New Entrants to Farming – Grassland Matters (Caithness) Event Summary
23 August 2018Paddy from DLF gave an insight to grass growth and getting the best from the farms biggest asset (a copy of his presentation is available to view below).
Take home messages from the meeting included:
- Grass has to be managed- from establishment to when it is established.
- Do not graze grass to short as the first leaf is critical for the energy of the plant and for the plant to keep growing.
- Do not let grass flower as this is too late for forage harvesting.
- Cut silage dependent on the growth stage of the plant rather than the date.
- Use mixtures of grass seed- as this will cover a variety of situations.
- Overseeding is quick easy and can be very effective when ploughing can not be undertaken.
- Different grass varieties can be used to maximise returns from EFA Fallow, Margins, Catch Crop and Green Cover.
- An Introduction To Grassland Management, Paddy Jack
- Paddy Jack from DLF Seeds and Management gave an introduction to grassland management.
- Practical Guide: Soil sampling I – How to take a soil sample
- This practical guide details what is required to take a soil sample for analysis that is representative of the area sampled.
- Topics: Climate Change, Soils and Water Management
- Practical Guide: Soil sampling II – Benefits to your business
- This practical guide details how soil sampling can benefit businesses by increasing productivity and create efficiencies on fertiliser inputs through better nutrient planning.
- Topics: Climate Change, Soils and Water Management
- Maximising The Performance of Grass Leys
- This Practical Guide gives some tips to maintain long term production on grass leys.
- Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) Score Chart
- This is a downloadable copy of the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) score chart for use in-field.
- Topics: Soils
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