United Kingdom
September 16, 2016
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.
Learn more
Topics
Species
