News

Spring Grassland Advice

18th February 2023

Now is the ideal time to walk grass fields and inspect the quality of pastures. Use a field indexing system such as the Barenbrug Good Grass Guide to assess fields. This uses a 1-5 index similar to how farmer’s grade stock. Five being highly productive and a score of one for fields that need immediate action to get them back into productivity It is also an ideal time to assess the content of productive grasses in the swards and plan ahead to get the field in top shape for grazing and silage. It all starts with the soil,
so for fields that haven’t been soil sampled in a while take samples for analysis and look at the results closely. pH values need to be at 6 for grass fields and closer to 6.5 for leys with clover in them. Fields with a pH of 5-5.5 will lose up to 40% of yield so this needs addressing as a priority.

Responsible Mineral Strategy; Key for Ewe Success

10th February 2023

Ensuring ewes receive the correct mineral supplementation will influence ewe health and production, as well as lamb survival, vigour and growth rates. Often diets based on forage alone will be deficient in essential minerals, meaning implementing a responsible mineral strategy which meets mineral and vitamin requirements is essential to allow ewes to perform to their maximum potential. Deficiency can occur in ewes without any obvious symptoms yet can be indicated by lower milk quality and yield, lighter lambs with reduced survival and growth rates as well as difficulties at lambing. All minerals and vitamins play key roles in various aspects of performance, health and welfare with table 1 highlighting some key minerals to consider in the success of your flock.

Give your newborn lambs the best start

6th February 2023

Whether it is mother’s milk or milk replacer, milk intake is crucial for the first 6 weeks of a lamb’s life, after this their reliance on grass increases.