Keep the focus on grass this summer
2018 is proving to be a challenging year for highly stocked farms across the country. Due to the extent of grass shortages on farms, farmers are required to grow and conserve more grass.
In order to improve your farm forage production, Agritech’s Bil Ryan states that it is important to develop a farm plan which focuses on:
1. Optimum soil fertility, both on milking platform and leased out farms.
2. Good grazing infrastructure.
3. Grass swards which contain high levels of ryegrass varieties and clover.
Even though the moisture deficits are now evident in most parts of the country, farmers must manage the situation if they want to ensure maximum profitability in the long term. Some useful rules of thumb at this point include: following a fertilizer program, lengthening grazing rotations up to 30 days and carrying out reseeding preparation as planned. To achieve high yields of grass for next year, damaged paddocks and underperforming swards in particular will need to be reseeded.
Bil’s advice to farmers for optimum germination and a successful reseed is to ensure a properly prepared seedbed. “Create a fine, firm seed bed, apply appropriate nutrients, lightly cover the seed and double roll the ground to ensure optimum germination and adequate fuel to sustain the new reseed”, stated Bil.
Bil’s advice is to choose a mix of grass seed that will improve animal performance, increase forage yield, be easily managed and have good persistency. “Agritech mixtures from the Tipperary Range of grass seed are showing proven performance on farms all over the country and that is something we continuously push forward on” stated Bil.
For any further advice on reseeding or to choose a suitable grass mixture from the Tipperary Range, contact your local Agritech distributor; www. agritech.ie/find-a-distributor or simply find out more at www. agritech.ie.