New Entrants to Farming: Grassland Management (North East) Event Summary

Paddy stressed the importance of good soil health for the successful establishment and performance of grass, clover and forage crops, with the most important factors highlighted below:

• soil pH,
• moisture ans soil temperature,
• soil structure
• nutrients (N,P,K and S)

In addition, Paddy talked through how important it is to select a grass seed mixture suited to your:

• soil type (e.g. light/sandy vs heavy/clay soils)
• use (silage/hay/grazing – short term ley with high bulk vs long term productive leys vs herb mixtures)
• livestock type (sheep prefer shorter grass and are more selective feeders than cattle, cattle need deep rooting grasses to save them being ripped out of the soil and deer like herbs among their grassland)
• sowing method (complete redeed, undersown with a cereal crop, oversown/stiched into an existing sward)

Overall it was a very informative meeting, with attendees picking up a large amount of information they can put into practice on their own farms.