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.
Barspectra II the new high yielding Westerwolds.

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BARSPECTRA II is a leafy variety with good spring growth, which provides very high dry matter yields.
The concept

Westerwolds are an annual ryegrass which establish quickly and provide large bulks of forage.
  • Similar growth habit to Italian ryegrass
  • Most suited to silage or hay production
  • Provide around 14t DM/ha and early cuts of silage prior to seed head emergence
  • Grows at lower soil temperatures than perennial ryegrasses so extending the growing season in spring and autumn
  • UK proven variety
  • Highly responsive to Nitrogen applications.
  • Quick spring growth and fast establishment
  • Excellent lodging resistance
  • Good frost tolerance and disease resistance.
Supplied as 25kg packs

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Silage
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Quick establishment

The product:
  • Annual ryegrass
  • Establishes quickly
  • Provides large bulks of forage
  • Similar growth habit to Italian ryegrass
  • Most suited to silage or hay production
  • Provides around 14t DM/ha
  • Early cuts of silage prior to seed head emergence
  • Grows at lower soil temperatures than perennial ryegrasses
  • Extends the growing season in spring and autumn
  • UK proven variety
  • Highly responsive to nitrogen applications
Sowing rate 12 - 14kg per acre - Or add 3kg to a 14kg silage mixture for high forage yields.

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Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Development of the forage market in South Europe
6 April 2016- Interview with Barenbrug’s Account Manager Martin Dekker
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Martin Dekker, Barenbrug’s International Account Manager Forage, is responsible for the development of the forage market in South Europe. In this interview he shares his vision on the future of the sector in this region.

How do you perceive the evolution of the grass for forage market in South Europe in the coming years?

Farmers are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that milk and meat production starts with high quality forage grasses and legumes. The high productive dairy cattle used these days need the best feeding programmes and forage is an important part of that feed strategy. Grass and legumes (clovers and alfalfa) are strong suppliers of high protein yields of good quality. Farmers can boost farm profits by investing in protein production on their own land grown from seed with high quality genetics. Grass and legume production will therefore will expand, especially in the high quality varieties produced by Barenbrug’s breeding programmes.

Does the milk crisis play an important role in the development of the forage market?

High quality grass production answers the need for lower costs in milk production, certainly now that the milk price is so low! We can mention a few reasons why:

  1. High quality grass is always cheaper than concentrates.
  2. The more grass in the daily ration, the lower the cost price. According to many financial reports, farmers who utilise a high proportion of grass in the daily ration have the lowest cost price per litre of milk.
  3. Grass production is cheaper than corn production. The difference in operational costs of grass versus corn cultivation is between € 300-500 per hectare.
  4. Reap the advantages of a wise investment – a small investment in difficult times will more than pay for itself when times are good. During a recession, it might seem to make sense to opt for the cheapest product. However, investing in high quality grasses will pay off in the long term: The best recommended varieties easily bring a higher return of hundreds of euros per hectare.


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Do you think the Greening CAP regulations can have a positive impact on the growth of the grass market in Europe? To what extent?


Greening CAP demands that farmers grow grasses or legumes on at least five to 10% of their total arable land. These regulations are therefore likely to positively stimulate the demand for forage grasses. It is hard to predict the precise extent of this growth, since farmers may also decide to grow legumes.

Besides good genetics, what are the most important steps a farmer should undertake to achieve good quality grass for forage?

The output of the grass seed product will be optimal if proper grassland management is practised. This means good soil preparation, sufficient nitrogen input per hectare per season and sufficient levels of potassium and phosphor in the soil. As well as the soil preparation and fertilisation programme, crop management during the growing season and harvesting and ensilage techniques will all boost the final yield.



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To what extent are Barenbrug’s grass seed varieties and mixtures adapted to the Southern climate and soils?


Barenbrug is constantly looking for innovations in breeding to generate maximum added value in its products that benefit the farmer. When we develop new forage grass mixtures for the southern European markets, we select forage grasses which are adapted for these climates. Barenbrug has developed a special programme, branded NutriFibre, for modern dairy and meat farmers. The selected forage tall fescue grasses are very useful for the southern European forage markets. With good field management, this grass variety can survive heat and drought due to its deep and massive root development. These kinds of innovations are extremely valuable for farmers.
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Some things the amenity guys get up to.

BAR TRIO put to ultimate test at Nefyn & District Golf Club
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The clifftop setting of Nefyn & District Golf Club appears to hover precariously above the sea – a remote and beautiful location, where a round of golf has been likened to playing atop the upper deck of an aircraft carrier. This unique, natural landscape has seen the club regularly listed as one of the best golf courses in the UK and Ireland.

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Perhaps that’s why Course Manager, Pat Mcateer has been with the club for over 30 years. He joined as a barman at the golf club at the age of 18—presumably so he could head straight to the course for a round of his favourite sport after work. After becoming captain of the scratch team and a junior organiser at the club, it was only a matter of time before he moved into the greenkeeping industry.

While acting as Head Greenkeeper, Pat studied at Cheshire College of Agriculture on block release before moving up to Course Manager, where he remains to this day. He was the first secretary for BIGGA in North Wales and today sits on the Welsh Golfing Union as greenkeeping advisor.

The club itself began life in 1907 and has developed over the years from 18 holes to 27. From its sky-high position, the mountains of Ireland can be viewed, just 59 miles away. But such a staggering location comes with its own unique challenges, and in 2014, Pat was to see his biggest yet.

Pat said: “The sea is our biggest attraction but also the thing that creates the most challenges. At the end of last year, we experienced one of the worst catastrophes the course has ever seen. The Point at Nefyn was lashed by 100mph winds and exceedingly high tides.

Catastrophic storm damage

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“The westerly storm contaminated the whole golf course with salt water. The sea literally came right over the headland, as well as numerous other parts of our coastal terrain. The result was devastation. The seawater deflocculated the salt structure and all the grass died.

Our plan of action was to wash everything down as much as we could. We aerated and washed the salt water with clear, irrigated water to put the soil back into a negative charge—to try and flush the contamination away. We also had to reconstruct some areas of the course due to the scale of the damage.”

The effect was so overwhelming, the course had to be closed down for the entire 2014 golfing season, during which Pat spoke to Barenbrug Sales Manager, Matt Williams to discuss renovations.

Pat said: “We used Barenbrug’s BAR TRIO to overseed the deflocculated areas. After putting negative charges into the ground we had to overseed with a cultivar that can withstand more than just excessive salt laden spray and winds—to generate new sward covers. We were dealing with extreme salt toxicity.”

Superior salt tolerance

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Matt Williams said: “BAR TRIO is a distinctive blend of three cultivars of slender creeping red fescue, each of which offer exceptional characteristics in their own right but when combined offer still further powerful and enhanced performance for links and coastal courses.”

Pat and his team have been relying heavily on Barenbrug’s fescue cultivars for the last seven years – particularly on the fairways. He said: “The fescues in Barenbrug products really are exceptionally salt tolerant and work well even in this extreme terrain. We see consistently excellent results on our teas and fairways when late summer overseeding with Barenbrug BAR TRIO. While some might see this is an unusual choice, we see very good germination rates and a regular overseeding programme has never let us down yet. The grass can be close mown and gives us a nice, clean cut.”

We have terrific take up at the tail end of summer when ground swell temperatures are adequate for best germination – then they have the winter to mature. Because we don’t get any irrigation on the fairways the grass seed gets the winter rain to keep the turf going through to spring.

Excellent drought tolerance

That’s another benefit of using fescues. Once we come through a very dry period, the fairways regain their colour very quickly and with the lightning speed root development of BAR TRIO, the grass regenerates rapidly after the summer months—again, a saving grace with no irrigation.”

Matt Williams visits Pat—who has been offered captaincy of the club in 2017—and his team three to four times a year to discuss the needs of the course. Their comments are then fed back into Barenbrug’s research and development programme. In this way Barenbrug is continually redeveloping its products to stay one step ahead of greenkeepers needs. Pat said: “We always go with quality of the result which at the moment is second to nothing and the service from Barenbrug itself works very well for us.”
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
The importance of good grass for your horse

Correctly managing your paddocks can make a big difference to the amount of grazing available for your horses and help it to withstand the pressure of horses’ movement.

Good quality grazing pasture is the healthiest and most natural diet for horses and has the potential for areas to be closed off for hay/haylage production to provide winter feed (which has been very expensive to buy the last few winters).

A well-kept pasture can provide the most natural and healthy environment for work, rest and play for our equine companions!

We should be looking at our grass and paddocks almost as often as we look at our horses.

The more you look after your grass the more it will look after you.


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Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Beef Expo news: Barenbrug to offer farmers advice on beefing up pasture profitability.
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Grass experts to give top tips for sward success without a full reseed

Beef Expo, Friday 20 May 2016, The Agricultural Business Centre, Bakewell

April saw Britain’s beef prices reach their lowest level in five years1. With severe price competition at a retail level likely to keep a lid on red meat returns in the coming months2, we are heading to Beef Expo later this month, armed with practical advice for producers who want to get more from grass to bolster their bottom line – but are unsure about investing in a full reseed because of continuing price pressures.

Exhibiting at Beef Expo for the first time, our message to beef farmers is that lower-level investments in grass can still pay dividends over several years, helping to increase dry matter yields, reduce reliance on expensive bought ins and even improve live weight gains.

Roger Bacon, Regional Manager in the North of England, said: “The year ahead looks set to remain challenging for British beef producers. With less money available, many farmers are – understandably – reluctant to invest in a full programme of pasture renovation. Obviously new swards will always out perform older grasses but if that’s just not practical, other lower cost options do exist that could prove effective – at least short term.”

“For some farmers, overseeding might be the way forward. This route has the potential to improve productivity by between 30 to 40% for between three to four years, depending on field quality. Introducing clover could be another interim solution. Clover can fill in gaps to reduce weed ingress. It can also improve nitrogen levels – encouraging tillering which makes swards denser. Crucially, clover can also encourage higher voluntary intakes, improving live weight gains. With market conditions top of mind we’ll be using our time at Beef Expo to talk to farmers about making their pastures more profitable – with whatever budget they have available. Whether they want more grass for grazing or for creating silage for later in the year to reduce spend on bought in feeds – there are always incremental improvements that can be achieved.”

We offer a range of grass seed mixtures suitable for beef enterprises. The diverse mixtures available offer solutions for farmers looking to maximise grazing potential, make multiple cuts of silage, or even upland units looking for less reliance on nitrogen fertilisers and in more challenging land conditions. All these mixtures and other more dual-purpose blends are designed to produce leys that constantly deliver excellent results for beef enterprises.

Visit Barenbrug at Beef Expo at stand number 106.
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
FOR SALE: A non brassica COVER CROP mixture which will provide rapid cover, N and soil OM enhancement.

The mix;

Vetch
Persian Clover
Black Oats
Berseem Clover
Phacelia

Sow at 12.00kg/acre (30kg/ha)

£22.00/12kg pack delivered

Minimum delivery 8 packs

Price is valid for all deliveries up to 31st October 2016. Prices subject to revision at any time.
ALL PRODUCTS QUOTED ARE STRICTLY SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Grass seed producer in Bury St Edmunds named in national guide for farmers

Two new varieties of grass bred by Bury St Edmunds-based Barenbrug UK have been included in a national guide for buyers.


It brings to 11 the number of Barenbrug bred grasses included in 2016/17 Recommended Grass and Clover List for England and Wales.

It gives farmers peace of mind they will be able to maximise the productivity of their grassland.
Mhairi Dawson, research and development manager.
Mhairi Dawson, research and development manager for Forage at Barenbrug UK, of Rougham Industrial Estate, said: “We are delighted that two of our latest varieties have been included on the list.

“This achievement is testimony to the quality, innovation and continual improvement of our breeding programmes.

“It gives farmers peace of mind they will be able to maximise the productivity of their grassland and get a good return on investment. That’s more important than ever.”

Entering the list for the first time are Glasker and Gosford – two new varieties of perennial ryegrass, which were developed by forage grass experts at Barenbrug in cooperation with the team at the Agri-Food and Bio-Sciences Institute (AFBI).

Other Barenbrug varieties that also appear on the list again include:

Clanrye, Dunluce, Glenariff, Moira and Seagoe – which have been established on hundreds of UK farms.

Caledon, Glenarm and Ramore, which were added to the Recommended List for England and Wales in 2015

And Fintona – the highest yielding ryegrass ever produced by any breeder.

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Credit: Bury Free Press
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
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Continuous breeding innovation

The 2016/17 Recommended Grass and Clover List for England and Wales has been published – and once again varieties bred by Barenbrug UK feature highly throughout.

Entering the list for the first time are Glasker and Gosford – two brand new varieties of perennial ryegrass, which were developed by forage grass experts at Barenbrug in cooperation with the team at the Agri-Food and Bio-Sciences Institute (AFBI).

Other Barenbrug varieties that also appear on the list again include:

  • Clanrye, Dunluce, Glenariff, Moira and Seagoe, which have been established on hundreds of UK farms and created excellent swards
  • Caledon, Glenarm and Ramore, which were added to the Recommended List for England and Wales in 2015
  • And Fintona – the highest yielding ryegrass ever produced by any breeder.
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This dairy farm north of Chichester, in West Sussex, is hoping to turn Grass into Gold this summer after joining our revolutionary Grass into Gold scheme, which explores the impact that proactive grassland management can have on yields and profitability, and they are partnered with one of our forage grass experts.

Together, the Cucumber Farm team and Barenbrug have renovated four-hectares of pasture to assess the difference that reseeding fields can make to grass quality, grazing and forage yields, and crucially, milk production.

Located in the Lavant Valley, just north of Chichester, Cucumber Farm has a 150-strong herd of British Fresions and a few Jersey dairy cows, each of which produce around 6000 litres of milk each year. Keen to increase the size of the farm’s herd using the same area of grassland (around 50 hectares), Jim Thomson, Herd Manager, decided to sign up to Grass into Gold after hearing about it from Lucy West at Duffields Animal Feeds.

Wanting to learn how to get more from grass, Jim’s ultimate ambition is to enable the farm to make full use of extended grazing and keep its livestock outdoors for as long as possible. Currently the team at Cucumber Farm has a pre-grazing residual target of around 2800kg DM/ha. This allows the farm to maintain the highest quality grass possible. By ensuring the pasture is harvested at the ‘three-leaf’ stage they can keep dead material at the base of the sward to a minimum. This approach also prevents seed head production, again helping to maintain a high vegetative standard of grass before the herd is put out and subsequently moved around under a rotational system.

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At our 15-acre Cropvale trials site, we're is mid-way through a two-year programme assessing the suitability of different grass varieties and mixtures as feedstocks for anaerobic digestion (AD) plants.

The trials was established in autumn 2014 and will run for two harvest years. Plots of Italian ryegrass, hybrid ryegrass and tall fescue have been sown alongside a number of areas containing mixtures of these varieties. Five cuts were taken in 2015 and observations from 2015 suggest that the mixtures generally out-yielded the straight varieties, but 100% Italian ryegrass performed best of all.

Achieving high yields of dry matter per hectare is the key objective for farmers entering the AD field, so Barenbrug is investigating how to achieve extra bulk and how to support farmers looking to branch out into this fast growing aspect of the agriculture industry.

With interest and planning applications for AD plants continuing to grow, with current predictions of double growth by 2020, now is an ideal time to find out more about our trials and how grass can assist.

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Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Cows and grass thriving at Cucumber Farm

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Jim Thomson -

Singleton, West Sussex (Dairy)

Initial grass growth on West Sussex farm looking good
This dairy farm north of Chichester, in West Sussex, is hoping to turn Grass into Gold this summer after joining our revolutionary Grass into Gold scheme, which explores the impact that proactive grassland management can have on yields and profitability.

The team at Cucumber Farm, on the outskirts of the village of Singleton, are working closely with our forage team of grass experts. Together, the Cucumber Farm team have renovated four-hectares of pasture to assess the difference that reseeding fields can make to grass quality, grazing and forage yields, and crucially, milk production.

Located in the Lavant Valley, just north of Chichester, Cucumber Farm has a 150-strong herd of British Fresions and a few Jersey dairy cows, each of which produce around 6000 litres of milk each year. Keen to increase the size of the farm’s herd using the same area of grassland (around 50 hectares), Jim Thomson, Herd Manager, decided to sign up to Barenbrug’s Grass into Gold scheme after hearing about it from Lucy West at Duffields Animal Feeds.

Wanting to learn how to get more from grass, Jim’s ultimate ambition is to enable the farm to make full use of extended grazing and keep its livestock outdoors for as long as possible. Currently the team at Cucumber Farm has a pre-grazing residual target of around 2800kg DM/ha. This allows the farm to maintain the highest quality grass possible. By ensuring the pasture is harvested at the ‘three-leaf’ stage they can keep dead material at the base of the sward to a minimum. This approach also prevents seed head production, again helping to maintain a high vegetative standard of grass before the herd is put out and subsequently moved around under a rotational system.

Following advice from Latham Gibbins, Barenbrug grass experts in the South of England, Jim has – so far – renovated one four-hectare pasture as a test field. One of the biggest concerns on the field was weed control; docks in particular. To ensure a weed-free field, specific cultivation techniques and the use of an aggressive new grass is required. Jim and Latham picked a mixed grass variety was that has specific heading dates – a decision that will make it easier for the Cucumber Farm team to manipulate the spring flush for better timing of higher quality vegetative feed over a longer period.

Jim said: “The new grass has been growing extremely well, is dense and weed-free. The growth rates in the new ley have been far superior to that of the old sward. Although it has been too wet to get out and graze through the winter I am confident that the spring production from the new ley will have a dramatic effect on the early spring lactation period.”

Commenting, Latham Gibbins from Barenbrug UK, said: “New pasture is capable of producing 30% more dry matter than old pastures so renovating the field we chose was a no brainer. Initial growth looks really good and we’ll be working with Jim and the team at Cucumber Farm over the coming months to judge any changes to pasture performance. Specifically we’ll be looking at persistency and weed control as well as how the animals are faring out on the field.”

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Grass into Gold
your enterprise
Grass Seed for DAIRY
Meet the Farmers
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 35.0%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 28 15.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

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

  • 1,285
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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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