A drought-resistant annual clover is allowing a Welsh lamb producer to make savings on ewe feed costs pre-lambing

Pearce Hughes planted a six acre trial plot of Balansa – an annual clover native to north-eastern Mediterranean regions – as a Farming Connect trial to establish how it performed in UK conditions.

The seed, a variety called ‘Fixation’ and bred in America for extra cold tolerance, was sown with Italian ryegrass at the beginning of June 2016; the seed rate per hectare was 5kg of balansa (2kg/acre) and 22kg/ha of Italian ryegrass (9kg/acre).

The crop was cut on August 10th, yielding 33 bales at 630kg/bale – the equivalent of 4 tonnes/hectare. “It was at waist-level when we cut it,’’ says Mr Hughes.

The silage analysed at 14.5% crude protein, 11.5MJ/kg ME, a D-value of 72 and 46% dry matter (DM).

In comparison, haylage harvested at Llyn Rhys achieved a crude protein of 11.7%, 11.6 MJ/kg ME and 81.9% DM.

Mr Hughes is an Innovis multiplier and runs a flock of 1,250 Lleyn, AberField, AberMax and AberVale ewes at Llyn Rhys, a Farming Connect Focus Site near Wrexham.

He fed the Balansa silage to his twin and triplet-bearing ewes in late February, five weeks pre-lambing.

The flock starts lambing on March 25st and an 18% protein concentrate is normally introduced five weeks before lambing. But the performance of the ewes on the balansa silage was so good that Mr Hughes delayed feeding by two weeks.

He estimates that this resulted in savings of £1.68 a head in his twin bearing ewes. “The quality of the silage was so good that it essentially replaced the cake. We probably could have held off feeding for another week or so but we didn’t want to risk it.

“We had been hoping the balansa silage would have achieved a protein level of 16% instead of 14.5% but with a slightly earlier cutting date I am sure we could have achieved this.

“Our aim is to try and produce rocket fuel silage to feed the ewes before lambing to minimise the amount of concentrate we put into them.’’

But Mr Hughes doesn’t view balansa only as a means of reducing his purchased feed costs.

He says its nitrogen-fixing properties are improving soil fertility and reducing inputs of chemical fertiliser – a 5:24:24 fertiliser was applied at 246kg/ha at sowing followed by 123kg/ha of urea four weeks later.

Balansa is also an aggressive weed suppressant. “Nothing stood a chance against it, even the Italian ryegrass was struggling to keep up. With the likelihood of some weedkillers being withdrawn in the future this is definitely a consideration,’’ says Mr Hughes.

As a spring-sown annual, the balansa didn’t grow back after cutting in 2016. Independent grassland and forage specialist Charlie Morgan says with an autumn sowing it should to be capable of producing three cuts of silage and grazing for fattening lambs.

“The optimum time for sowing is mid to late autumn because it allows the plant to establish before the winter and to develop a strong rooting system,’’ Mr Morgan told farmers attending a Farming Connect open day at Llyn Rhys.

“In the USA it can be cut later after flowering and will drop hard seeds that will regenerate for another two or three years. We need to learn if the UK climate conditions will allow for the same management and outcomes.’’

To bridge the gap left by the balansa, more balansa clover seed was stitched into the ley in half the field shortly after the silage was cut and berseem clover was stitched into the other half. The yield of Italian ryegrass has been boosted by the decaying clover from the previous crop releasing nitrogen into the soil.

The berseem was well established by the spring – it grew at an average of 31kg/DM/ha/day from March 20th. No fertiliser was applied last autumn and Mr Hughes only applied a single dressing of 23:4:13 fertiliser at a rate of 187kg/ha (75kg/acre) in early April.

Unlike some forages, balansa will do well in less than ideal soil pH conditions. “It will grow well at a pH of 5.7 to 5.8 and there are reports of farmers growing it successfully at pH levels as low as 4.8 in America’’ says Mr Morgan.

He believes farmers must look at the options for growing novel plants if the UK is to experience drier conditions going forward.

“Annual clovers are high yielding and they have drought tolerant characteristics so they could be considered among a range of options farmers have at their disposal if the UK is to experience a change in climatic conditions

“With such dry conditions in parts of America, a multitude of species are sown into one mix and grown to maximise biomass. These crops can stand five to six-foot-high and after they have been cut they are grazed to optimise livestock potential under difficult conditions.’’

They also provide organic matter to weak soils, aiding water retention and nutrient availability. Some of these species have significantly different rooting capabilities.

Mr Hughes tried this system on another field with a mix incorporating 12 different species, one of which was Daikon Tillage radish, which rooted to 30-40cm.

“This type of crop is a feed source for the flora and fauna in the soil,’’ says Mr Morgan. “The combination of these plants has really improved the soil conditions of the field. It would be interesting to see if organic matter levels are capturing more carbon and improving nutrient efficiencies and water holding capacities of these soils, something all farms need to be considering.’’

The berseem performed well even in the wet winter conditions experienced at Llyn Rhys. “It is surviving well under damper conditions,’’ reports Mr Morgan.

“What it appears to have done is to not put its roots down too deep because it has an adequate water supply. But it has the capacity to go deep if needed.’’

The soil conditioning properties of the multi-species cover crops are also evident at Llyn Rhys.

The seed mix containing 12 different varieties was sown in a field badly compacted by contractors working on electricity pylons. “The soil is near perfect,’’ says Mr Morgan.

With the berseem now decaying, it is already providing nitrogen for the next crop. Mr Morgan says it is important to plan crop rotations, to work out which crop is going to benefit next.’’

“These annuals are often sold as green manures to hold soil over a winter, preventing erosion and also holding nutrients for future crops in arable systems.

“The additional extra in livestock systems is livestock performance options and weed suppression.’’