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Know How / Grassland management

In the current challenging climate, all livestock producers are under pressure to maximise the cheapest food source – forage. See the latest thinking on grazing methods, forage systems, reseeding and varieties as well as how others are making more from grass and maize.

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GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How to start rotational grazing with beef and sheep

Better grazing management has allowed the Berry family to expand their sheep and beef enterprise without the need to take on additional land. A series of measures, including rotational grazing…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Benefits of digestible cocksfoot and tall fescue in drought

Demand for grass mixes that perform dependably in dry conditions can be met by growing cocksfoot and tall fescue, with only slight changes in management to ryegrass-dominant swards. While perennial…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How farm’s electronic weather station aids grazing decisions

Ditching multiple Met Office weather forecasts in favour of their own, precise, weather predictions has allowed Georgina and Adam Roberts to fine-tune grazing management – and reduce poaching at Trye…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How one dairy grows top-quality grass for grazing and silage

Cheshire farmer James Witter mowed a fifth cut of grass silage on 28 December 2025, picking it up on New Year’s Eve, just before the weather turned cold. This additional…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Benefits of hay over silage for outwintered suckler cows

Conserving multispecies swards as hay instead of silage has cut losses from spoilage and saved wrapping and disposal costs for Sam Pearman’s outwintered suckler cows on a bale-grazing system. See…

SHEEP

How forage focus unlocked beef and sheep farm’s potential

A switch to rotational grazing has increased grass production by 45% on a north Devon beef and sheep farm. The change of system, which came as one generation handed over…

Practical advice

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GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Tips on pre-mowing grazing paddocks with poor residuals

Paddocks with poor residuals after the first two grazing rounds can be reset now by pre-mowing before the grass plant gets into its reproductive phase. Wet ground conditions, over allocation…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Advice on cost-effectively overseeding a tired sward

Overseeding can be an easier, cheaper, quicker way to rejuvenate a tired sward, but it will only be cost-effective if it leads to successful establishment. This year’s waterlogged fields and…

DAIRY

3 ways for dairy units to make on/off grazing work

A combination of low (or no) silage stocks and a falling milk price means there are dairy farmers turning cows out, despite wet conditions. On/off grazing is the most effective…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

6 tips on producing grass silage at optimal dry matter

Good-quality grass silage is the foundation of the winter ration for livestock, and throughout the year for housed systems. A key metric for achieving the best intakes and performance from…

BEEF

How grass growth benefits from early beef cattle turnout

Beef farmers running low on silage or bedding straw can turn out a small group of yearlings, or other lightweight cattle, in February to graze overwintered grass. Not only will…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Advice on planning forage stocks for spring-calving herds

Turnout dates for spring-calving herds should not be dictated by a silage shortage. Businesses must plan to have enough forage of milking-cow quality on hand to supplement poor grazing conditions…

Insights

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GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Herbal v ryegrass-clover leys: Cattle performance on test

Performance of cattle grazing herbal leys and finished on herbal ley silage is “just as good” as those on a comparable ryegrass-clover diet, a farm trial has shown. The results…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Why sward density is critical for overseeding success

Overseeding swards with a multispecies mix after grazing is significantly more effective than doing so on higher covers. This is according to a Welsh study that shows this method almost…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Biological stimulants: Are they good for grassland?

Trials in Wales comparing a range of biological stimulants applied to grassland have shown their potential to reduce inputs and improve grass quality. Results so far show an increase in…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Benefits of following maize with Westerwolds ryegrass

Including freshly cut Westerwolds ryegrass in the ration during housing is increasing daily milk yield by 2 litres a cow in a Ceredigion dairy herd and capturing significant cost savings…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How camera tech is speeding up dung beetle ID on-farm

Artificial intelligence is being used on a Devon farm to help identify species of dung beetle and monitor their activity as part of a silvopasture trial. By training cameras to…

SLURRY AND MANURE MANAGEMENT

How a slurry inoculant helped increase grass yields by 20%

Use of a slurry inoculant on a Cornish farm resulted in fewer nutrient losses and a boost in grass yields by nearly 20%, a trial has shown. These resulted in…

Maize

MAIZE

Newly drilled maize crops crying out for rain

Maize drilling is largely complete on two contrasting farms in Devon and Lincolnshire, but an exceptionally dry spring is leaving growers urgently waiting for rain to secure crop establishment. In…

FEED AND NUTRITION

How one farm is trialling a regen approach to forage maize

Faced with a reliance on maize but driven by a commitment to regenerative farming principles, Lucy and Rob Noad set out to prove that maize can be grown more sustainably.…

LIVESTOCK

Advice on growing successful maize crops after a wet winter

Challenging wet weather, waterlogged soils and flooded sites mean growers must be flexible and develop a farm-specific strategy to get maize seed in the ground this year. Conditions are not…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Forage maize yield more than double under film, trial shows

The impact on a farm’s cost of production from more than doubling forage maize yield, from 7t dry matter/ha to 18t, is significant. This yield benefit was seen when the…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Benefits of following maize with Westerwolds ryegrass

Including freshly cut Westerwolds ryegrass in the ration during housing is increasing daily milk yield by 2 litres a cow in a Ceredigion dairy herd and capturing significant cost savings…

FEED AND NUTRITION

12 new forage maize varieties make latest ranking

A dry matter yield of 19.6t/ha has put new forage maize variety KWS Zimo top of nine newcomers among the first-choice varieties in the 2026 Forage Maize Descriptive List for…

LIVESTOCK

Advice on early nutrition for forage maize crops

Top of the to-do list when planning this year’s forage maize crops should be to check soil pH and correct where necessary. Maize needs a pH of 5.8-7, and outside…

FEED AND NUTRITION

5 ways to be more efficient at maize production in 2025

The value of maize in feed rations is not in doubt but farmers are facing challenges in continuing to use it with confidence amid increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. They need…

AHDB resources

See AHDB resources on rotational grazing

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Video

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LIVESTOCK

Grassland and Muck 2014 video: Revolutionary grass monitor on de...

A revolutionary grass monitor that can be mounted on a wellie boot and automatically measures grass height via ultrasound sensors is set to make measuring grass easier. The Grassometer from…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Video: Outwintering system hopes to beat £163 a cow savings

Trial and error are paying off for a Northumberland mixed farm that has transitioned to outwintering its suckler herd over the past three winters. The Sordy family and the team…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How to ‘home-test’ grass to know when to cut for silage

When there is late application of fertiliser and slurry to crops, it is vital important to test grass before cutting for silage. Excess nitrogen is a risk in these fields…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Video: Advice on feeding fodder beet to dairy stock

Fodder beet is the largest-yielding fodder crop available and is high in sugar and metabolisable energy (ME), making it a direct replacer for cereal grain. It fits dairy well because…