Sward Regeneration the basis for Herd Improvement

Finding the best way to improve grassland productivity is central to the plans at one Staffordshire Moorlands farm but the right approach has had staggering results.

David Adams’ family have farmed at Dale House Farm, Horton near Leek for over 40 years.  The 90 acre farm ranges between 800-900 ft above sea level and there is a thin layer of stony soil over heavy clay.  The farm carries a herd of 60 dairy cows averaging over 7000 litres on a simple system based on grass and concentrates from NWF.

David Adams was keen to boost production and following discussions with NWF Specialist Frank James, decided the most economical means of achieving this would be to increase production from grazed grass and silage.  They agreed that an increased proportion of ryegrasses and a vigorous ley would be important.  However, due to the topography and in parts, less favourable soil type, pasture regeneration had always been a major challenge at Dale House Farm.

“Only six acres of the farm is ploughable,” David Adams explains.  “The soil is so stony that all the walls have been built with stone collected from the fields.”

In previous years, David attempted to rejuvenate existing swards by applying grass seed with the fertiliser spreader at one third of the full seed rate, but this approach was unsuccessful.  This year for the first time David looked to a new approach to try and breathe new life into a particularly tired piece of silage ground using local contractor Geoff Woodward who has recently invested in an Opico grass harrow.

David also reconsidered his choice of grass seed, and after consultations with Frank James, decided to opt for NWF Ultra Cut ‘n’ Graze; a unique blend of ryegrasses characterised by their high persistency and yield.

“The field we chose was looking rather thin and weedy so just before third cut in mid-September we sprayed out the broad leaved weeds and two days after the crop was cut the harrow went in.”

Geoff Woodward first harrowed the field to loosen up the top soil before a second pass when the seed was applied at 13kg/acre.  Ideally the field would then have been rolled but the weather was too wet.  In total it took just three hours to complete the reseeding.  Since it was established the reseed has received a light covering of slurry in January, and in mid April was top-dressed with 25:5:5.

“We are very impressed with the results,” David Adams continues.  “The sward is very thick and we clearly achieved a high level of germination.  I am sure cutting back on seed rate would be a false economy.  Despite the dry spring we are expecting a far heavier first cut and I am sure second and subsequent crops will be larger too.

“Not only have we achieved a fantastic result, but we have managed to do so quickly and at a lower cost than many other options.  At £11 an acre the cost of harrowing and reseeding is very attractive especially as it can be done so quickly.  It is the ideal approach if time is critical and if soil moisture is low.  The soil is loosened just enough to take the seed, leaving the moisture in the soil to ensure a speedy germination.  The only slight downside is that any pans remain undisturbed.”

Frank James believes more farmers will be looking to pasture regeneration to maintain margins. “For many farms ploughing is not a realistic option anymore as the costs and time taken can be prohibitive.  Overseeding in this way with a vigorous seed mix applied at the correct rate is a cost-effective way to breathe new life into tired swards, boosting production and giving an opportunity to increase production from forage.”