sylgen
Member
- Location
- Cwm-Morgan
Should I trust the seed rep? Where's the best advice? Should I try something new?
Should I trust the seed rep? Where's the best advice? Should I try something new?
180acres all grassland bar 20acres of barleyLocation and type of Farming?
Organic or conventional?
one issue is that grassland isnt seen as a crop in the same way that cereals are- when we choose a new cereal variety the choice is based on scores for disease resistance, yield figures, lodging and lots of money and time on preparation- then if the variety performs well and grain yield is good we know we've made a good choice- that year within months of making the choice of which variety to sow. but grass is different- its longer term and the results arnt so easy to interpret- i dont sell grass like I could sell grain- i sell the next thing removed from that- meat yield which depends on the grass- but could it (meat yield) be better if I changed the grass variety i use???
one issue is that grassland isnt seen as a crop in the same way that cereals are- when we choose a new cereal variety the choice is based on scores for disease resistance, yield figures, lodging and lots of money and time on preparation- then if the variety performs well and grain yield is good we know we've made a good choice- that year within months of making the choice of which variety to sow. but grass is different- its longer term and the results arnt so easy to interpret- i dont sell grass like I could sell grain- i sell the next thing removed from that- meat yield which depends on the grass- but could it (meat yield) be better if I changed the grass variety i use???
They are very good points and intelligent questions - meat production I feel is greatly influenced simply by a continual supply of protein - grasses are low protein feeds.one issue is that grassland isnt seen as a crop in the same way that cereals are- when we choose a new cereal variety the choice is based on scores for disease resistance, yield figures, lodging and lots of money and time on preparation- then if the variety performs well and grain yield is good we know we've made a good choice- that year within months of making the choice of which variety to sow. but grass is different- its longer term and the results arnt so easy to interpret- i dont sell grass like I could sell grain- i sell the next thing removed from that- meat yield which depends on the grass- but could it (meat yield) be better if I changed the grass variety i use???
Bit of a mixture really- we've used Western Seeds from John Faulconbridge which have been good- the BONUS long term ley has got good varieities in it- mostly Aber and plenty of clover. Cotswolds Seeds too- their herbal ley was good for a few years and Oliver Seeds- their Claymore mix performed well- so we shop around a good bit and I see leys as being specific for what we want them to do- silage- grazing. The one thing I want to do more of though is have a more diverse ley- any ideas?What varieties are you growing now?
Any clover?
I think Im begining to think along the same lines- a couple of seed merchants seem to have more diversity in their mixes- we've had good results with Cotswold Seeds herbal ley and I see Oliver seeds do a Landmark Permanent ley that interests me- its got the PRG but also fescues and herbsBecause I'm a bit different, and like things to work for me (not the other way roond) mixture and diversity are keys (in my opinion)
Each variety will have it's day in the sun, so I always advise as much variety in the mix as a farmer feels comfortable with.
It sounds horribly cynical- but it depends how expensive you want farming to be!
One species of grass and one white clover is great, if every season has perfect growing conditions..... if not, then diversity is key.
More diversity = more reliability
Agree- soil health is the key factor- how do we match the soil to the right varieites that grow best? should we be making our grass mixture choice based more on what our soils are telling us? can we improve or change our soil health by changing the grass mixture we put in?They are very good points and intelligent questions - meat production I feel is greatly influenced simply by a continual supply of protein - grasses are low protein feeds.
Legumes are much more valuable - as far as both N fixation and food value go.
I'd happily trade 5 grass species out of my pastures for another 5 legumes, my main considerations are:
Continuity of supply - species that can reproduce themselves without losing quality, and overlapping different species to provide growth throughout the year
Soil history - fertility and previous cultivation history, obviously soil health is more important than nearly all other factors combined
Climatic factors, and farm management policies.
On one hand you will have farmers completely fixated on yield, how many bales per paddock and hang the cost; and then you will have on the other hand those who would rather just grow grass in the winter and have sheep on it.. so the recommendations are completely different per farmer, and how expensive they like their farm to be.
I think your philosophy on cereal choice has painted me a picture that you are perhaps more in line with my own way of thinking - grassland is much more than just a stockfeed and something to look at ripping up.
Definitely look beyond ryegrass though.
Seed is the cheapest part of the farming operation - if you get it right it's also the most valuable!
You can enhance your soil health by adding Mycorrhizal Fungi to the grass seed mix.Agree- soil health is the key factor- how do we match the soil to the right varieites that grow best? should we be making our grass mixture choice based more on what our soils are telling us? can we improve or change our soil health by changing the grass mixture we put in?
I like western seeds for their inclusion of modern grasses & Cotswold seeds for their herbal mixes , so normally buy the mixture off western seeds & add a kg an acre of Cotswold seeds herbal in the broadcaster. Seems to work ok.Bit of a mixture really- we've used Western Seeds from John Faulconbridge which have been good- the BONUS long term ley has got good varieities in it- mostly Aber and plenty of clover. Cotswolds Seeds too- their herbal ley was good for a few years and Oliver Seeds- their Claymore mix performed well- so we shop around a good bit and I see leys as being specific for what we want them to do- silage- grazing. The one thing I want to do more of though is have a more diverse ley- any ideas?