Countryside Seeds Ltd

Countryside Seeds Ltd

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

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

Company History

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Great In Grass]

Grass Into Gold goes to GPS soil management

The importance of soil​

Longlea Farm Soil sampling Grass Into Gold

The Baillies of Grass Into Gold farm - Longlea, in South Lanarkshire took the decision to GPS map and soil sample the whole farm in 2018. Some soil sampling had been done before but not with any proper regularity or agenda.

It had been felt that to do large areas was incredibly time-consuming. They knew there would be a benefit to having the information to work with so after numerous discussions with the supplier, the Baillies committed to whole-farm GPS sampling with SoilQuest. Charlotte Baillie comments ‘I was actually expecting it to be more expensive. Lump-sum, yes it would be expensive but by breaking it down into a schedule of over 5 years, it was easy to fit into our budget’.

Another reason backing up the decision was that one of the big focuses for the business is putting much more emphasis on the grassland and forage production. “Once the silage is in the pit, we have to feed it no matter what’ continues Charlotte. ‘We run a 3-cut system so it’s in our best interest to make as much as we can, at as high a quality as possible.’

The Baillies realised there was likely to be a pH deficit on the farm, particularly on the grassland as it had received less lime than the arable ground and their suspicions were confirmed when the poorest levels came back around pH 5.5, a long way short of the ideal 6.2-6.5. Since sampling, there have been 410 tonnes of lime applied to the farm, with more to go to adjust the final deficits and then maintain the levels. As well as liming, the Baillies changed their fertiliser policy slightly to include straight potash (K) application, again as a result of finding deficits, especially in the silage fields which will be down to removal by the large volumes of silage over multiple cuts. Phosphate (P) levels were close to the target.

Charlotte concludes ‘It’s difficult to quantify the benefits from our investment so far, as we are only approaching 2 years using this system; however, we know that this is a fundamental investment for the future for our land management. We aim to realign the arable and grassland rotations a bit closer so all the land receives the same attention and we’re looking forward to seeing how much more we can improve our silage production. We’ve introduced a little winter barley to open up the opportunity for autumn grass reseeds. These reseeds will be grazed with sheep with careful attention to stocking rates to promote the best establishment and tillering before silage production begins in the following year. By tailoring our fertiliser and liming approach, we will also be contributing to a more sustainable business which is another focus for us. As well as the GPS mapping, we are investing in waste management, nutrient plans and our own environmental measures, all of which will allow us to build an efficient, profitable and sustainable business for our family’.

 

[Great In Grass]

Stubble Turnip LG UK Trial Results Data 2020 available from Countryside Seeds Limited.

 

[Great In Grass]

New Fodder Beet varieties boost homegrown feed value

Limagrain UK has introduced the new fodder beet variety Ribambelle this year. A triploid beet with red skin, and already used extensively in France, Ribambelle ranks highly among fodder beet varieties for its high energy and medium dry matter content.


Field trial results show that this new variety has an average dry matter of 16%, which makes it ideally suited for dairy or beef cattle.


“As well as high feed value, Ribambelle has the advantage of being rhizomania tolerant (a disease that can cause yield loss) and medium rooted,” says LG’s Martin Titley. “It grows with 50% of its root out of the ground, compared with deeper rooted varieties that typically have 70-80 % of their root in the ground. This makes for easier harvesting and a cleaner root.

Its root depth also allows for grazing in situ which appeals to sheep farmers looking for a high energy forage once the grass stops growing to finish lambs, or for those looking for a high-value feed for dairy heifers and for finishing beef.


A limited seed supply of the new variety, Primula is also available from LG. This pink-skinned variety is rhizomania tolerant and has a dry matter content of between 18% and 19%.

 

[Great In Grass]

New from Barenbrug and Countryside Seeds "NutriFibre". The perfect solution for grass production on dry land and drought-prone soils.

 

[Great In Grass]

What's New For 2020 from Barenbrug.

One new Late Perennial Ryegrass "Callan" and "Barclamp" Hybrid Ryegrass (Diploid)

 

[Great In Grass]

Will you be looking for a highly productive short-term Italian ley this year?

Barenbrug's "High D Italian" Short-term Italian may just be the answer.

 

[Great In Grass]

Looking for an excellent low input, high-output, high protein cutting for three to four years with the option to graze. Then look no further than Barenbrug's "Protein Sile" grass and clover mixture.

 

[Great In Grass]

Hybrid 4x4, 4 cuts, 4 years.

Medium to long term cutting ley, producing high yields of forage for silage.

 

[Great In Grass]

Hybrid 4x4, 4 cuts, 4 years.

Medium to long term cutting ley, producing high yields of forage for silage.

 

[Great In Grass]

Barbumper ~ Forage Boost

Ideal short term solution for a catch crop, cover crop and grazing.

 

[Great In Grass]

"After Maize" for FAST GRASS!

Don't let the name put you off can easily be spring or late summer/autumn sown.

 

[Great In Grass]

One of our biggest sellers!

Early Cut & Graze ~ Medium-term

A top-quality hybrid ryegrass based ley, designed to give excellent forage cuts with the option to graze.

 

[Great In Grass]

Time is now to finish grazing brassicas

Most farms are now coming towards the end of their brassica crop, but for those farms with a larger area still to graze, there are some important considerations.

The advice is to aim to have finished grazing your brassica crop of Kale, Redstart or Forage Rape before the end of February.

Forage brassicas contain SMCO (S–methyl cysteine sulphoxide) which is generally not an issue for animals once they are introduced to the crop slowly and have a fibre source which contributes 30% of the total diet. This is usually in the form of silage or straw. However, as the season progresses, forage crops will mature and begin to flower, and once this occurs brassica crops will present a higher risk to animals as they have the greatest concentration of SMCOs at this time. Excess levels of SMCO’s can lead to anaemia, appetite loss and animals are also likely to develop a condition known as “Redwater”. Therefore, it is very important to note that Brassicas generally flower in late February.

Signs of Redwater
Some obvious signs of Redwater include:

• Urine colour becoming dark brown to red.
• Animal may appear weaker with a decreased appetite.
• Pale or yellow mucous membranes.

If Redwater is observed, affected animals should be immediately removed from the brassica crop and offered a silage or hay-based diet (with no brassica) to reduce SMCO build up in the bloodstream. Increase fibre supplementation to the remainder of the herd’s diet and consult with your vet immediately.

It is important to monitor your brassica crops for flowering and aim to have them grazed before it occurs. Do not introduce stock to a brassica crop for the first time now; only graze the crop with stock that has been turned out on it for the last while as they will have greater tolerance to SMCO’s.

 

[Great In Grass]

Come rain or shine…fodder beet comes up with the goods

Two contrasting seasons weather-wise have shown off the exceptional value of fodder beet in dairy cow diets. “it’s a perfect crop to grow in the UK,” says Limagrain UK’s Martin Titley. “Come rain or shine, yields and feed value per hectare supersede many other forages".

Limagrain’s annual fodder beet trial results demonstrate the consistency of the crop in yield and feed value. “Fodder beet is sown any time from March to April, and harvested from October,” says Limagrain’s Martin Titley. “So it was subject to the dry summer of 2018, and the exceptionally wet conditions experienced in many parts of the UK in autumn and early winter 2019.”


Despite these relatively extreme conditions, trial results from the company’s Lincolnshire site where more than 20 varieties of commercially available fodder beet varieties are compared each year, show high fresh yields, with dry matter yields that exceed most other forages. Average results for 16 varieties on trial are shown in Table 1.

“There’s a lot of consistency in performance, despite contrasting and challenging conditions,” adds Mr Titley. “Even the control variety delivered 73.3 tonnes per hectare of fresh weight in 2018 and 112.5 tonnes in 2019. More than 70t/ha of yield is good going in these dry conditions and in 2019 dry matter yields for most varieties on trial were above 18 tonnes/ha.


“In 2019, the top 20% of varieties in our trial produced fresh yields in excess of 110 tonnes per hectare with 37% having dry matters above 20 tonnes per hectare. “This is a phenomenal output.”


Grown in the UK for more than 50 years, fodder beet ‘took off’ due to its monogerm breeding – one plant per seed – making it easier to harvest. Since then the number of varieties has increased and breeders have worked to enhance the cleanliness of root and disease tolerance.


“The UK climate is perfect for fodder beet. Wet, moist soils in spring are ideal and grows through to October or November, adding 30% to its dry matter yields in the last few months when there’s likely to be more moisture.”


Table 2 shows the performance of the control and four popular fodder beet varieties used in dairy cow diets.

Contractor Aaron Hughes from Shropshire agrees that this season’s fodder beet yields have been the biggest he’s ever harvested, despite challenging harvesting conditions.


His company, Roger Davies Contractors, specialises in beets and, with a remit to supply stone-free, muck-free beet, they harvest, wash, clean and chop about 100 hectares on behalf of dairy farmers. For many they also contract drill the crop in spring.


“We have the equipment to wash the beet and ensure all the stones are removed if it’s for a feeder wagon. Some farmers are now using mulcher buckets that crush the beet before adding it to the wagon. Either way, the popularity of this crop on dairy units is growing yearly.


He says that there aren’t really any downsides to fodder beet – even though 2019 harvesting conditions were challenging. “We always manage to get the crop; we’ve invested in a 6-wheeler beet harvester with wide, low pressure tyres causing less ground compaction and if it’s wet, we load into trailers over the hedge. It’s the trailers that cause the soil damage and so we keep them off the field.”

This season much of the crop has had to be washed twice. “It’s not too often we get such wet conditions,” adds Aaron, “but it did give us more work.” But this doesn’t deter anyone and every year they get more interest in growing the crop for livestock units. “Cows love it – they sift through the silage to find it.”


Wiltshire-based nutritionist Diana Allen certainly encourages farmers to include fodder beet in dairy rations as a cost-effective homegrown forage.


“Fodder beet is also one of the best ways of boosting milk protein,” she says. “It’s a great source of sugar and fermentable energy which can stimulate the rumen bacteria, but it must be balanced with an equally rumen available source of nitrogen for the bugs from feedstuffs like rapeseed meal, distillery by-products and urea. And the overall sugar and starch must be balanced to prevent any risk of the rumen becoming too acidic.”


The crop offers flexibility when it comes t harvesting, and it can be left in the ground, with little feed value deterioration, until January or February.


“If it’s harvested early it can be clamped in layers with maize silage as long as it’s pre-chopped and well consolidated,” adds Ms Allen. “Or it can be clamped in the spring, before going too soft, and in layers with 25% soya hulls to absorb effluent. This can provide a valuable feed through summer.”


For the latest UK fodder beet trials results, click here

KEY FACTS ON FODDER BEET



Sown in March – April
Can be part of grass rotation or alternative to spring cereal crop to provide livestock feed and break the pest and disease cycle


Harvest from late October until March
Can be left in the ground without a loss in feed value


High energy feed provides high feed value
Average ME 12.5-13MJ/kg DM, 162,500 – 202,500MJ/ha with more recent varieties producing well above this level. In 2019 trials, high dry matter, deep rooted variety Brick produced 256,000MJ/ha in 2019 trials. The energy requirement for producing 25 litres milk is 197 MJ per day.


Choice of variety to suit the system
Rhizomania resistant varieties are available, such as the more recently introduced Brick and Tarine


Deep rooted (more than 70% in ground) for those with access to specialised harvesting equipment and who want to maximise feed value.


Less deep rooted (about 50%-60% in ground) with medium dry matter for easy lifting, even for grazed in situ

• Fodder Beet LG UK Trial Results Data 2020

 

[Great In Grass]

Come rain or shine…fodder beet comes up with the goods

Two contrasting seasons weather-wise have shown off the exceptional value of fodder beet in dairy cow diets. “it’s a perfect crop to grow in the UK,” says Limagrain UK’s Martin Titley. “Come rain or shine, yields and feed value per hectare supersede many other forages".

Limagrain’s annual fodder beet trial results demonstrate the consistency of the crop in yield and feed value. “Fodder beet is sown any time from March to April, and harvested from October,” says Limagrain’s Martin Titley. “So it was subject to the dry summer of 2018, and the exceptionally wet conditions experienced in many parts of the UK in autumn and early winter 2019.”


Despite these relatively extreme conditions, trial results from the company’s Lincolnshire site where more than 20 varieties of commercially available fodder beet varieties are compared each year, show high fresh yields, with dry matter yields that exceed most other forages. Average results for 16 varieties on trial are shown in Table 1.

“There’s a lot of consistency in performance, despite contrasting and challenging conditions,” adds Mr Titley. “Even the control variety delivered 73.3 tonnes per hectare of fresh weight in 2018 and 112.5 tonnes in 2019. More than 70t/ha of yield is good going in these dry conditions and in 2019 dry matter yields for most varieties on trial were above 18 tonnes/ha.


“In 2019, the top 20% of varieties in our trial produced fresh yields in excess of 110 tonnes per hectare with 37% having dry matters above 20 tonnes per hectare. “This is a phenomenal output.”


Grown in the UK for more than 50 years, fodder beet ‘took off’ due to its monogerm breeding – one plant per seed – making it easier to harvest. Since then the number of varieties has increased and breeders have worked to enhance the cleanliness of root and disease tolerance.


“The UK climate is perfect for fodder beet. Wet, moist soils in spring are ideal and grows through to October or November, adding 30% to its dry matter yields in the last few months when there’s likely to be more moisture.”


Table 2 shows the performance of the control and four popular fodder beet varieties used in dairy cow diets.

Contractor Aaron Hughes from Shropshire agrees that this season’s fodder beet yields have been the biggest he’s ever harvested, despite challenging harvesting conditions.


His company, Roger Davies Contractors, specialises in beets and, with a remit to supply stone-free, muck-free beet, they harvest, wash, clean and chop about 100 hectares on behalf of dairy farmers. For many they also contract drill the crop in spring.


“We have the equipment to wash the beet and ensure all the stones are removed if it’s for a feeder wagon. Some farmers are now using mulcher buckets that crush the beet before adding it to the wagon. Either way, the popularity of this crop on dairy units is growing yearly.


He says that there aren’t really any downsides to fodder beet – even though 2019 harvesting conditions were challenging. “We always manage to get the crop; we’ve invested in a 6-wheeler beet harvester with wide, low pressure tyres causing less ground compaction and if it’s wet, we load into trailers over the hedge. It’s the trailers that cause the soil damage and so we keep them off the field.”

This season much of the crop has had to be washed twice. “It’s not too often we get such wet conditions,” adds Aaron, “but it did give us more work.” But this doesn’t deter anyone and every year they get more interest in growing the crop for livestock units. “Cows love it – they sift through the silage to find it.”


Wiltshire-based nutritionist Diana Allen certainly encourages farmers to include fodder beet in dairy rations as a cost-effective homegrown forage.


“Fodder beet is also one of the best ways of boosting milk protein,” she says. “It’s a great source of sugar and fermentable energy which can stimulate the rumen bacteria, but it must be balanced with an equally rumen available source of nitrogen for the bugs from feedstuffs like rapeseed meal, distillery by-products and urea. And the overall sugar and starch must be balanced to prevent any risk of the rumen becoming too acidic.”


The crop offers flexibility when it comes t harvesting, and it can be left in the ground, with little feed value deterioration, until January or February.


“If it’s harvested early it can be clamped in layers with maize silage as long as it’s pre-chopped and well consolidated,” adds Ms Allen. “Or it can be clamped in the spring, before going too soft, and in layers with 25% soya hulls to absorb effluent. This can provide a valuable feed through summer.”


For the latest UK fodder beet trials results, click here

KEY FACTS ON FODDER BEET



Sown in March – April
Can be part of grass rotation or alternative to spring cereal crop to provide livestock feed and break the pest and disease cycle


Harvest from late October until March
Can be left in the ground without a loss in feed value


High energy feed provides high feed value
Average ME 12.5-13MJ/kg DM, 162,500 – 202,500MJ/ha with more recent varieties producing well above this level. In 2019 trials, high dry matter, deep rooted variety Brick produced 256,000MJ/ha in 2019 trials. The energy requirement for producing 25 litres milk is 197 MJ per day.


Choice of variety to suit the system
Rhizomania resistant varieties are available, such as the more recently introduced Brick and Tarine


Deep rooted (more than 70% in ground) for those with access to specialised harvesting equipment and who want to maximise feed value.


Less deep rooted (about 50%-60% in ground) with medium dry matter for easy lifting, even for grazed in situ

• Fodder Beet LG UK Trial Results Data 2020

 

[Great In Grass]

"Enermax" an exciting dual-purpose variety for both fodder and bio-energy production. Available from us for spring 2020.

 

[Great In Grass]

Magnum Fodder Beet has a consistent root size and reliable high dry matter yields.

 

[Great In Grass]

Soil Focus - Achieving and maintaining good soil health is increasingly important to make the UK grass crop more efficient, productive and profitable

 

[Great In Grass]

BarTech January 2020 Scotland edition

 

[Great In Grass]

Bombardier Kale ~ New Variety ~ Dairy ~ Beef & Lamb Production