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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"Avalon" Leafy Turnip.

A late flowering, leafy crop with good early vigour. Able to take up N
late into the autumn and winter.

 

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NEW SEASON "Barabas" (Tet) stubble turnips now available.

Full-leaved late tetraploid bulbing with very good early vigour. Proven very palatable to grazing animals with good disease resistance.
This stubble turnip variety has been very successful wherever it has been used throughout the UK and with some farmers proclaiming as the best stubble turnip variety they have encountered!
Barabas is an excellent, reliable, Barenbrug-bred variety.

http://www.huntersseeds.co.uk/product.asp?product_ID=106

 

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Barenbrug Green Velvet wildflower mixes offer widest choice for landscapers.

Grass expert, Barenbrug UK, has added 21 wildflower mixes to its Green Velvet range for landscapers.

The comprehensive professional Green Velvet wildflower mixes will enable installers to create colourful, biodiverse wildflower meadows—no matter what the local habitat, soil type or growing conditions.

Using only 100% UK native wildflower seeds, the range comprises:

The Professionals Range: designed to encourage biodiversity in urban landscapes:

The 100% Annuals Range: easy to grow cornfield mixes designed to provide fast colour in the year of sowing

The Conservation Range: providing colour and food for wildlife in grounds and gardens

The Essential Mix: offering popular, yet hardy native wildflower species for those with a tight budget.

A detailed species sheet can be downloaded at: www.greenvelvetlawnseed.co.uk

The wildflower mixes join the newly created Green Velvet landscaping range, launched earlier this year.

Paul Warner, Barenbrug UK Marketing Manager says:

“We now have the most comprehensive wildflower mix selection for landscapers yet. From dedicated mixes to attracts bats or bumblebees, to hedgerow, clay soil, woodland and coastal mixes. We also offer bespoke mixes. For instance an ‘all blue’ mix to mark a special event or a wildflower mix to suit a particularly boggy or dry environment. Our grass seed mixes are the culmination of decades of plant breeding, research and development for UK environments. If you can’t see it in our brochure, we can create it.”

Discover the range at www.greenvelvetlawnseed.com/wildflowers-range/.

 

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Thinking about companion cropping your WOSR? Our "Companion" seed mix maybe just what your looking for.

Traps ley nutrients (inc. Nitrogen), improves soil porosity and friability. Evidence of reduced Slug + Fleabeetle activity by using this mixture type, plus reduction of grass weed populations.

Contains 12.00kg per pack (packed in two acre packs)

Vetch + Berseem Clover

£25.00 per 12kg TWO ACRE PACK delivered.

Sow at approximately 6.00kg/acre (15kg/Ha)

Minimum order size 5 packs (10 acres).

Special mixtures are also sometimes required so please don't hesitate to enquire for your own bespoke mixture.

 

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Ragwort: Advice on control and disposal.

Farming Futures have put out a timely reminder regarding Ragwort.

We're reminding livestock farmers that they need to remain vigilant to the risk of ragwort poisoning. We've put together some advice on control and disposal.

Grazing land should be regularly inspected when animals are present and the plant should be pulled, removed and disposed of responsibly. Ragwort poses a real risk to animal health, with potentially fatal consequences if it is ingested by horses or livestock, either in its green or dried state.

And, left unchecked, the problem is likely to become worse, as growth acts as a reservoir for seeds and spread.

Ragwort is a toxic plant and suitable precautions must be taken when handling live and dead plants. Hands must be protected and arms and legs should also be covered. Cut and pulled flowering ragwort plants may still set seed and ragwort has a 70% seed germination rate.

The Weed Act 1959 / legislation

Five weeds are classified as 'injurious' under the Weeds Act 1959 - common ragwort (Senecio jacobaea), spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare), creeping or field thistle (Cirsium arvense), broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) and curled dock (Rumex Crispus).

It is not an offence to have these weeds growing on your land and species such as ragwort have significant conservation benefits. However, ragwort must not be allowed to spread to agricultural land, particularly grazing areas or land which is used to produce conserved forage.

For ragwort, the legal framework is supported by a Defra Code of Practice. "How to Prevent the Spread of Ragwort" was introduced in 2003 to promote good practice and neighbourliness. It clearly states that ‘it does not attempt to eradicate ragwort, but simply to control it where it is potentially injurious’. It encourages local resolution of ragwort problems by contacting the landowner, before complaining to Natural England.

What to do when ragwort is found on someone else’s land

• Where ragwort is found the first step is to identify the land owner manager. Then contact them directly to resolve the issue.
• If this approach doesn't work, complaints can be made to Natural England and enforcement notices can be issued requiring landowners to take action to prevent the spread of these weeds.
• Natural England will investigate complaints where there is a risk that injurious weeds might spread to neighbouring land. It gives priority to complaints where there is a risk of spread to land used for grazing horses or livestock, land used for forage production and other agricultural activities.

 

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The odds are stacked against big bales.

 

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Barenbrug varieties retain 1st Choice status on Scottish Recommended List​

The 2016/17 Recommended Grass List for Scotland has been published and once again, varieties bred by Agri-Food and Bio-Sciences Institute (AFBI) in cooperation with Barenbrug feature highly throughout. This year, five Barenbrug marketed ryegrasses and one clover variety have achieved acclaimed 1st Choice status. In addition, two brand new ryegrass varieties available from Barenbrug secure a listing for the very first time as Provisional 1st Choice options.

The Barenbrug UK Agricultural team ​

The Scottish Recommended List of Grasses is an independent study of the grass seed varieties available to Scottish farmers. Published by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), the list ranks grasses by performance – making it easier for farmers to pick varieties that are proven to thrive in Scottish conditions, and deliver a quick return on investment.



In compiling the 2016/17 Recommended List for Scotland, SRUC retested ten intermediate tetraploid ryegrass varieties that had been given 1st Choice status in previous years. Of the ten ryegrasses retested, only three remained categorised as 1st Choice: Malone, Seagoe and Dunluce – all varieties available via Barenbrug.

In addition, two other Barenbrug marketed ryegrasses – Glenariff and Clanrye – plus Katy, a clover, were confirmed as 1st Choice having spent a couple of years listed as Provisional 1st Choice.

Furthermore, Gosford and Carland – two new intermediate perennial ryegrass varieties available from Barenbrug – were added to the Scottish list for the first time, going straight in as Provisional 1st Choice options.

In total, 82 perennial ryegrasses appear on the Scottish list, almost a quarter of which are bred by AFBI in cooperation with Barenbrug through a specialist breeding partnership. Other ryegrass varieties on the list and available from Barenbrug include Kilrea and Moyola (early); Fintona, Ramore, Spelga, Moira, Caledon and Copeland (Intermediate); and Tyrella, Drumbo, Navan and Dunloy (late). Alongside Katy, three other white clover varieties from Barenbrug also appear including Crusader – a medium leaf white clover, and the only clover variety to ever win the prestigious NIAB Variety Cup.

Commenting, Mhairi Dawson, Research & Development Manager for Forage at Barenbrug UK, said: “Naturally we are delighted that so many of our varieties have been included on the Scottish Recommended Grass List for 2016/17 and importantly, have achieved 1st Choice status. This result is testimony to the quality, innovation and continual improvement of our breeding programmes, which create varieties with genetics that stand the test of time. Buying grasses and clovers that are bred by specialists like us, and included on the Recommended List, gives farmers peace of mind that they will be able to maximise the productivity of their grassland and get a good return on investment. In the current market, that’s more important than ever.”

Grass varieties that appear on SRUC’s Recommended List are subject to rigorous checks and are evaluated under both conservation management and simulated grazing at SRUC sites in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Ayrshire. Varieties are also scored for winter hardiness, ground cover and disease resistance before being approved as fit to thrive in Scottish conditions.

 

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NEW SEASON BLACK OATS AVAILABLE! PM for details.

 

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Can you really sow wildflowers in autumn?

As we enter September we know autumn is just around the corner, meaning now is the ideal time to plan autumn sowings of UK native wildflowers.

Can I really sow wildflowers seeds in autumn?

A common question we get asked this time of year. And well, yes you can. In fact the early autumn is an ideal time to sow wildflower seed. They naturally produce their own seed at the end of the summer and left to their own devices, they’ll sow themselves in autumn anyway.

Sowing from mid-September ensures the soil is warm from soaking up all the summer sun – they’ll germinate in a couple of weeks and then grow a few small leaves before hunkering down for the winter. Their roots will also be busy getting established so that come spring they should be raring to go.

On lighter soils, autumn-sown seeds generally germinate and establish quickly, although some will not come up until the following spring. This delay makes it advisable to wait until March or April on heavy soils, as waterlogging may cause the seed and seedlings to rot during winter.

Your autumn sown plants should withstand anything mother-nature throws at them in the winter. But there’s no harm in having an insurance policy, so sow some seed in the spring as well. That will also ensure you get flowers over the longest period possible.

 

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How to boost sward productivity by overseeding

When it comes to investing in grass, there is a common misconception that a full reseed is the only way to go – but that’s not always the case. With careful management and regular maintenance, overseeding can deliver real results over a number of years, and dramatically improve grass yields. Here, we explore the benefits of overseeding and how best to go about it.

2016 has been another tricky year for farmers across the UK. Ongoing price pressures at a retail level kept a lid on farm gate prices during the first quarter. Then the EU referendum took over the national news agenda, climaxing with the leave result in June, which sent a shock wave around the country affecting both the political landscape and global financial markets.

By mid July, things were starting to look a little bit better. Financial markets started to recover and the farming press reported that the sector was benefiting from some short-term price gains – due in part to the lower value of the pound.

While it remains to be seen what the future holds, the current climate will undoubtedly make some farmers cautious about making major investments.

So, what options exist for farmers who need to improve pasture performance to help boost profits but, understandably, feel nervous about investing in a full reseed or taking a field out of rotation? Well, for those business owners, overseeding could be the way to go.

While brand new swards will always out perform older grasses, overseeding can help to increase dry matter yields short-term – reducing farm reliance on expensive bought-ins and even improving live weight gains. Implemented carefully, overseeding has the potential to improve pasture productivity by between 30 to 40% for between three to four years, depending on field quality.

As a general rule of thumb we advise that fields that score between 2–4 on our field indexing system can really benefit from overseeding – but there are some factors to bear in mind.

When overseeding, it is crucial to use a mixture designed specifically for this purpose. Any existing productive grasses present in the ley already have an established root system and an established leaf canopy to capture light for photosynthesis. The new grass seed that is introduced needs to be able to work with these conditions and overseeding mixtures are blended accordingly. Typically, they contain tetraploid perennial ryegrass varieties whose seeds are larger, have more aggressive growth habits and are therefore faster to establish within an existing sward.

As well as tetraploid-based varieties, introducing clover could be another option. 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.

For farmers thinking about a reseed, here are our top tips for success:

1. Dig a soil assessment pit to look for compaction and assess the plant rooting structure, which should go 30cm deep in a perennial ryegrass or timothy sward.

2. Address compaction with aerators or sub-soilers as needed. Soil testing (10cm deep) would also be advantageous as high levels of water can leach nutrients and reduce pH significantly. Assess what plants are present. Identify what species you want to keep and check for weed grasses, which are usually shallow rooted and easy to pull out. If weeds make up more than 30% of the sward, harrow hard to remove them. With a sward of more than 70% weed grasses, the best option is to reseed.

3. Prior to sowing, give the new seeds room to grow by minimising competition from the existing grass by sheep grazing or cutting for silage.

4. Do not fertilise or spread slurry on the field before overseeding.

5. Control perennial weeds before seeding by spraying with a selective weed-killer.

6. Use a spring tine harrow to remove any dead stalks, thatch and shallow rooted weed grasses. Make sure that the tines are working the top cm of soil as this will create the seedbed for the new seeds. Sow when conditions are neither excessively dry or wet.

7. Overseed with a specialist mixture designed to establish rapidly and boost production and one that is aggressive enough to establish against the existing plants.

8. Roll the sward to ensure good seed contact with the soil to conserve moisture.

9. Apply a suitable insecticide for control of leatherjackets in spring / early summer and fritfly in late summer / early autumn.

10. Graze lightly when the seedlings are 10cm high and continue at frequent intervals until the plants are well established.

Research and Development Manager, Mhairi Dawson said: “Not every field is suitable for overseeding but using our field indexing system, farmers can work out if it will be a viable option for them. Once you’ve decided if overseeding is an option for you, follow these tips – and you should see some great results, at a greatly reduced cost. Obviously overseeding won’t work forever and farmers must be patient with results – but it is certainly a short-term solution that can pay real dividends.”

 

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It’s almost maize harvest time so please let me know if you need any Secure Covers sample leaflets or price lists.

 

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Barenbrug's Barfoarge autumn/winter newsletter has now been released containing some excellent tips and news.

See attached:

 

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Recommended List success for Barenbrug forage grass varieties

It’s been another excellent year for forage grass varieties available exclusively through Barenbrug and developed by our partners at the Agri-Food and Bio-Sciences Institute (AFBI). For the 2016/17 growing season a record number of our varieties appear on the Recommended Grass and Clover Lists for England and Wales, and Scotland.

In England and Wales, two of our brand new perennial ryegrass varieties are listed for the first time - Glasker and Gosford.

Some of our well known varieties also reappear, reinforcing the results they can deliver on farms across the UK.

These 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 


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

In Scotland five of our ryegrasses and one of our clovers have achieved acclaimed 1st Choice status. The five ryegrasses are Glenariff, Clanrye, Malone, Seagoe and Dunluce; the latter three were the only intermediate tetraploid ryegrasses relisted after an evaluation of ten previously recommended varieties. Katy was the clover variety confirmed as 1st Choice having spent a couple of years as a Provisional 1st Choice. And Gosford and Carland – two new intermediate perennial ryegrass varieties available from Barenbrug – were added to the Scottish list for the first time, going straight in as Provisional 1st Choice options.


In total, 82 perennial ryegrasses appear on the Scottish list, almost a quarter of which are bred by AFBI in cooperation with Barenbrug. Our other ryegrass varieties on the list include:

• 
Kilrea and Moyola (early)


• 
Fintona, Ramore, Spelga, Moira
, Caledon and Copeland (Intermediate)


• Tyrella, Drumbo, Navan and Dunloy (late)


We also have three additional white clover varieties listed including Crusader. This medium leaf white clover is the only clover variety to ever win the prestigious NIAB Variety Cup.

Mhairi Dawson said: “Naturally we are delighted that so many AFBI / Barenbrug varieties have been included on both the English and Welsh, and Scottish lists for 2016/17. This result is testimony to the quality, innovation and continual improvement of our breeding programmes, which create varieties with genetics that stand the test of time. Buying grasses and clovers that are bred by specialists, and included on the Recommended List, can give farmers peace of mind that they will be able to maximise the productivity of their grassland and get a good return on investment. In the current market, that’s more important than ever.”

Grass varieties that appear on the UK’s Recommended Lists are subject to rigorous checks and assessed for winter hardiness, ground cover and disease resistance before being approved as fit to thrive under typical farming conditions.

 

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200 acres of a 3 year Barenbrug Hybrid Ryegrass mixture all packed and ready

to be delivered to help feed an AD plant.

 

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Grass into Gold update

Nationwide, ten farms are taking part in Grass into Gold, working with our grass seed experts to learn how to manage their fields more effectively – and this summer our farmers have started to some really good results. At the time of writing, we were still waiting on specific numbers but anecdotally there is a feeling that grass quantity and quality is up across the board, which will have a positive effect on the profitability of each farm business taking part in the programme.

A dairy farm in Derbyshire has seen a 25% uplift in silage yields this summer following its involvement in our Grass into Gold programme.

Melvyn and Diane Shepherd, and their sons Mark and Darren – who farm Birchills Farm near Bakewell – have spent the last year working closely with us as part of our nationwide grass growing initiative. Twelve months on and the family team has exceeded their 15 tonnes of grass per acre average – producing more silage than ever before and pushing their silage cutter’s capabilities to the limits.

In 2015, following advice from Roger Bacon, the Shepherds decided to renovate two fields on the 550-acre farm. The first step was to reseed the fields with a perennial ryegrass mixture designed to produce high quality silage from a three-cut system.

The mix, which includes Spelga, Tyrella, Pastour, Dundrum and Malone – one of the highest yielding intermediate tetraploid varieties available – was sown on one eld in July, then another in September. As the new swards emerged, some chickweed and docks started to appear, which were quickly treated with help from Grass into Gold partner, Dow AgroSciences.

With the grass able to grow unhindered, the first field, which germinated within a week, went on to perform exceptionally well delivering 20 tonnes per acre this summer; the biggest cut ever seen at Birchills. Results were equally impressive on the second field, which delivered 17 tonnes per acre – an amazing result considering the grass sat under water for most of the winter following the severe floods that affected north west England last December.

Explaining more, Darren Shepherd said: “We suspected that results would be good almost immediately after reseeding. After just one week the grass in the first field was literally jumping out of the ground – and after eight weeks we had enough to justify a cut. Then the bad weather set in and we had one of the wettest winters on record. At one point the fields were so waterlogged that we wondered if all our work was going to be wasted – but once conditions dried out, the grass recovered well and quickly bulked up.”

“Over the spring the grass just got thicker and thicker, and by the time it came to the first cut we were concerned about how the mower would cope. The sward was so dense that our contractor had to drive at half his normal speed. We also had to open the back doors on the mower. After cutting, the rows were so deep that the grass underneath took much longer to dry out. Needless to say we’ve been really impressed with the results and are now planning to reseed other fields in rotation. The first is a 25-acre area that we’ll start working on at the end of the summer.”

Commenting, Roger Bacon, said: “Prior to joining Grass into Gold, Darren and his family had relied on older varieties of grass. They’d tried various combinations but never achieved the desired results. This year, conditions were challenging with all the wet weather that was thrown at us – but the results have been brilliant, proving that it pays to pick a mixture containing persistent varieties from the recommended lists. The results achieved at Birchills prove that investing in grass can have a huge impact on yields and ultimately help reduce overheads. We look forward to working with the team at Birchills on the next stage of the programme.”

Celia Diepenbroek and the team from Ashdown Farm, near Seaton, Devon are the latest additions to our Grass into Gold programme.

Over the course of the next year, Celia, Ben, Sam and Doeke Diepenbroek will work closely with Latham Gibbins from Barenbrug, who lives in Dorset. Together, Latham and the team will make improvements to several fields at the family’s second property, Bonehayne Farm, located in the Axe Valley, close to Colyton.

Work has already begun with Latham offering the team guidance, information and practical support on the renovation of two fields requiring reseeding. Both fields were suffering because of the presence of docks and previous soil poaching, which can occur when cattle are turned out for an extended period of time. Across both of the farms the Diepenbroek family has 600 cows, which spend most of their time outside grazing under a rotational system. Each cow produces around 6000 litres of milk per annum, which is subsequently sold to one of the country’s biggest dairy cooperatives.

Recognising that the two fields in question needed attention, Latham advised ploughing them up and reseeding with DAIRY GRAZER and EARLY CUT AND GRAZE - a move that will pay dividends next spring. Latham recommended reseeding after using our field indexing system to grade the team’s grass. This simple means of rating grass quality uses a ‘one to five’ sliding scale; fields that rate five are considered highly productive while swards that score one are deemed in need of immediate action. With less than 40% of productive grass species and more than 40% weed content or gaps, the fields scored around two.

Latham Gibbins, South & South West Area Manager, said: “We are delighted to welcome Celia and her team to our growing group of Grass into Gold farmers. In the last few weeks - at the Grass into Gold farms that signed up last year - we’ve started to see some good results as the first cuts have been made.”

“This time next year we’ll hopefully be seeing the same results on Celia’s fields. The Ashdown farm is now under a very efficient pasture-utilisation, rotational system and grass utilisation across the board is very good. Now it’s about making sure that the fields across the farm are up to a high standard and producing maximum results. “Obviously we want to make the fields a five on our pasture performance scale and then help maintain that level. At the upper end of our indexing system, fields that score a four or a five are highly productive and need minimal maintenance so the return on investment is far better. All that’s required to maintain this is regular soil monitoring for the first few years to check on pH and nutrient levels, then - further down the line - some overseeding as the swards mature.” Commenting Celia said: “I signed up to Grass into Gold after hearing a friend of Latham’s mention it - and I’ve been really impressed with the help he’s provided in the first phase. I’ve been wanting to get more from my grass for some time so it’s great to be working closely with an expert who can provide some really clear pointers. Long term, anything we learn at Bonehayne, can also be applied to the home farm too - meaning the benfits of taking part in the programme will be two-fold.”

At Bonehayne Farm, Celia has a paddock grazing platform of 190 acres with 200 cows and at the Ashdown farm, the platform is 311 acres with 400 cows. Also, both units are supported by an additional 240 acres of away ground.

 

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The benefits of brassicas.

Brassica Feeding Guide

​

Brassica crops such as stubble turnips, kale, forage rape, grazing turnips and swedes can provide nutritious, cost-effective feeds for beef cattle and sheep

Home-grown feeds can help to produce an excellent part of a mixed forage diet and help to increase the amount of grazed forage in the diet, rather than relying on supplements.

Forage crops can provide a late summer supplement to grass in a dry season, extended grazing over autumn and winter months, or winter feed for animals kept out or housed.

Maximise the results of your brassicas
Root crops are simple to grow, but knowing the best practices when feeding brassicas is a key part of their success.

Download our guide to feeding brassica crops for top tips and advice and ensure you get the most out of your crops.





The benefits of brassicas

• Improved profitability

• Reduce farm reliance on purchased feed

• Feed costs can be reduced by grazing in situ, because high DM yields can be produced quickly and little or no machinery is needed for harvesting and feeding out

• Flexible cropping options

• An excellent break crop and entry back to grass

• Can increase output/ha, both in terms of dry matter (DM) feed and animal performance

• Out-wintering options to extend the grazing season or to help to fill a forage gap in dry summers

• Low inputs

 

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Cows and grass thriving at Cucumber Farm October 16

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.

Cucumber Farm
Jim Thomson and Latham Gibbins
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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DLF high quality mixture compared to standard mixture.

 

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Overseed your sward with ProNitro.

 

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Improve your grass seed establishment with Pronitro and get Ready to grow.