Reseeding/Grazing Infrastructure Event 5th July 2018

Transcription

1 Reseeding/Grazing Infrastructure Event 5th July 2018

2 Farm Map 2

3 Welcome to TEAGASC RESEEDING/GRAZING INFRASTRUCTURE EVENT Farm of John Mulhall, Ballyroan, Laois 5th July 2018 KT Approved for Beef and Dairy Co-ordinated by Niamh Lynch, Peter Doolan & Veronica Nyhan Kindly Sponsored by 3

4 On behalf of Teagasc, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you here today to our Reseeding and Grazing Infrastructure event on the farm of John Mulhall, Ballyroan, Co. Laois. Our ability to grow high quality feed at a relatively low cost is the foundation of this country s pasture based farming systems and grass is an invaluable resource. The four pillars to increasing grass production and utilisation are having good soil fertility, a solid grazing infrastructure, best grazing management practices and reseeding where necessary. In a challenging year, when the weather seems against us, managing this valuable resource becomes crucial to weather the storm, snow or drought as the case may be. Having these four pillars in place, along with careful forward planning, continuous monitoring and reactive management, help buffer against the weather extremes we have experienced over the last number of months. Here on his farm in Ballyroan, John Mulhall has spent the last two years investing in his grazing infrastructure so as to develop a paddock grazing system that has taken him from block grazing paddocks of 8-10 ha (21-25 acres) with low stocking rates to maximising production on a rotational grazing system with 1.2 ha (3 acre) paddocks. This has allowed John to increase his stocking rate over the same time period from 0.64 to 1.83 LU/ha and finish his cattle at least 2 months earlier than he had before the changes were implemented. Now John is moving away from tillage on this land block and through reseeding, hopes to ensure more productive grazing pastures that generate high quality feed for his cattle. Through today s event, Teagasc hopes to showcase the grass management system adopted on this farm and highlight the benefits of such practises in increasing productivity and safeguarding sustainability of pasture based farming systems into the future. On behalf of Teagasc I would to take this opportunity to extend a sincere thank you to the Mulhall family for hosting this event today. I would like to thank John for his generosity in sharing his experiences, both good and bad, in such a frank and open way so as to make this event such a positive experience for all in attendance. John s passion and enthusiasm epitomise all that is good in Irish agriculture today and we wish him and his family all the best into the future. I would also like to thank our sponsors- Whelehan Crop Protection, Germinal, Grasstec Group, Stradbally Town and Country and FRS Network. I would like to finish by thanking you for attending our event today and I hope you not only enjoyed the day, but found something of interest that may help you in the development of your own farm enterprise at home. Kind regards, David Colbourne 4

5 I would like to welcome everyone to our farm here at Cloncullane, outside the village of Ballyroan, Co. Laois and I hope you find your visit to our farm informative. The farm consists of 130 acres of grassland with an additional 50 acres of grassland rented from my parents. Historically cattle grazed large fields (21-25 acres) which, in hindsight, was not the best usage of the land. As a result of attending a green acres farm walk on John Lalor s Farm in Ballyfin in 2016 I set about changing my system. I was influenced by John s plan to make better use of grazed grass through the introduction of a paddock system, getting cattle out earlier and also reseeding some old pastures. I embarked on the journey to emulate John s plan. I needed to get a map of the farm so I contacted Grasstec and they came down to the farm that week and mapped the paddocks out and we started fencing that weekend. We eventually made 25 paddocks of 3 acres. The full paddock system was in operation in August Another major change on the farm was the water system in November 2016 which consisted of sinking a well, laying new pipes to the highest point on the farm and installing new water troughs. The benefits that I found to the paddock system were: Better quality grass because of the short heavy two day grazing with long rest periods. More paddocks were taken out for silage than the previous year. Easier management of stock as they are quieter in confined areas and get accustomed to electric wires Better live weight gain in cattle Remedial work can be carried out in the paddocks because they are vacant for 21 days. Better weed control better grass growth pushes out the weeds Sub paddocks to keep stock out of wet areas this advantage became apparent in the wet period (March/April 2018) Disadvantage A field with corners becomes a field with a lot of corners which can be a disadvantage in silage cutting and slurry spreading. A way to combat this is to use temporary wire which can be taken up when necessary. In August 2017 I was delighted with the success of the paddock system on my own block that we did the same paddock system on my parents land. Mistakes made I didn t make the gates wide enough to facilitate the use of machinery during silage or slurry. Should have concentrated on the more marginal land to start the paddocks as I got my best return in this area for my investment. Goals for the farm My future goals for the farm revolve around getting more grass from the grazing platform. This will allow me to keep more cattle which will increase my stocking rate. In keeping more cattle I will have to invest in winter accommodation which I will build with a TAMS grant. I hope to continue to learn good practices from being involved in discussion groups. I believe that all these changes will see a more profitable and successful farm. 5

6 Table of Contents Fertilizer advice for grass establishment 7 Reseeding 10 Reseeding Strategies 11 Management of reseeded swards 12 Grass Variety Choice 13 Paddock Infrastructure 15 MCPA 20 Event Boards 21 6

7 Fertiliser Advice for Grass Establishment Mark Plunkett, Johnstown Castle, Research Center, May, 2018 Soil Testing Soil sample fields in advance of reseeding where establishing grass seeds by ploughing take the soil sample from the ploughed soil to get a better indication of the soils fertility status and future fertiliser applications. Establish soil P & K levels and apply suitable fertilisers / manures before or during soil cultivations. Check soil ph and apply lime as recommended on the soil test report. Lime Reseeding time offers a perfect opportunity to correct soil ph and apply lime. Apply lime to the seedbed and incorporate into the top 10cm of soil. This will provide the ideal conditions for fast and even seed establishment. Where soil magnesium levels are low (<50pppm) apply magnesium limestone to correct soil Mg levels. Table 1: Optimumsoil ph for Mineral Soils Phosphorus (P) & Potassium (K) Soil P and K are an essential at reseeding time. P and K are required for rapid root and tiller development during the early stages of establishment (1st 3-6 weeks). In addition P & K is required to ensure the longevity of rye grasses in the sward over time. Aim to maintain 7

8 soils at Soil Index 3 for maximum production and persistency of clovers & rye grasses. Apply P & K fertiliser as per soil test report and incorporate into the seedbed at sowing time (see table below). Insufficient soil P & K will result will result in poor establishment of rye grasses / clovers and the benefits of reseeding will be lost. Additional P allowance of 15kg P/ha is available at index 1, 2 & 3 for reseeds as per Nitrates. Table 2: P and K Advice (kg/ha) Nitrogen Sufficient N is one of the essentials in aiding good grass establishment. Grass seeds have a low N requirement during the early stages of establishment. Too much N will encourage weed growth and competition for new grass seedlings. Apply approx kg N/ha at sowing time to maximize grass growth. Apply 30 to 40kg N/ha 4 to 6 weeks after reseeding. Table 3: N for frass est. without crop (kg/ha) 8

9 Undersown crops apply 40kgN/ha after cereal harvest. Reseeds following long-term tillage will benefit from additional N in the first 3 years. Table 4: Manure and Slurry-Available N,P &K Organic Manure Good Source of N, P & K Apply organic manures / slurries to build soil fertility status while supplying nutrient requirements. It is best to rapidly incorporate high N manures (pig / poultry manures) to reduce N losses (N). When applying organic manures to P index 1 & 2 soils only supply 50% of crop P requirement in organic form and the remaining 50% as chemical P. Make sure that manures are applied evenly and well incorporated at sowing time. This will reduce problems during establishment especially in a min till system. 9

10 Reseeding Objectives of reseeding are to create swards that: (1) Increase the overall productivity of the farm Increase the carrying capacity (stocking rate). Allow higher animal output. Increase grass quality. (2) Are more responsive to fertiliser. (3) Increase grass utilisation (4) Allow white clover/perennial ryegrass pastures to establish Table 5: Grass production per month (February to October) in a sward containing 15% perennial ryegrass and 100% perennial ryegrass. 10

11 Reseeding Strategies How paddocks are prepared for reseeding depends on soil type, amount of underlying stone and machine/contractor availability. There are many different cultivation and sowing methods available. All methods, when completed correctly, are equally effective. Key points Soil test Spray off old sward a contact spray can be used if there are no perennial weeds; glyphosate should be used if perennial weeds such as docks and ragwort are present. Graze sward tightly or mow to minimise surface trash. Apply lime. Choose a cultivation method that suits your farm. Apply fertiliser. Firm fine seedbed with good seed/soil contact is essential. Roll after sowing. Table 6: Considerations around different cultivation techniques 11

12 Management of Reseeded Swards Figure 1: Old grass establishment Figure 2: Newly reseeded grass Table 7: Management of new reseeds 12

13 Grass Variety choice Key traits Use the Teagasc Pasture Profit Index and DAFM Recommended List to identify suitable varieties. The Recommended List evaluates varieties across years and sites and is the only evidence available of the potential performance of grass cultivars in Ireland. The key traits in a seasonal grass based production system are: High quality High seasonal production Good persistency score When the decision to reseed is made, the next major decision is selecting the most appropriate grass variety or varieties. The first thing to consider is the primary target use of the field. Is it predominantly grazing or is it generally used as a silage paddock? How much tetraploid should be used? A balance between quality, dry matter productivity and sward density is generally what must be achieved. Combining diploids and tetraploids in a mixture will create a dense, high quality sward ensure you select varieties which express high performance in the key traits. Increasing the proportion of diploids on heavier soils is recommended to create better ground cover. 13

14 Key points when formulating a grass mixture Decide what the end use is grazing or silage formulate based on this. Focus on the key traits, increase the proportion of the varieties with the key traits. Minimum of 3 kg of an individual variety. There should be no more than three to four varieties in a grass mix. Sow 35 kg/ha (14 kg/ac) of seed. Less than 7 days range in heading date between varieties 14

15 Grazing infrastructure Good grazing infrastructure will allow more days at grass, provide easier management of grass at times of peak growth and make grazing less weather dependent. Creating paddocks 1. Get a map of the farm with areas for each existing field or paddock. 2. Use farm maps to consider several different ways of laying out the farm 3. Decide on the number of paddocks required; have at least six and Figure 3: Paddock System preferably nine paddocks for each separate grazing group of stock. 4. Minimising the number of grazing groups reduces the number of paddocks needed. 5. Determine most suitable road layout to service each paddock. 6. Identify the most appropriate water trough(s) position in each paddock. Where possible, share a trough between paddocks but, more importantly, position the troughs to allow further, possibly 15

16 Grazing infrastructure temporary, subdivision of paddocks. 7. Allow for multiple entrances. This is useful during temporary subdivisions and allows moving livestock to exit at the end of the paddock irrespective of what direction they are moving on in. 8. Keep paddocks square if possible. Where rectangular, the depth of the paddock should be no more than twice the width. Mark the layout on the ground with marker pegs. Re- consider the layout both from the practicality of construction and operation Are the paddock entrances in dry ground? Are the paddock entrances in the down-hill corner of the paddock? Is the slope of the roadway less than 10%? 9. Will the roadway disrupt normal flow of water down a slope? 10. Re-align the markers on the ground to correct for the issues identified above. 11. Record the final layout on an accurate map and make copies. Table 8: Advantages and disadvantages of fixed and flexible paddock systems 16

17 Paddock size and number of grazings per paddock The maximum depth of a paddock should be 250m from the access roadway reducing to 200m in wet areas more prone to poaching. Ideally a 2:1 ratio paddock layout should be used. Normally a 48-hour grazing duration per paddock should be the target. However, in spring and autumn, the allocation may be for 12 or 24 hours to allow paddocks to be fully grazed out when numbers of cattle grazing may be low since not all cattle/cows are at grass. For the greater part of the grazing season, 48-hour grazing paddocks/blocks should be the target. Where cattle/cows spend longer than 48 hours in a paddock, emerging regrowth will be eaten, less grass will be available at the next rotation, and overall grass production will be lower. 17

18 Calculate paddock size: (48-hour grazing) Step 1: Minimise the number of grazing groups and, by default, maximise the number of cattle/cows per grazing group. This has the two-fold effect of reducing the number of paddocks needed while keeping the paddocks as large as possible. Step 2: Establish the number of cattle/cows in the largest grazing group. This will determine paddock size on the farm. Step 3: Establish the daily grass demand Step 4: Ideal pre-grazing yield is 1,400 kg DM/ha for the main part of the grazing season. Step 5: Calculate paddock size Beef Example suckler cows with calves at foot x 17kg Dry Matter (DM) = 680kg DM/24 hours 2. Ideal pre grazing yield is 1,400 kg DM/Ha for the main part of the grazing season 3.A daily grazing 680/1,400 = 0.50Ha for 40 suckler cows/calves for 24 hours 4. 2 days grazing = 0.50 x 2 = 1Ha for 40 suckler cows/calves for 48 hours Dairy Example cows x 18 kg Dry Matter (DM) = 1,800kg DM/24 hours 2. Ideal pre grazing yield is 1,400 kg DM/Ha for the main part of the grazing season 3. A daily grazing 1,800/1,400 = 1.28 Ha for 100 cows for 24 hours 18

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20 MCPA 20

21 Event Boards 21

22 Event Boards 22

23 Notes 23

24 Teagasc, Advisory, Portlaoise Mochua Print & Design