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Making More From Forage
Growing and utilising more high quality grass is key to driving profits on any ruminant farm in Northern Ireland. Fane Valley have the products and knowledge to help you improve both the quantity and quality of forage grown on your farm.
Northern Ireland has a climate well suited for growing forage. Grassland yields vary across farms in Northern Ireland but there is the ability to grow in excess of 16t DM/ha/yr. Currently the national average yield of grass for dry stock farms is 4.1t DM/ha/yr and the average on dairy farms is 7.5t DM/ha. Research conducted by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) has shown that by increasing grassland utilisation by 1t DM/ha/yr and improving forage quality through improved management, margin over feed can be increased by £334/ha on dairy farms and £204/ha on beef farms.
All swards deteriorate overtime with the level of sown species being reduced as lower quality grass species invade the sward and begin to increase as a proportion of the sward. Reseeding offers the opportunity to introduce the new plant genetics to help meet the needs of your farm. Reseeding also gives the opportunity to correct soil compaction, improve drainage and correct soil fertility helping to drive production from your sward moving towards the target of 16t DM/ha of potential production.
The Fane Valley and Morton’s range of grass seeds have been designed with quality at their core and include the best varieties for local conditions. You will see throughout this booklet the grazing and silage yields for each seed mixture. The values given are based on the recommended list although actual yields will vary based on sward management throughout the season and individual farm conditions.
The table below shows the value of maintaining a high level of productive perennial ryegrass (PRG) in the sward, in terms of milk and beef production.
