Rhyd Y Gofaint Project update - July 2024

Due to the wet spring, fields at Rhyd Y Gofaint were slow to dry out enough to take machinery traffic therefore fields were sown slightly later than originally planned. However, this will allow us to see if a later sowing date will impact sward establishment. 

Two fields of first cut silage were harvested in late May prior to overseeding, one of which was a grazing paddock too far advanced for grazing, and the second a field taken as a first cut before going into the grazing platform. 

Details of the two overseeding paddocks are seen below:

Figure 3. Erth Agriseeder drill in action

Once the seeds have germinated and are strong enough to survive a bit of treading, but with no more than 2400 kg grass cover, the fields will be grazed to minimise competition between grass and clover.

Chris Duller, the grazing specialist on the project will be monitoring clover germination, before completing sward assessments in the Autumn on all plots to record dry matter, sward quality and sward separations.

Next Steps? 

The third field for the project will be a silage field sprayed, ploughed and reseeded after 2nd cut in late July, weather permitting.

Find out more on this topic: 
Benefits and pitfalls of clover overseeding examined at Welsh farm | Farming Connect