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Farm Visit 24 October 2009

Castlewellan Clover Monitor Farm

Summary of Group Meeting – 24 October 2009

Agenda for the afternoon:
  • Elect a group chairperson.
  • Discuss benefits and costs of reseeding.
  • Review of outcomes from last meeting.
  • Farm walk to discuss reseeding work.
  • Discuss grass management for autumn and plan for grazing in spring 2010.
Number of group members attending – 10

Introduction

The group met for an update on how the monitoring farm was progressing with the proposed reseeding plan.
Due to the extremely poor weather conditions, there was a low attendance from group members.
However, those members who attended were enthusiastic and participated fully in group discussion.
1. Election of Group chairperson
The group members elected Murtagh Walls, Hilltown, to be the chairperson for group meetings.
2. Costs of reseeding.
The discussion got underway in the farmyard, about the cost of reseeding.
This generated great debate for costings from basically broadcasting on an open sward, using min-til or “stitching in” grass to full plough and reseed.
The monitor farm was ranging from £60/acre for grass/clover stitching in spring, to around £170/acre for the conventional reseed carried out in September. However, this reseed still requires 1 tonne/acre lime that is not yet costed in.
3. Review of grass swards.  

Field 1 – Lower Carnreagh Road (8.1 acres)

Summary
This field was the first stop at the farmwalk in July.
Following advice from Scott Laidlaw of AFBI, it was decided not to sow any more nitrogen in the field as clover was being inhibited by the high level of perennial ryegrass.
Action
  • No nitrogen has been applied and the field has performed well in grass covers.
  • Field should be closed off in early November for turnout late Feb/early March.
  • The graph below shows how the ground has performed over the year.
  • Calves on the grazed on the field over the season averaged 1.36kg/day.
  • Clover has definitely been hindered by the nitrogen spread in June.
  • On analysis from Scott Laidlaw, the clover content of the plots was 5 times higher than the clover content of the field.
  • However, this is the case for the other farms used in the clover check.

Field 5 – Hill field (8.5 acres)

Summary
The field was the second stop at farmwalk 1 and had a demo of the newly purchased shakerator.
As the field was in grass for over 30 years, it was earmarked for reseeding in spring.
Possible options discussed were:
  • Spraying with glyphosphate in the autumn, letting the sheep graze over the winter and then discing and seeding.
  • Spraying in either autumn or spring and ploughing.
  • Spraying in autumn and powerharrow in spring.
Action
  • Field should be grazed over the winter and closed in spring.
  • Field to be sprayed with glyphosphate and then reseeded in two halves.
  • One half will be reseeded with an Einbock, the second half with a Guttler.
  • Both machines work on a similar “stitching” basis. Group members were interested to see if the heavy duty Guttler machine is more successful.
  • Grass varieties should be intermediate and late ryegrass with medium clover varieties.

Field 7 – Park centre field at Finnis Farm (5.5 acres)

Summary
  • As grass quality was very poor, the field was earmarked for immediate reseeding.
  • The field had a high content of old and weed grass and due to heavier soil and wet grazing conditions, there was a lot of poaching.
  • The field was to be sprayed with glyphosphate in August and ploughed.
Action
  • The field had new drainage completed and a soil sample was taken, with the following results:
  • Lime = 5.8 (require 0.8 tonnes/acre lime)
  • Phosphate (P) = 2
  • Potash (K) = 0
  • Field was burned off as planned on the 1st week of August and then grazed bare with dry ewes.
  • Ploughing was delayed until 11th September.
  • The ground was harrowed , rolled, fertilised and grass seed broadcast (1bag/acre) on 15th September.
  • The seed mix is outlined as follows:
  • 3kg Spelga – Intermediate ryegrass (diploid)
  • 4kg Tyrella – Late ryegrass (tetraploid)
  • 2kg Dunluce – Intermediate ryegrass (diploid)
  • 3kg Dunloy – Late ryegrass (tetraploid)
  • 2kg Ensign clover mix – (Crusader, Barblanca & Alice)

Field 5 – Finnis farm (4.4 acres)

Summary
  • This field had stitching work carried out in April.
  • The field was being overgrazed due to drainage work in fields 6 & 7, so stock were not moved at ideal time to allow the field to rest.
  • The grass seed used is a permanent grass mix of:
  • 2.5 kg Glen – Intermediate
  • 2kg Dunluce – Intermediate
  • 3kg Tyrella – Late
  • 2.5kg Pastour – Late
  • 2.5kg Dunloy – Late
  • 0.5kg Motim -  Timothy
  • 1kg Ensign Clover mix
Action
  • The field has now been closed since the 1st week of October.
  • It received 1300 gal/acre slurry
  • As field is a dry field, it should be kept closed and for early turnout next spring.

Fields 18, 20, 15, 21

Summary
  • Fields were reseeded in Autumn 2008.
  • Grass seed was broadcast straight after silage this year as swards were very open.
  • Slurry has been applied in October.
  • Fields have had aerated using shakerator in October.