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]

Barkant stubble turnips will available for despatch from Friday 31st July and Vollenda is looking to be next week. Samson stubble turnips in 25kg bags (new crop) available now.

 

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Stop Waster With Secure Covers;

 

[Great In Grass]

A perfect mixture for extended grazing.

The concept
LONG SEASON has been designed to give the maximum yield over the longest possible growing season, producing forage at the times of year it is most useful.

Long Season is an extremely flexible, persistent, long term ley that can be both cut and grazed as required.

THE REASONS

• The varieties are selected to give a palatable and responsive sward with excellent persistency
• The high tetraploid content is in line with the latest research from Moorepark
• Includes MOYOLA, with spring growth of 126% of control varieties
• The inclusion of COMER timothy increases spring growth by 34% and persistence under more extreme conditions

How to manage and get the most out of it

• Spring grass is extremely valuable as it replaces expensive feed or silage. Long Season has been designed to provide exceptional spring growth, the time of year when grass is most valuable
• Long Season also grows well into the autumn, making it ideal for those who want to maximise production from grass
• Early spring grazing can be followed by two high quality silage cuts and aftermath grazing or season long grazing
• It is ideal for early turnout or lambing thanks to its exceptional spring growth

In the bag
3.00Kg Ideal - Late Perennial Ryegrass (TET)
3.00Kg Moyola - Early Perennial Ryegrass (DIP)
2.50Kg Boyne - Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass (DIP)
2.00Kg Tyrella - Late Perennial Ryegrass (DIP)
2.00Kg Seagoe - Intermediate perennial ryegrass (TET)
1.00Kg Ensign - White clover blend
0.50Kg Comer - Timothy

Features

Early spring growth is important

Long term / Permanent

Ley is mainly for grazing with some cutting

Ley is mainly for cutting with some grazing

Autumn sheep grazing

Protein production required

Medium term

 

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Flexible, extensive, long-term ley suited to cutting and grazing.

The concept
COMBI is a mixture of intermediate and late heading ryegrasses designed as a long term, top class cutting mixture, which will also produce quality grazing.

A ley which combines the benefits of high quality mid-May silage production, with excellent sward density.

Combi uses the best recommended varieties to produce a very high yielding, flexible, dense, palatable sward.

THE REASONS

• Produces exceptional silage cuts of extremely nutritious forage
• Includes BOYNE, which produces a silage yield of 107% of control varieties, the highest diploid perennial ryegrass variety in the Herbage Varieties Guide recommended list
• SEAGOE and GLENARIFF help to produce massive 1st Cut yields
  

How to manage and get the most out of it

• Ideal as a top quality cutting ley that will also produce a high quality, dense, palatable grazing sward
• High proportion of tetraploid varieties ensures better drought resistance and higher water soluble carbohydrate content
  

In the bag
4.00Kg Dundrum - Late Perennial Ryegrass (TET)
3.00Kg Seagoe - Intermediate perennial ryegrass (TET)
2.00Kg Boyne - Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass (DIP)
2.00Kg Glenariff - Intermediate perennial Ryegrass (DIP)
2.00Kg Copeland - Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass (DIP)
1.00Kg Ensign - White clover blend

Features

Ley is mainly for cutting with some grazing

Long term / Permanent

Autumn sheep grazing

Protein production required

Ley is mainly for grazing with some cutting

Early spring growth is important

Medium term

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[Great In Grass]

Plan now for autumn success - Practical ways to get your grassland more productive

Turn over a new leaf

If you are thinking about making changes across your farm business, why not start from the ground up and look at how you are managing your grassland. Taking the time to proactively improve your fields, pastures and paddocks could have a positive impact on yields and profitability – for a relatively small investment.

Here are five simple steps from the agricultural grass experts at Barenbrug designed to help you improve your grassland during the year ahead!

Step 1: Walk your fields

Look carefully at any areas of grassland that you have. If grass is an unhealthy shade of yellowy green or if you have water lying on the surface after rainfall, you could be facing a soil structure problem. Left untackled this could affect production and persistency levels later in the year causing the sward to fill up with weed grasses. This in turn will decrease your yield and affect spring growth significantly. Check for areas of bare ground where grass is thin or where weeds have already taken over – especially common in feeding areas and around gateways. Look also for high and low areas where bare patches might occur, and damage caused by pests such as rabbits and moles.

Step 2: Look at what lies beneath

Examine soil structure. Basic nutrient tests are inexpensive and will help you understand the levels of essential elements present. You should also dig a hole with a spade to examine the top few inches, which are so important to the grass lifecycle. If you see signs of compaction, use either a sward lifter or aerator to alleviate the problem. The choice of tool will depend on the depth of compaction. Shallow compaction, up to 20cms, can be corrected by slitting the field with an aerator. Deeper compaction is best treated using a sward lifter, which will lift and shatter the soil, allowing deeper root penetration and a healthier soil.

Step 3: Deal with weeds

If you spot weed grasses, tackle them immediately. They are usually shallow rooted and pull out very easily. If they make up more than 40% of the sward, harrow hard to remove them. With a sward of more than 70% weed grasses, the best option is to reseed.

Step 4: Prepare the ground

If overseeding is necessary, pick a mixture designed specifically for renovation. Before seeding, harrow or rake vigorously with a spring tine or chain harrows. This can be carried out by machine or, for very small areas, by hand. The aim is to remove all dead material including shallow rooted grass and weeds in the base of the sward. Opening up the sward lets in air and light, allowing clean, fresh growth to come from the base of the plant. It also levels any molehills and highlights vulnerable parts of the field.

Step 5: Overseeding

After harrowing, use a grass mixture designed specifically for the job in hand. The best time to reseed is when the ground is moist and warm, and soil temperatures are above 8°C. The ideal window in the UK is typically between April and September when conditions allow grass seeds to germinate and grow without competing against weeds. Rolling the ground after sowing helps seed-soil contact to promote germination. Reseeding in these conditions allows the plant to develop a good root structure that is ready to spread and grow the following spring, so quickly increasing grass cover.

Once soil structure is right and any reseeding has taken place, you stand a good chance of growing a healthy grass crop. Remember that all grass will benefit from feeding with fertilisers but take care not to apply when sowing. New plants have no roots and are unable to take up nutrients. Instead, you would favour the existing sward and create more competition for the new plants.


Find out more about our range of grass seed mixtures tailored for your grassland


Order a copy of our Good Grass Guide delivered to your door

 

[Great In Grass]

Let's Talk About Soil - Video

 

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Biofumigation Mixture: Biofum Autumn a blend of Ethiopian mustard, oilseed radish and forage rape is designed to be sown in late summer and incorporated in late winter/early spring.

 

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ProPig is a unique mixture of extremely hard wearing grasses, which has been tried and tested and proved to be the most persistent grass mixture for outdoor pigs. ProPig is a mixture of specially selected, Barenbrug bred amenity grasses, which means that the forage is extremely tough and tolerant of hard wear. These types of grasses are used on football and rugby pitches and any areas with high traffic levels.

The grasses used are also very drought tolerant species. They are very deep rooted and develops a greater root mass than other species allowing it to source whatever water is available. Under severe drought and temperature stress they will maintain their forage as the leaf structure is more fibrous and requires less water to prevent wilting.

To get the maximum performance from ProPig, it should be established up to 8 months before the pigs are turned out. This allows the root structure to build up to maintain the plant and tolerate the pigs rooting. This is not as difficult as it may first appear as ProPig can be under-sown up to 12 months before use, under the previous winter cereal crop and as an amenity species it will not grow tall enough to interfere with the growth or harvesting of the cereal crop.

Benefits
Nutrient capture. The green cover established by ProPig Pasture minimises the risk of nutrient run off into water courses

ProPig’s massive root structure captures nutrients leaching through the soil structure, minimising the risk of contaminating ground water and making sure they are available to the following crop

ProPig, when it has established, will help prevent lateral runoff of surface water after heavy rain. It will help prevent nutrients reaching streams and rivers and causing problems of eutrophication. On sloping ground ProPig should be drilled across the slope where it can better help to intercept the flow of surface water

ProPig’s root structure also helps maintain and improve the soil structure, reducing the risk of compaction and increasing the organic content of the soil.

Sowing rate: 40 kg per hectare (16 kg per acre), either drilled or broadcast and rolled

Seed bed: All grasses establish better when sown into a firm, fine seed bed and tall fescue should be sown at a depth of 15-25mm

Fertiliser: If under-sown, the cereals fertiliser should supply enough nutrients to establish the grass. If sown without a cover crop, use the relevant guidance from RB209 for your soil indices

Sprays: If under-sown, the cereals fertiliser should supply enough nutrients to establish the grass. If sown without a cover crop, use the relevant guidance from RB209 for your soil indice

In the bag
50% Labarinth - Rhizomatous tall fescue
50% Barlexas II - Tufted tall fescue

 

[Great In Grass]

BAR SOLAR FARMS
Superior mixture specifically designed for solar farms.

This mixture has been formulated specifically to be established where solar panels are to be installed, offering low maintenance cover, once established, while delivering good disease tolerance and a solid long-term option.

WHERE TO USE - BAR SOLAR FARMS is ideal for solar farms. It has been created for use in the construction of areas where solar panels are to be installed

HOW IT WORKS
- Fine leafed but hard wearing perennial ryegrasses for applications requiring close mowing
- Barlennium is fast establishing and will act as a nursery crop to aid the establishment of the
strong creeping red fescue in the mixture
- Barustic is a fine leaved strong creeping red fescue that will cope with lower light levels as
well as providing a low growth coupled with exceptional turf aesthetics
a low growth coupled with exceptional turf aesthetics
- Barlennium has excellent shade and drought tolerance, while delivering a good dark green colour

 

[Great In Grass]

Farmers on track to turn grass into gold next spring
Research participants taking small steps to help combat continuing price pressures.


A UK-wide research initiative exploring the positive impact proactive grassland management can have on yields, are starting to see results after implementing suggestions put forward by Barenbrug, the company behind the scheme.

Ten farms across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are taking part in Grass into Gold, which Barenbrug launched in late spring. The aim of the scheme, which is supported by Dow Agrosciences, is to help UK farmers hone their grassland management skills in order to improve the quantity and quality of dry matter per hectare as well as overall profitability.

Over the summer Barenbrug's forage grass experts have b een conducting field assessments at all ten Grass into Gold farm and drawing up action plans to help address persistent pasture problems. While each farm faces its own challenges and is at a different stage in its Grass into Gold work, the farmers that have already started to renew pastures are beginning to notice improvements that they hope will help them combat continuing farm gate price pressures.

Braemar Farm

Ian and Ruth Pollock

Braemar Farm, Castlerock, County Londonderry (Dairy)

Braemar Farm in Castlerock, County Londonderry, has been in the Pollock family for three generations and is a successful enterprise managed today by husband and wife team Ian and Ruth. Ian is in charge of the 220-acre farm, tending to a 120-strong herd of Holstein cows. The cattle produce around 8000 litres of milk a year – a proportion of which goes to Ballyrashane Creamery, the oldest dairy in Northern Ireland. The rest heads straight from the Braemar parlour to the Pollock’s award-winning artisan ice cream business, which Ruth operates from a purpose-built unit on site.

Ian said: “For Ballyrashane Creamery and our own ice cream business it’s essential that our milk comes from pasture-grazed cows – it really enhances the flavour of the end product. Luckily we are located in one of the best dairy areas of Ireland with our cows grazing 30-acres of fields overlooking Mussenden Temple and the sea towards Scotland. We’ve also got 190 acres that we use to produce silage – achieving around 3000 bales last year. Through Barenbrug’s Grass into Gold scheme we want to deliver an increase in first cut silage yields, improve our grass D-value and sward density. Basically, we want to establish healthier, better performing swards to enable more ground to be re-seeded in the future.”

Braemar's fields before
Traditionally the Pollocks have re-seeded every eight to nine years. The last reseeding occurred three years ago but results have been disappointing. As such, the Pollocks wanted Barenbrug to help them pick a different seed mixture and provide best practice advice on sowing and maintenance to see what improvements can be made.

Braemar's improved fields
David Linton, Regional Manager for Barenbrug in Northern Ireland, said: “I first visited Ian and Ruth in late April and we walked some of the swards Ian wanted to rejuvenate. The swards were only sown three or four years ago but were severely depleted and Ian felt their production just wasn’t up to scratch. Ian’s cows are not turned out early in spring so maximising first cut potential is essential to ensure he has enough quality forage to see him through the winter. He felt that his existing swards were too slow in spring and that he was producing more silage in the second cut than in the first – so we needed to find a solution that would give him maximum output early on in the grass-growing season.”

Ian and Ruth were nervous about ploughing their fields as they felt it could take them out of production for too long. As the fields were level and in good condition, they decided – together with David – that Ian would burn off the existing sward and stitch the new seeds into the ground using a specialist seed drill.

When choosing a seed mixture for the Pollock’s system, David recommended a mixture that would give maximum production but remain easy to manage. Barenbrug’s Combi mixture was picked as the ideal choice, giving top quality grass when it is most needed, with maximum production throughout the year, but extra emphasis on the first cut. Ian sowed the Combi mixture in early June and growth so far looks very good.

David continued: “Combi is a popular choice for many farmers across Northern Ireland as it is one of the highest producing mixtures from a perennial ryegrass sward available on the market today.”

Braemar's improved fields
Ian moved from making clamp silage to making his silage in round bales two years ago. Using Combi, he now feels he is in an ideal situation to cut when necessary. He believes he can get the best quality silage from his swards, without having to wait for all his fields to be ready at one time. The pressure is also off when it comes to waiting for contractors who can get delayed other farms.

David and Ian will be looking closely at results over the coming months.

 

[Great In Grass]

Birchills Farm

The Shepherds

Hassop, Derbyshire (Dairy)

Melvyn and Diane Shepherd, and their sons Mark and Darren, own two dairy farms in the North West. Wiggan Farm at Worrall, located five miles north west of Sheffield, has been in the Shepherd family for more than five generations. Birchills Farm, just over the border in Derbyshire near to Bakewell, is a newer acquisition; the family took it over in 2008.

Across the two farms, the Shepherds have a 470-strong herd of milkers that produce – on average – around 10,500 litres of milk a year. Birchills Farm – the focus of the family’s involvement in Barenbrug’s Grass into Gold programme – covers 550 acres.

Reseeding fields at Birchills
Melvyn said: “When we heard about Barenbrug’s Grass into Gold programme we jumped at the chance to sign up. Our aims are straightforward. We want to achieve greater consistency in the production of our grassland and produce higher yields of better quality silage. “Working with Barenbrug we’ll be able to get expert advice from people who know a lot more about grass than we do. By learning from them and choosing exactly the right grass mixtures for our farm, we’ll hopefully be able to improve the productivity of both businesses. It’s going to be a really interesting experience.”

New seeding nicely establishing
Roger Bacon, Regional Manager for Northern England, commented: “I am delighted that Melvyn, Diane and their family decided to be part of Grass into Gold. I first visited the farm in April to discuss the aims of the project and their own grassland objectives - which are to produce better yields of high quality forage for both silage and grazing. “We looked at a number of fields with a view to reseeding. The field next to the farmyard, which is utilised for both silage and grazing, was prioritised.

“BarForage Combi (without clover) was recommended as the field has a chickweed and seedling dock problem. The field was reseeded in July and the grass emerged seven days later, producing a nice even plant stand across the field. Darren commented that he had never seen grass emerge so soon after drilling and so evenly!

“The second field identified is a silage field away from the farm. This is yet to be reseeded – but we look forward to seeing the results.”

The landscape at Birchills

 

[Great In Grass]

Southern Pitts Farm - Pembrokeshire

Richard Morris

Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire (Dairy)

Richard Morris is the tenant farmer at Southern Pitts Farm in Lawrenny, a small village in Pembrokeshire, located on the peninsula of the Cleddau estuary, upriver from Milford Haven.

Covering 370 acres, Southern Pitts is a spring calving dairy farm, based on a year round grazing platform. The business is a relatively new venture for Richard, who already has another farm a little further south. Richard took on the Southern Pitts tenancy in September 2014, signing a ten year lease.

Cows at Southern Pitts Farm
Commenting, Richard said: “Opportunities to take on farms like Southern Pitts don’t come up very often. It’s rare to find land – right on your doorstep – where you can practice a spring calving dairy grazing system – something I’ve always wanted to do . When I heard about the tenancy, I leapt at the chance. It was a great opportunity to broaden my experience and spread some of the overheads from the other farm.

Grazing BarForage Dairy Grazer
“Taking on a new business means there is obviously a lot to do. We’ve already built a new dairy and now we’re a part of Grass into Gold, which will undoubtedly help. The timing of the programme and our discussions with Barenbrug couldn’t have been better.”

Southern Pitts has 250 acres of grassland – divided into a number of paddocks for Richard’s 270-strong herd to graze. With an intensive grazing system in operation, and ambitions to produce 4,500 litres per head, Richard already pays close attention to his grass, measuring its growth weekly. As part of Grass into Gold, the plan is to hone his knowledge and analysis further, to optimize income per hectare.

James Ingles, Head of Agriculture at Barenbrug, said: “Naturally, Richard wants to get as much production from his new farm as possible, including difficult fields that can’t be deep cultivated. We’ve started off by reseeding a number of paddocks with BarForage Dairy Grazer – a mixture of DUNLUCE, TYRELLA and DRUMBO, which has been designed specifically to maximise the grazing period for cows.

“Delivering optimum growth at times of the year when grass is most valuable, it forms a dense, easily managed sward that will help Richard improve the economics of his milk production. We look forward to seeing the results he achieves over the coming months and helping him get the very best out of his new venture.”

One of Southern Pitts Farm reseeded fields

 

[Great In Grass]

Longlea Farm, Netherburn, South Lanarkshire (Dairy)

Robert & Charlotte Baillie


Robert and Charlotte Baillie run Longlea Farm in Netherburn, a small village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The farm, which covers 530 acres, has been in the Baillie family for nearly 40 years and is now moving into third generation hands. Robert farms the land at Longlea with his dad – also Robert. They employ two full time and two part time employees to help look after their 300-strong herd of Holstein cows, which produce an average of 9750 litres of milk each year.

Of the 530 acres on farm, 180 are dedicated to grain production (whole crop, spring barley and winter wheat), with the rest allocated to grassland. The grassland acreage is split out as follows: 55% temporary grass (TGRS); 40% permanent grass (PGRS); and 5% rough grazing grass (RGR).

Longlea Farm's lush pasture

Feed wise the main focus at the farm is on silage production with the Baillies pitting around 3400 tonnes each year.

New seeding nicely establishing
Robert explains more: “Signing up to Barenbrug’s Grass into Gold programme we had one goal in mind – improving results at the three cut stages of the silage regime we‘ve put in place. Typically we aim for a first cut in late May and two subsequent cuts thereafter.

"Once the final cut has been made we let the sheep graze the aftermath from September to March. We sowed three new seed mixtures in 2014 and appear to be getting some good results but know we could do more to improve our swards and ultimately increase the quality of our silage and the amount of milk we produce.”

Mhairi Dawson, Regional Manager for Barenbrug in Scotland, and also the company’s R&D Manager, said: “Our initial assessment of the fields and pastures at Longlea showed that the team face the usual Scottish grassland challenges of high rainfall and heavy soils – which can hinder silage results.

"Docks appear to be the main weed issue and there may by some pH problems to tackle too. In the past the Baillies have tried to utilise slurry and farmyard manure to target P & K levels – but that’s not always possible due to storage, so we may have to think through some other options. We are now in the process of working with Charlotte and Robert to prioritise some areas for soil sampling and overseeding.”

One of Longlea Farm's improved fields

 

[Great In Grass]

Matching grass to boost yield and nitrogen use efficiency
Some people seem like they are made for each other. What about grasses – does the perfect couple exist? A new research project called “GreenSelect” is aiming to answer that particular question. Read more…

Matching grass to boost yield and nitrogen use efficiency

Many people undoubtedly ask themselves: How do I find the best partner? Well, breeders at DLF Ltd ask themselves the same question on behalf of the forage grass they are improving each year. Is it possible to localize the perfect match that will always ensure the best offspring? In order to answer the question the breeders have teamed up with scientists at Aarhus University. Together, they will test more than 500 crossing combinations in order to find the exact grass plants that give birth to the highest yielding- and most nitrogen use efficient (NUE) offspring. While this is not breaking science, it definitely is investigating how two genetic profiles should look in order to for the optimum match.


By the use of genome wide selection (GWS), which is now part of DLF's forage breeding program, it is possible to predict a plants performance in relation to yield, disease resistance, digestibility, etc., based on its genetic profile. The new research will allow breeders to predict whether a cross between two parent plants will become a success or not. Such information will help streamlining the breeding process and produce new high yielding NUE varieties for the benefit of farm gate economy, the environment, and our climate.

The project also include the Tystofte Foundation, who will conduct field trials for NUE determination. The project will run over the next four years. It has a total budget of 2.3 M € of which 1.8 M € is financed by the Danish sustainability program - GUDP.

 

[Great In Grass]

DLF – the world's market leader in grass seed
The DLF path to growth is about seeds, growth and science and has brought together many grass-seed businesses. Now is the time to draw those strands together – to unify our values and heritage under a single company name and logo: DLF.

As of 1 October 2015 DLF-TRIFOLIUM will change to DLF - a more simplified company name and a refreshed logo. Together they reflect the heritage, the unity and the vision of the company.
To produce world-class grass seed takes decades of research and development. In every grass-growing market in which DLF operates, we have become a premier brand with loyal customers across the world.

DLF's organic growth, driven by the Group's focus on seeds, science and service, has been supplemented by a series of astute mergers and acquisitions. Since the formation of DLF-TRIFOLIUM in 1988, turnover has increased more than tenfold. The company has acquired leading industry names such as Perryfields in Britain, Cebeco Seeds Group in the Netherlands, and the Pickseed companies in Canada and the United States.

As Truels Damsgaard, CEO of DLF, explains, growth through mergers and acquisitions can have disadvantages. “We had reached a point where the DLF identity was becoming blurred by the many different names and logos under which we were operating throughout the world," he says. "We felt that it was time to unite the DLF family under a single world-recognisable identity with a new name and logo."

As a result, all former company names, including Innoseeds, Prodana, and even DLF-TRIFOLIUM, are now gone. They are replaced by the DLF name and a uniformed DLF logo. “By adopting a single name, DLF becomes a more cohesive unit with a common identity in a competitive, globalized market. It makes us instantly recognisable and helps us communicate what we stand for in a way that is independent of nations and cultures,” says Truels Damsgaard.

New look, same promise

The new name and logo draw their strength from elements that are well known to the market. The logo retains the three leaves of grass – a symbol recognised the world over – with the addition of three playful bubbles. By focusing on the trusted DLF name, the DLF Group has created a powerful worldwide brand.

 

[Great In Grass]

NEW! Maize variety for 2016:

 

[sjt01]

What maturity group/FAO number is Coditank?

Stephen

 

[Great In Grass]

30% DM content at harvest so on a mainstream site a 6, if something a little earlier is required I will also have "Monty" which is just above it on the list.

 

[Great In Grass]

Brand New very early Maize variety for 2016:

 

[Great In Grass]

Yet another brand new very early maize variety for 2016, Perez KWS;