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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.

Grassland must reads

Maize must reads

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SLURRY AND MANURE MANAGEMENT

How topping up manure with biochar has improved soil health

When prices of manufactured fertiliser and cattle concentrates increase, Mick and Sandy Jones do not see the financial impact in their suckler beef enterprise. For 15 years, they have grown…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How grassland winner is learning new skills for herbal leys

Having learned how to manage ryegrass to maximise its efficiency, James Tweedie, Farmers Weekly’s Grassland Farmer of the Year, is now in an “experimental” phase finding out how to do…

SHEEP

Contracts and grazing lets grow family livestock business

A can-do attitude has seen a husband-and-wife team capitalise on grazing lets, putting them on track to run 1,000 ewes and 30 suckler cows of their own. Sussex graziers David…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Grazier cuts winter costs to £112 a cow and £6.30 a ewe

Rethinking how hill ground is utilised is unlocking profit potential for an upland mixed tenant farm. Combined with a move to recorded maternal genetics (and doubling the number of fields…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Benefits of early bite after maize for autumn-calving herd

Early bite is not only transitioning cows and rumens onto grazed grass, it is also saving bedding straw and labour for a Norfolk 180-cow autumn-calving herd. “We drop down to…

LIVESTOCK

How an Irish dairy unit is using clover to target zero N

A good grass-growing farm – albeit one at altitude – has been gradually incorporating clover into its leys as part of its low-nitrogen grazing system. As a result, Bryan and…

Practical advice

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GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Advice on adding herb species to a grazing reseed

Walking grazing fields to identify plant species when they are in growing and flowering mode will establish which clovers and herbs are naturally occurring on the farm. Reseeding costs can…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Tips on minimising soil compaction on silage ground

Operating a controlled traffic system on silage fields this year – for both nutrient applications and grass harvesting – should prevent soil compaction. Giving up rolling (to push stones back…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Why fertiliser rates are key to N-free first-cut silage

With about a month until the start of multicut silage season, recent cold temperatures have slowed grass growth. This means accurate nutrient applications will be essential to avoid excess nitrogen…

DAIRY

Advice for grazing high-yielding Holsteins

It is no surprise that many year-round calvers with higher-yielding cows find grazing stressful. Allocating grass is difficult when cows are at different stages of lactation, and, unlike a total…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

8 things to consider before sowing maize

Maize growers who are consistently getting crops off late, struggling with yields, and negatively impacting the environment may be asking themselves whether maize is the right crop for them, or…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How to plan grazing to avoid soil compaction in wet weather

Preventing soil compaction is cheaper than rectifying damage caused by grazing in wet conditions or overstocking at turnout. Short term, it is more important to prioritise soil condition over cow…

Insights

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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…

LIVESTOCK

How higher grazing residuals increase liveweight gain

Beef cattle which graze pasture to a residual of 5-6cm in all rotations – except the first and last of the season – are likely to gain more weight than…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Why growing more grass species helps cut feed costs

Improving productivity is key to increasing natural capital while building a more resilient grazing system on livestock farms. This was the message from regenerative farming consultant Siobhan Griffin from Next…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Why cell grazing beat set stocking in Devon trial

Cell grazing is a more sustainable and productive grazing method than set stocking, results from a four-year grazing trial have shown. Cell grazing consistently outperformed set stocking plots at Rothamsted…

BEEF

16 ways to improve suckler herd profitability

British beef farmers can check their management practices against a list of tried and tested ways to make their suckler herds more profitable and productive. A joint levy board initiative…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Tips for establishing white clover in a sward

A combination of correct pH, good seed-bed conditions and minimal competition from weeds is important for successful clover germination, according to consultant Andre van Barneveld of Graise Consultancy in Ireland.…

BNG

Conservation grazing grows as alternative land uses develop

Biodiversity net gain (BNG) became mandatory in the planning system in England from February 2024, allowing landowners to earn an income from selling biodiversity units to developers. This is just…

Maize

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…

MAIZE

Advice for creating temporary field clamps for maize

Clamping maize in a field could be an option for farmers to avoid overfilling permanent structures or making a mess on roadways – but it requires careful planning. Hefin Richards…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

8 things to consider before sowing maize

Maize growers who are consistently getting crops off late, struggling with yields, and negatively impacting the environment may be asking themselves whether maize is the right crop for them, or…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Maize Watch: Crop progress a month behind

Maize progress has largely been a month behind all year in southern Wales, with drilling and harvesting dates both delayed.   This is according to George John of SG John…

LIVESTOCK

Maize Watch: Marked difference under film near Dumfries

Harvesting is halfway at SRUC Crichton Royal Farm, Dumfries, where conventionally grown maize is lagging behind crop germinated under film. While the farm’s maize under film was harvested last week…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Maize Watch: Bigger maize acreage brings results in Devon

A decision to grow an extra 30ha of maize to swell forage stocks has paid off for Crediton-based autumn block-calver Chris Blake. Maize makes up 60-65% of the winter silage…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Maize Watch: What to do if frost hits before harvest

Timing the maize harvest after a cold spell should be informed by close crop inspection and leaf colour. This is according to Neil Groom, manager of forage specialists Grainseed, who…

AHDB resources

See AHDB resources on rotational grazing

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Video

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FEED AND NUTRITION

How growing maize with beans can improve silage quality

Intercropping of maize and climbing beans is gaining ground among German farmers keen to improve the quality of their silage. Yields and protein content are particularly promising when the two…

BEEF

Video: Return of native beef breed benefits Welsh farm

Livestock farmer Richard Lewis swapped his Limousin cattle for native Welsh Blacks and has seen the farm flourish. He invested in 45 head of the cattle, which was quite an…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Video: Silage gas escape sparks health and safety alert

A video on Twitter showing a deadly brown gas escaping from a freshly clamped silage pit has sparked a health and safety warning, after the gas was identified as the…

DAIRY

Video: How a dairy farmer cut concentrate costs by £30,000

Close monitoring of daily production and producing more milk from forage have enabled a Suffolk farmer to reduce concentrate use by almost one-third. In 2019, Jonny Crickmore was comparing the…