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.
 
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Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Outstanding new grass and clover varieties offer a timely boost to forage-based farming

Two new high-performance varieties that are commercially available for the first time in 2020 significantly enhance the top-selling grass and clover mixtures supplied by forage seed specialist Germinal GB.

The latest Aber High Sugar Grass AberBann and the new medium leaf white clover AberSwan, both bred at the Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) Aberystwyth University, are the new stand-out inclusions that will give livestock farmers greater potential for homegrown forage production.

“Continuing progress in forage breeding is essential if we are to build greater long term sustainability into our livestock farming systems and that’s currently more important than ever,” says Ben Wixey, National Agricultural Sales Manager for Germinal GB. “With the short term disruption in the food supply chains and the longer-term prospect of reduced direct farm support, livestock farmers will need better and better varieties to underpin their forage-based systems. Providing continually improving varieties, and the required knowledge to grow and utilise them effectively is a big part of our commitment to UK farming.

“AberBann adds to our comprehensive Aber High Sugar Grass range of top-ranking ryegrasses on the Recommended Grass and Clover List. The combination of high dry matter yields and exceptional quality means significantly more energy per hectare for producing milk or meat. In addition, the variety excels in all the important agronomic traits (ground cover, persistency, disease resistance) that ensure the leys perform in the field.

“AberSwan is the latest product of a legume breeding programme at IBERS that includes performance under animal grazing as part of its white clover selection protocol. This is a medium-large leaf variety that has demonstrated outstanding persistency when cut and grazed, out-yielding all other white clovers in the third harvest year. It is a strong addition to the range of Aber white clovers and now features in our AberDairy Clover Blend for cutting and grazing mixtures.”

AberBann and AberSwan were planned as the showcase varieties in Germinal’s Royal Welsh Grassland and Grassland & Muck demonstrations, now cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

White clover grazing plots

White clover trials plots at IBERS where grazing pressure has been used as part of the selection protocol. AberSwan is the latest white clover variety from the programme to become commercially available.

AberBann is a late heading diploid perennial ryegrass, combining a high grazing yield with outstanding quality (Grazing D-value of 77.8). No other perennial ryegrass on the 2019/20 Recommended Grass and Clover List (RGCL) is higher than AberBann’s 109% for ME Yield/ha, and this superior energy yield ranks it 12% higher than the average of all other late diploids on the current list. In official trials, AberBann shows consistently high dry matter yields throughout, with a particularly strong main season performance with 113% of controls for early summer grazing and 106% of controls for late summer grazing.

AberSwan is a medium-large leaf-size variety with an impressive total clover yield at 109% of the mean of all varieties on the RGCL and shows its persistency with this rising to 119% of the mean by the third harvest year.
Both new varieties will be marketed exclusively worldwide by Germinal and feature in Germinal GB’s Aber High Sugar Grass mixtures for the 2020 season.
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Modern swedes offer nutritious out-wintering option

UK field trials with the new generation swede variety Triumph have demonstrated its value as a cost effective out-wintering option for livestock farmers.

In studies we carried out during 2018 and 2019, crops monitored on farms in England, Wales and Scotland recorded bulb yields of 9tDM/ha with high levels of leaf retention resulting in significant additional crude protein.
With average growing costs calculated at £385/ha, we believe the cost of dry matter from the swedes to be in the region of 4p/kg, creating opportunities for livestock farmers to build greater sustainability into their production systems.

“From the results we’ve seen with Triumph, there’s no doubt that swedes offer a cheap and simple out-wintering option that has the potential to reduce costs of production in both cattle and sheep sectors in the UK,” says Ben Wixey, Sales Manager at Germinal GB.

“Whilst the bulb is the primary feed source from swedes, contributing as much as 120,000MJ/ha of energy, we’ve been impressed with ability of the variety Triumph to retain its leaves through into the grazing period. From measurements taken during our programme of field trials, we estimate the retained leaf material to provide around 1t/ha of crude protein to grazing livestock, which is a significant bonus.”

The optimum drilling window for swedes is between the middle of May and the end of June for most UK farmers, with crops typically being ready to graze within about 25 weeks.

“With a block grazing approach, five hectares of Triumph swede could be expected to support around 400 in-lamb ewes, or 75 bulling heifers, for up to 100 days,” adds Ben Wixey. “That’s creating a huge opportunity to reduce bought-in feeds and lower the cost of production significantly.”
triumph swede

During Germinal GB’s field trials programme, Triumph swede was shown to produce as much as 120,000MJ/ha of energy from its bulbs, with retained leaf material contributing up to 1t/ha of crude protein.

Further information on establishing and managing swedes for out-wintering is available here: https://germinal.co.uk/knowledge-hub/brassica-growers-guide/
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Tips for introducing white clover

If you established a new reseed last year and want to stitch in white clover this year - how should you do it? William Fleming, Area Sales Manager for Scotland and North East England, provides his top tips.

Limited clover-safe sprays for controlling weeds in new leys means stitching in clover once a grass reseed is established can be attractive.

This enables any existing, heavy broadleaf weed burdens to be well and truly controlled in the ley’s first year, with clover introduced in the following season.

However, all too often farmer’s good intentions to introduce clover at a later date can go forgotten. It’s vital you build this into your grassland action plan or you could be missing out on productivity gains. After all, clover helps build sward biodiversity, aids soil structure, increases dry matter intakes and performance. As a legume, it’s nitrogen fixing abilities are also equivalent to 150-250kgN/ha.
Think about the following when introducing clover:
  1. Ensure broadleaf weeds are under control
Make sure you have weeds well and truly under control. Work with your agronomist to ensure the correct sprays are used at the right time both before and after establishing the new ley.
  1. Choose the right clover to suit management
Always choose clovers from the Recommended Grass and Clover Lists (RGCLs) and opt for a blend. If you’re wanting to cut the sward for dairy cows, choose large and medium leafed varieties. For sheep, choose small and medium leafed clovers.
  1. Introduce the clover when soils are warm and moist
Stitch in clover at least six weeks after weed control to adhere to withdrawal periods. A warm, moist seed-bed is vital (April-August, depending on location).
  1. Ensure good seed to soil contact
Over-sow after grazing or cutting the field to help seed to soil contact.
cloverblends_1918x1280_optimized-1024x683.jpg

Identify the fields you want to reseed this Autumn now and put together a targeted weed control programme with your agronomist to nip weeds in the bud before establishment. Getting a good clean seed bed could mean you could include clover in the mix from the start which will reduce the costs associated with going in at a later date.
  1. Opt for a slightly higher seed rate
A slightly higher seed rate of 4kg/ha is recommended for over-sowing compared to a full reseed to compensate for higher seeding loss.
  1. Carefully graze the sward to help clover establishment
Under or over grazing is the enemy when it comes to clover establishment. Graze too hard and clover will be knocked back and graze too lightly and grass will outcompete the clover. The key is to graze down to a residual of 1,500kgDM/ha or 4cm so sunlight can get down to the clover. Graze lightly and for short periods until clover is well established.
  1. Adopt good rotational grazing
Once clover has established, adopt good rotational grazing to enable clover to rest and recover - always graze down to 4cm.
  1. Think carefully about fertiliser
Avoid application of nitrogen in early establishment as it will encourage grass to grow and increase the risk of clover being outcompeted. Apply a 0:20:30 fertiliser just after clover has been stitched in so potassium and phosphate is available for the young clover plant.
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
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Recommended Grass & Clover Lists 2020/21
Barenbrug are delighted to announce the additions of three new varieties to the latest edition of the Recommended Grass and Clover Lists for England and Wales...


Recommended Grass & Clover Lists for England & Wales 2020/21

Barenbrug are delighted to announce the additions of three new varieties to the latest edition of the Recommended Grass and Clover Lists for England and Wales, published today. With the new additions, Barenbrug have bred 24 of the varieties listed.

Joining the list are Ballyvoy, a late diploid perennial ryegrass, Gracehill, a late tetraploid perennial ryegrass and Baronaise, a timothy.

Ballyvoy has a heading date of 2nd June and provides excellent spring yields with a first cut of 111% and early spring & spring grazing of 112% and 102% respectively. Quality is also good, particularly under grazing (77.4D) and at second cut (75.8), and it displays excellent sward density and winterhardiness.

Gracehill has a heading date of 1st June and its key strength is its shoulder growth, providing excellent spring and later season yields when grass is most valuable and contributing to high total yields for both cutting (106%) and grazing (105%). A first cut yield of 113% and 70D is followed by a 2nd cut of 103% and 73.5D and a 3rd cut of 103%. Under grazing, Gracehill provides one of the largest late summer volumes at 109%. It also has excellent crown rust resistance of 7.9.

Both Ballyvoy and Gracehill both come from the highly successful British breeding programme partnership between Barenbrug and the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute of Norther Ireland (AFBI NI). Grass Breeder Dr Gillian Young comments: “Both are excellent all-around performers across the season, producing high annual yields of good quality grass under both grazing and silage management. Ballyvoy though, is particularly strong, topping its class for metabolizable energy yield per hectare under silage management. Both Ballyvoy and Gracehill are outstanding varieties that will no doubt feature strongly in both cutting and grazing mixtures well into the future.”

The new Timothy addition Baronaise has a heading date of 13th June making it one of the later varieties in this limited group. Its key strength is its high quality with a grazing D-value of 74.7, a first cut of 70D and a second cut of 67D, making it the highest quality variety available. The variety provides good overall yields under both management, grazing 101% and cutting average 100% with particularly good yields in the autumn. Baronaise was bred in Barenbrug Holland by Marcel Van Nes at our breeding station based in Wolfheze, he comments “Baronaise was first crossed in 2004 and is a good improvement in yield and persistency. It will be an important variety across Northern Europe.”


Ag_RecommendedList-Gracehill.jpg


Ag_RecommendedList-Ballyvoy2.jpg
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Outstanding new grass and clover varieties offer timely boost to forage-based farming

Two new high-performance varieties that are commercially available for the first time in 2020 significantly enhance the top-selling grass and clover mixtures supplied by forage seed specialist Germinal GB.

The latest Aber High Sugar Grass AberBann and the new medium leaf white clover AberSwan, both bred at the Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) Aberystwyth University, are the new stand-out inclusions that will give livestock farmers greater potential for homegrown forage production.

“Continuing progress in forage breeding is essential if we are to build greater long term sustainability into our livestock farming systems and that’s currently more important than ever,” says Ben Wixey, National Agricultural Sales Manager for Germinal GB. “With the short term disruption in the food supply chains and the longer-term prospect of reduced direct farm support, livestock farmers will need better and better varieties to underpin their forage-based systems. Providing continually improving varieties, and the required knowledge to grow and utilise them effectively is a big part of our commitment to UK farming.

“AberBann adds to our comprehensive Aber High Sugar Grass range of top-ranking ryegrasses on the Recommended Grass and Clover List. The combination of high dry matter yields and exceptional quality means significantly more energy per hectare for producing milk or meat. In addition, the variety excels in all the important agronomic traits (ground cover, persistency, disease resistance) that ensure the leys perform in the field.

“AberSwan is the latest product of a legume breeding programme at IBERS that includes performance under animal grazing as part of its white clover selection protocol. This is a medium-large leaf variety that has demonstrated outstanding persistency when cut and grazed, out-yielding all other white clovers in the third harvest year. It is a strong addition to the range of Aber white clovers and now features in our AberDairy Clover Blend for cutting and grazing mixtures.”

AberBann and AberSwan were planned as the showcase varieties in Germinal’s Royal Welsh Grassland and Grassland & Muck demonstrations, now cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

White clover grazing plots

White clover trials plots at IBERS where grazing pressure has been used as part of the selection protocol. AberSwan is the latest white clover variety from the programme to become commercially available.

AberBann is a late heading diploid perennial ryegrass, combining a high grazing yield with outstanding quality (Grazing D-value of 77.8). No other perennial ryegrass on the 2019/20 Recommended Grass and Clover List (RGCL) is higher than AberBann’s 109% for ME Yield/ha, and this superior energy yield ranks it 12% higher than the average of all other late diploids on the current list. In official trials, AberBann shows consistently high dry matter yields throughout, with a particularly strong main season performance with 113% of controls for early summer grazing and 106% of controls for late summer grazing.

AberSwan is a medium-large leaf-size variety with an impressive total clover yield at 109% of the mean of all varieties on the RGCL and shows its persistency with this rising to 119% of the mean by the third harvest year.
Both new varieties will be marketed exclusively worldwide by Germinal and feature in Germinal GB’s Aber High Sugar Grass mixtures for the 2020 season.
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
1589445897554.png


FODDER CROP MENU FOR FINISHING LAMBS

What choices are there for sheep producers who want to mitigate the risk of a grass shortage and have a fresh high feed value forage to hand when finishing lambs later this year?
What choices are there for sheep producers who want to mitigate the risk of a grass shortage and have a fresh high feed value forage to hand when finishing lambs later this year? According to Limagrain’s Martin Titley, there are plenty of options.

And not only do they offer a low-cost forage option, but they can also provide a break crop after grass leys or cereals.

“There are a number of good fodder crops that arable or mixed farms could consider this spring, instead of sowing cereals,” says Mr Titley. “A lot of arable units are facing big acreages for spring crops. Sowing a break crop on some fields might not be a bad option; maybe where there’s been a blackgrass problem or as an option to break the disease cycle.

Stubble Turnips

Stubble turnips are an ‘old favourite’ and lost popularity as rotations changed and other options became more fashionable. But they’re now back in favour. “Arable and sheep producers alike recognise that they suit practically any sheep production system – they’re incredible versatile,” says Mr Titley.

2017.02.13_Stubble-Turnip-4-300x225.jpg
He says that the real attraction for this crop is that it’s fast growing and for some the flexible sowing time is attractive. It can be sown in May and June, after first-cut silage, to get a bite in early August and September. “This is good on units where grazing can burn off later in the season. It acts as an ‘insurance’ crop against a dry summer and allows producers to finish lambs on a low-cost forage crop.”

Most stubble turnip crops are sown after cereal harvest – at the end of July or beginning of August – and are then ready for grazing between 12 and 14 weeks later.

“They’re ideal for plugging the forage gap between September and the end of December,” he says, adding that this year, being very mild, farmers have grazed them well into February. “This isn’t the norm though and can’t be taken for granted.”

For the latest Stubble Turnip Trial Results from our UK Trials, click here.

Forage Rape Hybrids

Forage rape and hybrids -which are typically a cross between rape and kale – are becoming a ‘go to’ choice for finishing lambs.

“These forage rape brassicas are particularly popular because of their flexible sowing dates,” adds Mr Titley. “They can be sown from May until late August and used as summer grazing or sown into winter barley stubble in late July.

An easy to grow crop also makes these hybrid brassicas popular. They benefit from farmyard manure or slurry pre sowing, or an application of 60kg to 90kg of nitrogen with 25kg each of potassium and phosphate per
hectare.

lambs-grazing-forage-rape-5-300x200.jpg


“And they’re fast-growing so ready to graze in 12 to 14 weeks. Sown in May, they give a bite at the end of August or early September which is ideal for finishing lambs on many farms.”

But the crop can be used across winter too and will keep its leafiness in colder conditions. “Forage rape and the hybrid crops are winter hardy and are capable of carrying stock well into February and even early March. But it must be grazed before flowering as once it starts to flower, it loses its nutritional value.”

Modern rape kale hybrids offer high feed values. “Take one of the latest, Unicorn, launched in 2019. This fast-growing leafy catch crop offers energy values of 11 MJ per kilogramme of dry matter, producing 49,438 MJ per hectare, and a dry matter content of 12.4%. This is a lot of feed value from 12 to 14 weeks of growth.”

For the latest Forage Rape Trial Results from our UK Trials, click here.



A Good Mix

Both stubble turnips and forage rape hybrids provide a good break, helping to build fertility back into the soil and to control both broadleaved and grass weeds. They can be followed with a spring grass reseed or a spring cereal crop.

“A mix of the two in one cropping is popular too,” he adds. The stubble turnip ‘bulbs’ provide a high energy crop, whereas the brassica hybrids, such a forage rape, pack a protein punch. This offers a more balanced forage mix in one crop.

North-Country-Cheviot-hogs-on-Lomond-Swedes-300x200.jpg

“In freezing and snowy conditions, the forage rape ‘stands up’ and creates a canopy over the stubble turnips which generally keeps them fresher for longer.”

Mr Titley says that the popularity of swedes is declining as more producers discover the benefits of stubble turnips and forage rape. “But we’re still seeing the old favourite swede variety; Invitation and our Massif traditional turnip take their well-earned place on some sheep units.

“These crops grow well in autumn so they’re ideal where cereal harvest is later; which is often why we see them grown in Scotland. They provide a high energy, high dry matter winter feed that can be grazed from the end of November through to February with relatively low production costs.”

Herbal Leys

Herbal leys are getting more popular for grazing sheep and finishing lambs. The perennial mixtures typically persist for three or four years and comprise species including chicory and plantain, as well as traditional grasses such as meadow fescue and sainfoin.

“The species are deep rooting and they continue to thrive in dry conditions – either during drought or towards the back-end of the grazing season, when grass may be struggling,” says Mr Titley.

These mixtures really come into their own on chalky, light and free-draining soils. They’re also rich in minerals, compared to other forage crops.

Sheep farmers on or close to EFA land, which is now subject to the ‘greening’ rules, cannot leave land fallow during the winter – a green cover crop must be sown and must remain in place until January 12 each year.

“A mixture of forage rye Humbolt and vetch, which can be sown as late as September, is a good option,” says Mr Titley. “It’s a reliable feed for both ewes and finishing lambs to graze, up until April, if required.”

He adds that herbal leys are becoming more predominant in arable farming areas. “Sheep and arable farmers can work together on this. There are also soil health and fertility benefits to be had by arable producers who graze livestock on a proportion of their land each year.”

The LG Essential Guide to Forage Crops


More Information

For more information on any of these crops, download the LG Essential Guide to Forage Crops, click the link below



LG Essential Guide to Forage Crops


Sowing Period and Feed Quality
CROPSOWING PERIODDRY MATTER YIELDMETABOLIZABLE ENERGYCRUDE PROTEIN %
Stubble Turnips1) May - June 2) July - August4.5-5.0 t/ha11 MJ/kg DM17-18%
Forage Rape HybridsMay - End August3.5-4.0 t/ha10-11 MJ/kg SM19-20%
SwedesApril-June7-10 t/ha12.8-13.1 MJ/kg DM10-11%

Downloads
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
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We introduce you to our Grass breeding programme


RAGT Seeds has an extensive grass breeding programme covering a wide range of forage and turf species.

We have breeding stations across France, enabling us to select varieties which are suited for different climates and soil types.

The best varieties are then put into pre-NL screening sites across the UK (Northern Ireland, Worcestershire and Devon) to pick out the ones we believe will be best for the UK market.

"Our aim is to produce high yielding varieties with excellent quality and persistence."


In addition, due to our rigorous screening programme we have some of the best disease resistance scores for crown rust, brown rust, dreschlera and mildew.

Forage grass for the UK
We currently have 13 varieties on the UK Recommended List, covering a range of heading dates and including diploid and tetraploid varieties. Whilst a number of these have been successfully delegated to other companies for production, an increasing number are kept under the RAGT banner and are being produced in the UK for mixing.

This side of the business has been growing steadily over the past five years and our varieties can now be found in mixtures from a range of merchants across the country.

- RGT Kirial Hybrid ryegrass (tetraploid)
- RGT Cordial Hybrid ryegrass (tetraploid)
- RGT Bijou Late PRG (tetraploid)
- RGT Kendal Late PRG (diploid)
- Syntilla Italian ryegrass (diploid)
- RGT Gabby White clover (medium-large leaf) *NZ production

We are always on the lookout for new grass seed producers, whether that’s a 5ha field or a 50ha field. Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss this.

Equally, if you’re not currently using RAGT varieties in your grass seed mixtures and would like some more information we’d love to hear from you.
 

Great In Grass

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Location
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Bar Tech May 2020 - Silage
Silage is not just cut grass, it is the basis of your whole winter rationing and as such, should be treated with as much importance as milling wheat or malting barley. The aim of good silage production is to maximise yields at a target quality (which will be dependent on the target stock class) whilst balancing fertiliser inputs and soil quality.

Start by having an annual forage plan detailing land available for silage, number of cuts, target tonnages and quality requirements.

Soil quality is fundamental for ANY crop. Aim to maintain soil pH at 6.2 or above and Index 2 (Moderate in Scotland) for P & K status and monitor soil structures regularly. Please see our Bar Tech February for more information on soil quality.

What’s in a ton of silage?
1 ton of grass dry matter will contain around 6.9kg phosphate (P2O5), 30kg of Potash (K2O) and 6.2kg of sulphate (SO3).

5t DM/ha has long been an industry standard so using that as an example, you will need 35kg phosphate, 150kg of potash and 31kg of sulphate. A healthy sward of perennial ryegrass should be capable of producing a response to up 120kg N/ha in order to achieve that yield and with a protein level of 15% (where cut at the appropriate growth stage).

A few rules should be observed when calculating the silage and fertiliser policies including:
1. N usage by grass should be calculated at 2.5kg/day plus 7 days to avoid high nitrates in silage e.g. 120kg would be used up in 55 days
2. To avoid luxury uptake of Potash, no more than 80-90kg of K2O should be applied for first cut. Any deficits should be addressed later in the season.
3. Analyse any slurries and farmyard manures and factor the nutrients and availabilities into the annual nutrient plan.

An excellent resource for helping calculate the silage and grazing fertiliser regimes is the AHDB Nutrient Management Guide, formerly known as RB209.

https://ahdb.org.uk/documents/RB209/RB209_Section3.pdf
https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/rb209-section-2-organic-materials

How do I maximise my homegrown silage production?
As well as having the fundamentals in place, it’s important to have the right grass and forage crops sown to realise the target yield.

  • Perennial ryegrass swards are a good option for longer term rotations of 5 – 6 years, requiring fewer cuts, less overall yield and where grazing is also important.
  • Medium term rotations of 3 – 4 years can be satisfied by hybrid ryegrass based mixture such as Hybrid 4X4 (Hybrid 4X4 NI / Hybrid 4X4 Eng & Wales) or Hybrid Cut & Graze. Hybrid ryegrasses provide a yield advantage over perennials but do not persist as long.
  • Drought prone areas should also consider alternative products such as Barforage Nutrifibe a mixture of ryegrasses and soft leaved tall fescues.
  • Also for drought prone areas but also those with good free draining soils looking for higher protein silages from a short – medium term rotation are Barforage Protein Sile - a red clover based ley, and Artémis Lucerne
  • The ultimate silage mixture capable of achieving over 18t DM/ha in its first year is Barforage High D Italian (High D Eng & Wales+NI / High D Scot). Italian ryegrasses are the elite in terms of silage production, capable of high yields from early in the season and are ideal for short grass rotations of 2 years.

Barenbrug’s top tips for making high quality silage

Clamp Silage
  • Have grass tested pre-cutting for quality and N content.
  • Cut at the right growth stage for optimum quality.
  • Check the mower is set at the correct height to leave long enough stubble, minimum of 5cm. This will allow the grass to recover quicker.
  • Don’t cut or make silage when it’s raining.
  • Mow with a machine which conditions at the time of mowing i.e. a mower conditioner.
  • Wilt, then rake to release any ground moisture. Early cut silage may take a day or more to dry down; later cuts (could nearly be hay), maybe 4 hours.
  • If it gets rained on, ted it out and start again.
  • Cutting to the correct length with the forage harvester is critical.
  • If the clamp isn’t clamping well (compressing tightly), your cut length is probably too long. Cut wetter material longer, drier shorter.

Baled Silage
  • Plastic wrap breaks down under UV light; the cheaper the plastic and the fewer the layers, the quicker it will break down.
  • Heavy bales may be heavy with water - there’s not a lot of feed in water (if you are buying ask for a quality test. If you are feeding to your own stock, get a quality test - know what you are feeding out).
  • Baling too quickly, “we can do more bales per hour”, could just indicate that the bales aren’t packed as well as they should be.
  • Inoculant use is recommended as it enables the grass to reach the right condition to ensile more quickly.
  • Inoculant won’t turn poorly made, or too wet silage into great silage!
  • Replace the harvested fertility:
    • Use N to get the grass growing again.
    • Apply K. 30% DM silage removes 7.2kg of K per ton of fresh weight. 2 cuts would need approximately 326kg/ha of K (261 units/acre) replacing.

BarTech_2020_May_Montage.jpg
 

Great In Grass

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Location
Cornwall.
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Meet a member of our Growers Club, Dick Hall
We know how our varieties perform in trial but what’s even more important is how they perform on farm, and that’s where our Growers Club comes in.

We would like to introduce one of our Growers Club members, Dick Hall, who is sharing his insights and experience with some of our varieties.

Dick Hall
Corhampton Lane Farm, Corhampton, Hampshire
Area farmed: 250 hectares home farm plus 550 hectares rented
Soil types: Light soils over chalk
Key crops: Spring barley, grass seed, winter wheat, winter oilseed rape
Typical cultivations: No-till regime using Cross Slot drill
RAGT varieties: RGT Planet, RGT Bijou
Main markets: Seed

Reducing the amount and frequency of cultivations is helping Dick Hall improve the resilience of his shallow light chalk soils as well as the farm’s bottom line.

For the past three years a Cross Slot drill has been used to establish all crops. In addition, Dick has increased the areas of spring barley and grass seed.

“I like to think we are working to our strengths,” says Dick. “Since 2016 we have direct-drilled everything, following several years of minimum tillage, which had replaced the plough.

“We use a Cross Slot drill because it was developed in New Zealand for grass-based systems. Lots of people ask how well it works. All I can say is that with my soil types, cropping and weed spectrum it does a very good job.”

Spring barley usually accounts for about 350ha, including RGT Planet grown for Pearce Seeds and Robin Appel, but an extra 50ha was sown this season to replace failed oilseed rape.

“Spring barley is now our biggest crop, partly because on light soils we can do a reasonable job of growing it, and partly because it offers the best route to establishing grass seed, our second biggest crop.”

Dick grows about 230ha of grass seeds, both forage and amenity varieties, which play a key part in the rotation.

“They are good for the business and good for the soil. Grass is a great creator of organic matter, and also helps us minimise our cultivations, as we undersow barley with grass in the spring, which means we can leave the soil undisturbed for the following two and a half years.”

Undersowing was the traditional method of establishing grass, but it fell out of favour with the advent of better grassweed herbicides that favoured autumn establishment.

However, these herbicides have since been revoked. “I would say about half the grass seeds in this area are once again being established by undersowing,” says Dick.

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Dick Hall says RGT Bijou has been a good choice as it swamps out weed competition.

He grows several varieties including RGT Bijou, a late perennial tetraploid, on contract to RAGT Seeds. Dick has increased the area of this variety – 20ha is due for its second and final harvest this summer, but he has sown 55ha this spring ready for harvest 2021 and 2022. Target yield is 1.2t/ha.

“I prefer to grow on contract for the main breeders. We discuss what they are looking for and I try to find a match with what I want to do.

“RGT Bijou has been a good choice. We have a zero tolerance approach to blackgrass for grass seed production and, being a tetraploid, RGT Bijou has an aggressive growth habit. It is very capable of swamping out the competition – it doesn’t give weeds much chance to get a hold.”

Winter wheat and oilseed rape make up most of the remaining cropped area and also provide an opportunity to maintain pressure on difficult grass weeds. In addition, glyphosate is spot sprayed to keep on top of sterile brome and rat’s tail fescue, the latter a relatively recent problem.

“Up until now we have been able to use ethofumesate in grass seeds to control it, and we need to find a way forward with CRD to continue doing so,” says Dick.

All crops look reasonable, given the season, he adds. The spring barley was sown at the end of March, a few weeks later than normal, but after a couple of showers it is doing well, Dick reports.

“We’ve been growing RGT Planet for six years and have always got on well with it. We expect in excess of 7t/ha from our spring barleys, including those undersown with grass, where we have to be careful with seed rate and fertiliser and PGR use to ensure the grass isn’t swamped, and the Planet hasn’t disappointed.”
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
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New seed mix to combat cabbage stem flea beetle
RAGT Seeds is launching a novel oilseed rape/companion crop seed mixture to help reduce cabbage stem flea beetle damage and boost crop performance.

The mix, called RGT Beetleblocker, consists of new high gross output hybrid oilseed rape, RGT Blackmillion, along with two legumes, fenugreek and berseem clover.

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“Fenugreek, a key ingredient in curries, appears to act as a natural repellent to cabbage stem flea beetle,” says RAGT’s Helen Wilson.
“In a recent independent trial in France the herb reduced flea beetle numbers by 25% by early October and by 70% at the end of that month when sown as a companion crop.
“This helps reduce direct feeding damage on young plants as well as egg laying and subsequent spring larval hatch. We will investigate these benefits further next season.”

Berseem clover has been added to boost weed suppression, nitrogen fixing and soil conditioning.
“All the species are available in one bag, providing a single-pass solution to help growers combat the beetle,” says Helen.
“Both fenugreek and berseem clover establish very quickly, so we have selected seed ratios that will produce a medium amount of biomass that won’t outcompete the crop, but that won’t get lost in it either. The mixture also provides good ground cover, helping to suppress weeds.”

Fenugreek and berseem clover are legumes, so will fix nitrogen in the autumn and release it when the crop needs it in the spring. They are also frost sensitive so will usually die back naturally over winter, although herbicide options are available if required.

RGT Blackmillion is a Recommended List candidate oilseed rape with very high gross output (107 East/West region) and impressive autumn vigour, essential to help young rape plants grow away from flea beetle pressure.

The variety has very good stem canker resistance (7), while ADAS assessment scores carried out in 2019 show that it is tolerant of Verticillium wilt, a soil-borne disease that can cause high yield loss in severe cases.

RGT Beetleblocker will be available from all merchants on a limited basis for sowing 2020.
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Comparing forage harvest options.

Good consolidation of longer chop forage harvested using a wagon is possible, but greater attention is needed on the clamp. A growing contingent of farmers and contractors are using forage wagons instead of precision chop forage harvesters for silage making. Aly Balsom looks at the pros and cons.

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Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Out-wintering small cows brings cost savings.

Reducing cow size and out-wintering cattle on kale are just some of the ways AHDB Strategic Beef farmer, Ian Norbury is driving big efficiency gains, reports Aly Balsom.

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SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.1%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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