Time to give your pasture lands a good spring clean
Early spring is a good time for farmers to assess their grass swards if they are to maximise productivity for the season ahead.
Grassland consultant Charlie Morgan, of GrassMaster, will be offering his advice at this year’s Grassland & Muck Event at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, on May 24-25.
Visitors at the triennial event will be able to see more than 100 growing plots to help choose which new varieties and mixes to sow. New this year is a live demonstration of intensive rotational grazing of a herbal ley, with different types of temporary fencing.
ADAS will also be running a Soil and Nutrient Management Clinic, covering a range of issues such as structure and drainage.
“We need to utilise what we grow,” said Mr Morgan.
“Using the best grazing and management methods is vital to ensure grass isn’t wasted.”
Here he offers his top five tips for getting the most from pasture: Physical assessment The first thing to do in the spring is walk the fields and see what they look like. Randomly check several metre-square plots to get an accurate picture of the species present.
Note the sward density and ryegrass tillering, and look for more diploids than tetraploids for added yield and robustness. Small changes to measuring and evaluation can make big changes to grass yield and quality. Evaluate plant species For optimum performance, swards should be at least 50% ryegrass, with the remainder comprising less competitive grasses. Any swards with less than 50% ryegrass should be reseeded.
As an alternative, farmers could stitch in appropriate varieties, provided the sward is open enough – where a sward is dense, stitching in becomes more difficult due to increased competition.
Swards should have no more than 5% weeds, 10% bare ground and around 5-10% clover during early spring, although this should reach 40% by the autumn. Assess nutrient status Nutrient management is one of the biggest contributors to grass yield and quality. Effective use of nitrogen – based on soil temperature – is an important but overlooked area. As temperatures fluctuate in spring, as a guide I’d aim for 30kg/N/ ha at turnout.
Farmers should look at the previous cropping as well as winter rainfall to estimate soil nitrogen levels, and remember to analyse slurry and manure. Depending on the slurry nutrient levels, the first dressing should be done in February using an umbilical system – avoiding the need for artificial nitrogen and increasing early growth.
When measuring other nutrient levels and pH, it’s recommended to soil test every three years. Examine soil structure Poor soil condition is a major contributor to reduced pasture performance, so farmers should dig a hole and physically examine their soil. Soil structure can give a lot of clues about its health and nutrient status.
Farmers should look at evidence of compaction, worm activity and the smell and colour of the soil. Any areas of weakness can then be amended. Improve grazing methods Rotational grazing is proven to increase both yields and grass quality. Start rotational grazing as soon as possible, using tracks to access fields with short, sharp grazing periods to avoid compaction and quality loss.
Build up a wedge in the autumn and graze it down to around 1,500kg DM/ha at first turnout to remove any winter residue.
Tickets for Grassland & Muck 2017 are now on sale on the event website. Discounts for advance booking and RASE members.