27 April 2018
After one of the most challenging spring periods in recent memory for grassland management the recent warm and dry weather has highlighted even further the importance of robust grass measuring and management to ensure grass is utilised correctly either through grazing or conservation.
Low silage stocks and lower growth (down 50KgDM/Ha/day from 2017 for the same spring period) meant cows were forced to graze low covers leading to lower average farm covers of around 1600-1700KgDM/Ha on some farms and a flatter grass wedge, this along with the sudden explosion in grass growth could potentially lead to a tsunami of grass further along the growing season. Knowing how much is growing and where it’s growing will be key in correctly utilising the inevitable abundance of quality grass be it through grazing or ensiling.
New farms have joined the pasture project in the south east for 2018, which will add to the already comprehensive network of established participants who upload weekly farm covers and growth rates. Farmers in Wales will now be able to look back on 3 years of grass growth data for some of the Pasture Project farms giving a useful insight into how differing weather and conditions have affected growth from year to year.
Make sure you follow the participating farmers on the Welsh Pasture Project to keep an eye on growth in your area and the important management decisions being made to better utilise grass during this challenging period.
For more information contact Rhys Davies – Dairy Technical Officer for North Wales 07985 379 880
The project's page can be found here.
This project is co-ordinated by Farming Connect which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.