, but the next day when we came back to look at it, it had gone. All I can say is that the grass sorted itself out!”.

Liquid fertilizers were also applied to the Pride Park Pitch every month at a cost of around £3,000 per year, but since the introduction of RPR Stadium these have been completely halted.

“I’ve always felt these artificial fertilisers forced the plant along and that it’s much better to look at other things to get the plants in balance,” says Nathan. “The grass grows so well, we don’t need to feed it like we did.”

And, despite heavier usage over the last year, the grass has maintained its fresh appearance and colour without the need for additional ‘greening up’.

Greater flexibility
Aside from the cost savings, Nathan says the improved grass seed has given them greater flexibility.

“Because we don’t have to spray on a regular basis our time has been freed up for other more important tasks, and it’s saved enormously on man hours,” he says. “It’s also had a big impact on the playing side. Players have more confidence because they know that what’s under their feet will allow the ball to run true, and they can turn and pass like the want to without slipping. And the managers are happier, of course, because there’s less risk of injury.”

Despite his success, Nathan is not letting the grass grow under his feet.

“My advice to other groundsmen is to do trials – it’s the only way you can find the best seed for your pitch, and if you sit still the competition will overtake you,” he says. “I like to find small improvements each year, even if it’s just one or two per cent. It adds up to a lot over the year.”

 

[Great In Grass]

Scottish farming couple hope to turn grass into gold in 2017.

A young Scottish farming couple from Fife are hoping to turn Grass into Gold this summer after renovating a number of their fields with the help of our team. Craig Malone and Katreen Millar from Pitcairn Farm near Lochgelly are taking part in our Grass into Gold programme – an initiative exploring the effect that proactive grassland management can have on grass quality, and grazing and forage yields, on ten UK farms.

Working closely with Mhairi Dawson, our Scottish grassland expert, Craig and Katreen have so far made improvements to three elds on their farm, where they run 500 Blackface ewes to produce mule lambs, and buy in heifers to bull and sell with calves at foot.

On two fields that were slow to start in spring and less productive than other areas of grassland, Craig and Katreen have implemented a soil improvement programme. This followed a visual assessment of the elds by Mhairi, who diagnosed a phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) de ciency – later confirmed by a soil sample. Tissue samples also revealed low sulphur levels in the grass, meaning plant utilisation of nitrogen (N) was low.

To remedy the situation, Craig and Katreen have been gradually introducing fertiliser to the land to correct soil status. Together, Mhairi, Craig and Katreen have also been overseeding a number of different fields.

They’ve tackled an area of old grass at the back of the farm, which was unproductive, and difficult to plough and cultivate because of the presence of pylons. Here, the team overseeded a mixture that can put the life back into long-term leys and restore productivity. Containing ryegrass and clover, this blend increases grass quality for better animal performance and can repair damage caused by poaching. Several younger leys have also been overseeded; first with a ryegrass, enabling the team to monitor the emergence of any broad-leaved weeds that might need spraying out. A white clover was then added.

Separately, Craig and Katreen have taken advice from Mhairi on introducing red clover to their farm. Having seen very good results with white clover in terms of nitrogen fixing and lamb weight, they wanted to find out if red clover would boost productivity further. Following Mhairi’s advice, a red / white clover blend has been sown in one contained area of the farm. Less sensitive to poaching and heavy traffic than a pure red plant, a blended product will last longer. Red clover leys are generally persistent for four to five years while red / white clover, blended with a perennial ryegrass mixture, can last for up to ten years. Crucially, because red clover can cause fertility issues in breeding sheep, Craig and Katreen have been careful to sow the mix on just one field, which can be avoided by sheep six weeks before and after tupping.

We have also supplied seed for Craig and Katreen’s forage crop acres where they typically grow swede, forage rape and stubble turnips.

Commenting Craig said: “It’s been great to work with Mhairi and the team at Barenbrug over the last year. With their help we’ve made some fairly incremental changes that will, hopefully, make a big difference to the bottom line of our business over the coming years. We started to notice an improvement in some of the fields last summer and look forward to assessing the results more carefully in 2017.”

Commenting Mhairi said: “From grass grazing is key to the success of Craig and Katreen’s business and I’m delighted with the progress that we’ve made so far. Grassland management is a long-term investment but can make a huge difference to animal productivity, yields and overall profitability. I am particularly excited to see how the overseeding has improved the old pastures and the impact the red clover has on the young cattle.”

Craig and Katreen are one of a number of farms taking part in our Grass into Gold scheme. Currently there are two other farms in Scotland; one in South Lanarkshire and one in Stirlingshire. Other farms taking part in the programme stretch from as far a eld as Dorset and Sussex to Pembrokeshire and County Londonderry.

 

[Great In Grass]

Worcestershire farmers make early cut.

The Millers, an award-winning family of farmers from the Vale of Evesham, have got the 2017 grass-growing season off to an early start by cutting 200 acres of forage grass, which is now being silaged for use later in the year. The high quality first cut, which was collected on Monday 24 April, builds on silage improvements seen on the farm last winter – that arose as a direct result of the family’s involvement in Grass into Gold.

The Millers, who farm 1,000 acres of land near Hinton-on-the-Green in Worcestershire, signed up to Grass into Gold in 2015. Having won the farming industry’s prestigious Gold Cup in 2012, the family was keen to take part in the scheme to see if they could get more from their grass. With Barenbrug’s help, the Millers have spent the last two years switching their grass elds from two-year Italian leys to three- to five- year hybrid leys – a move designed to help secure a more even yield over four cuts.

Mike Miller, who farms alongside his two sons, Steve and Paul, and manages a 410-strong Shaneal herd of pedigree Holstein cows, explained more: “Winning the Gold Cup in 2012 was the ultimate reward for our hard work and commitment but–as we all know–there is no room for complacency in dairy farming. With fluctuating prices, we need to be at the top of our game at all times. That means working with experts in different aspects of our enterprise to understand what we can do better. We have got 1000 acres on farm, 260 of which are dedicated to grass – predominantly silage production. Grass is our biggest crop so when the chance to work with the team at Barenbrug came about, we jumped at the chance.”

Initially, James Ingles, Head of Agriculture, helped the Millers tackle a field where no deep tillage is allowed because of the presence of an old roman site. Moving away from an Italian two-year ryegrass, James recommended reseeding the field in question with a hybrid mix that would last three to five years and, crucially, maintain quality and yield throughout the growing season. With the existing sward delivering a good first and second cut, but lacking in volume and quality at the back end of the summer, the Millers were happy to try a different approach. Within months, the improvement was obvious with the field yielding much better results. Convinced of the calibre of the new grass, the Millers decided to introduce the same mixture to other fields as and when they were ready to come off wheat – bringing cutting dates across the farm into line and easing overall grassland management.

Commenting, Steve Miller said: “The new grass has been working really well – delivering a more even yield across the four cuts, which is exactly what we wanted. With more silage available, we can now feed forage grass all year round, which has reduced our bought-in costs. The cows are milking better than ever too. Off the back of the immense growth seen this spring and our early first cut, we are hoping to get five cuts in this year. If the weather allows, the plan is to try to cut every 35 days. Watch this space!”

Commenting James, said: “The results seen by the Millers are proof that all farmers, regardless of enterprise size, focus or experience, can achieve big improvements in grass with the right approach. The Millers have a brilliant track record and great figures when it comes to milk yield, so you would think that there wasn’t much more that they could do – but that’s clearly not the case. By embracing new innovations and techniques in all aspects of their business – including grass – they are pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved and seeing some great results.”

Of the Millers’ 410-strong herd, 380 cows are milked three times a day. Last year’s annual average yield per cow was 12,900 litres – a figure that the Millers hope to top this year. All of their milk is supplied locally to Cotteswold Dairy – an independent family run business based in Tewkesbury.

In terms of next steps, the Millers will continue to work closely with James and the Barenbrug team throughout 2017 – making sure that future cuts are well timed and that general maintenance and management of the new leys is optimized to ensure maximum utilisation.

 

[Great In Grass]

Barenbrug's Cropvale grass trials update May 17

In this update we bring you an overview of our work at Cropvale Farm - our research and development site in the Vale of Evesham. You can read up on some of the key forage grass trials currently being managed by Roger Hutchings, our Cropvale Site Manager. Roger works in close cooperation with our wider forage grass team, including Mhairi Dawson, our UK R&D Manager.

Cropvale is one of three trial sites that we operate in the UK; we also run trials in Loughgall in Northern Ireland and in Aberdeenshire. Part of a working mixed farm with beef, sheep and arable production, Cropvale has a long growing season of around 300 days. Although well sheltered, grass growth on site is limited by frost and cold weather in the winter, and drought in the summer.

At Cropvale our work is focused on the development of new varieties and mixtures for central and southern Britain; areas where a lack of summer rainfall and fungal diseases, particularly crown rust, can affect both the yield and quality of grass. On site we test all the varieties and species that arise from the Barenbrug and AFBI breeding programmes that are thought to be of benefit to UK agriculture. These include early, intermediate and late heading varieties of perennial ryegrasses, hybrid and Italian ryegrasses, cocksfoot, Timothy, tall fescue, vetches and red and white clovers. The site is also a disease trials site for the national and recommended lists.

Trials at Cropvale are sown twice a year, with the main sowing in the autumn. Sowing is followed by two years of cutting to simulate normal farm use. Subject to weather conditions, we try to ensure that cutting dates follow normal farm practice as closely as possible.

Currently we have over 2,000 plots at Cropvale, all at different stages of development. We also have some demonstration plots that customers can visit if they are looking for advice on growing a specific species.

Westerwold trial

Our westerwold trial has recently come to an end. Having established 18 varieties of annual species back in autumn 2014, we decided to keep the plots going over a second winter to continue our observations and give us two full growing seasons of data.

In the first year we cut the plots five times, obtaining a large range in yield, equivalent to over 20 t/ha or 8.5 t/acre fresh weight. Possibly more significant was the range in growth patterns and plant characteristics observed. Some plots retained a very high percentage of leaf while others produced a lot more seed head and structural breif. Throughout the season there were also variations in yield distribution, disease resistance and ground cover, which invariably led to the ingression of some broad-leaved weeds on some of the more open swards. At the end of the first year of the trial, we committed to producing the variety BARSPECTRA II – which can deliver an excellent yield of leafy grass with good agronomic characteristics.

In the second year of the trial, the westerwolds that persisted enough to warrant harvesting, yielded around 50% of what was achieved in year one. The variation from best to worst was over 32 tonnes (t) of fresh weight per hectare (ha) with the worst plots yielding around 4t of dry matter (DM) / ha over the year. As a comparison, in practical, on-farm terms, we would expect our perennial ryegrasses to yield more than this in a single cut.

When we compared the average yield of the westerwolds in their second year to the yield of a second-year Italian crop, we discovered that the westerwolds produced around half of the Italians. This clearly demonstrates that farmers who want to maximise yields in the second year of planting should always choose an Italian ryegrass, even over a very persistent westerwold. In terms of forage volume, the numbers are striking with a difference of between 6-8t DM/ha.

Anaerobic digestion trial
We are entering the final year of our anaerobic digestion (AD) trial at Cropvale. Back in autumn 2014 we established a number of plots of Italian ryegrasses, hybrid ryegrasses, tall fescues plus various mixtures of these species. With these plots, our aim was to assess the yield and agronomic characteristics of different grass species to determine which are best suited to use in the renewables sector. Over the last two growing seasons, the trial has yielded some interesting results. Year one results were as expected. The Italian ryegrass straights, and the mixtures containing the biggest ratio of Italians, performed best. The hybrid ryegrasses also performed favourably while the tall fescues did less well. Typically, tall fescues are much slower to establish than Italian and hybrid ryegrasses. They generally prefer soil temperatures of 8°C and over. This is several degrees warmer than Italian ryegrasses, which can tolerate temperatures as low as 3°C.

In the first year, the range across our AD trial was just over 10t DM/ha but in the second year this dropped significantly to just over 4tDM/ha. However, the most interesting observation came in year two, when we noticed that the top eight performing varieties were pure tall fescues – with the top performer achieving over 14t DM/ha.

From our work to date, we’ve concluded that farmers looking to grow grass for anaerobic digesters – and maximise yields over two years – should pick an Italian ryegrass- based mixture. Blends such as Barforage HIGH D can easily provide well over 15t DM/ha on average over two years. With the ability to grow in colder soil conditions, this gives multiple cut opportunities and numerous chances to spread digestate back onto the ground to count towards the nutrient budget. For anyone interested in making a longer-term investment in growing grass for the purposes of AD, we are reserving judgement until after our 2017 harvest. By this point we would hope to have more interesting results and a clearer idea of how the fescues fared in year three compared to the Italians.

While our AD trial is focused on identifying the best grass products for the renewables sector, it has also yielded some interesting insights into the variability of some of the tall fescue varieties we planted. This in turn is helping to inform decisions about some of our other products and concepts. As well as proving that fescues are higher yielding in the second year, our trials showed differences in the hardness of leaves and the disease resistance of the varieties. These findings will enable us to further develop mixtures such as Barforage BARMIX and a new concept we are exploring, which is more focused on cattle enterprises. Furthermore, we noticed a lot of damage to one of our ryegrass plots, which was caused by chafer grubs. Interestingly, the surrounding fescue plots were unscathed – potentially because the fescues have a more extensive root system.

Brassicas
This year we are, once again, establishing a number of different brassica plots that we can show to customers who visit Cropvale. This is the second year that we’ve sown areas dedicated to crops including Barabas stubble turnips, Barcoli forage rape and Keeper kale. This year we aren’t actively looking to monitor anything specific, but we’ll obviously be keeping a careful eye on the varieties we put in and will report back on any interesting observations.

 

[Great In Grass]

Artémis the highest yielding lucerne variety ever produced.

Despite being a highly nutritious form of forage for livestock, lucernes are some of the most underrated and underutilised forage crops in the UK. Combining good digestibility with high proteins, lucernes can be used for grazing and are also ideal for silage production – providing excellent milk yields and daily live weight gains.

Historically, farmers across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have shied away from using lucernes – concerned that they don’t have the right growing conditions, or that seed establishment and long-term management will be complex. Now, thanks to a Barenbrug-bred variety of lucerne, perceptions are set to change.

This year, we are proud to announce the UK launch of Artémis – the number one lucerne on the French ‘Liste A’ and the highest yielding lucerne variety ever produced. Ideal for use in the UK, Artémis is a Flemish variety of lucerne, meaning it thrives in maritime and continental climates such as North West Europe – where the winters are typically colder than the rest of continental Europe. Offering excellent winter hardiness and outstanding resistance to nematodes and diseases, Artémis scores 8.8 for persistency and can last for up to five years when well managed.

Commenting on the launch of Artémis, James Ingles, Head of Agriculture at Barenbrug UK, said: “Lucernes are a popular forage crop worldwide and are widely used in many countries including France. With a reputation for thriving in sunny conditions, lucernes have largely been overlooked on this side of the Channel. Worried about growing conditions and whether or not seeds will take and survive, many farmers opt for ‘safer’ forms of forage crop. In this regard, Artémis has the potential to be a real game changer. Growing very well under dry conditions, Artémis will thrive in southern parts of the UK, but will also perform well in colder parts of the country – particularly in areas where the soil is free draining and deep. In addition, Artémis is made using a special seed coating system, patented by Barenbrug, which can help improve establishment and increase forage production.”

Artémis seeds are coated with Barenbrug’s Yellow Jacket Rhizobium technology. Our Yellow Jacket system embeds high levels of Rhizobia in a protective polymer matrix that coats individual seeds. This matrix includes a nutrient booster that contains all the essential minerals and trace elements needed to get a lucerne crop off to the very best start.

The results are clear to see in Artémis yield figures. Delivering an excellent yield compared to other lucernes, Artemis can produce around 17.5 tonnes DM / hectare – making it ideal for hay and silage production.

When well-silaged, a lucerne crop is very palatable to sheep and cattle. It has stems that stimulate the rumen – improving digestibility. Artémis also has a deep rooting system that can help improve soil structure and needs no nitrogen (N) input - fixing up to 200kg of N per annum.

Concluding, James, said: “The launch of Artémis opens up a world of opportunity to UK farmers in terms of feed options. Globally, millions of hectares of lucerne are grown. With concerns about climate change and population growth, demand is likely to increase for many years to come – so we think it would be wise for UK farmers to take a long look at lucernes and consider their on-farm potential.”

Barenbrug has a lucerne-breeding program running in Northern France, Southern France and Australia.

Find out more about Artémis here