Maximising Grass Production through Reseeding.

13th April 2021

Last Spring saw a lot of reseeding carried out on farms across the country, with some farmers carrying out a traditional direct reseed and other’s opting for an under-sown Whole-crop, using cereal as the cover crop. Regardless of the method of reseeding, the benefit in terms of response to fertiliser and increased production from the new swards is clear for all to see.

With fertiliser prices having reached historic highs, the benefit from reseeding has never been greater. A new sward is 25% more responsive to Nitrogen, than an old worn sward and maximising production from grassland is widely recognised as the most cost effective way of improving profitability on Dairy, Beef and Sheep farms. Research has shown that it pays to reseed as often as every 4th year although with the correct mixture swards should last much longer. The key to successful reseeding is selecting the correct mixture to suit your requirements.

This year has again seen the introduction of new grass varieties and Fane Valley, as always, have, incorporated them into our mixtures to produce swards with high yields, high quality and excellent density.

At Fane Valley, the range contains mixtures suitable for all conditions and uses, including heavy land or light land and silage or grazing. ‘Dual purpose’ mixtures, with or without clover and ‘stitching’ mixtures are available and include top yielding varieties from the 2021 recommended list. These tailored mixtures are, produced through the blending of grass species including Perennial ryegrass, Hybrid ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, and Timothy to meet specific requirements.  All our mixtures have been, carefully formulated to ensure highly productive swards with the best quality ensuring you can rely upon them to deliver maximum production from your farm, whatever the season brings.

Fane Valley’s team of Technical Sales Specialists, work in close association with plant breeders at the nearby AFBI research station in Loughgall and at IBERS in Aberystwyth, and are available for on farm consultations, providing tailored solutions for your reseeding needs this spring.

For a copy of the New Fane Valley Handbook, which includes our grass mixtures, call into your local Fane Valley store or contact the Agronomy and Forage office on 02892610485.