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CONTENTS • Welcome • Repairing soils after flooding • Are we ready for changes to weed killer regulations? • Improving performance at grass • Will there ever be a virtual shepherd? • Grazing Club at the Sheep Event • Words of wisdom DO IT NOW Over-seed pastures It has become more common to renew existing swards by over-seeding or slot-seeding. This reduces the cost to £175-£200/ha (£70-£80/acre), compared with a full reseed at £375/ha (£100/acre), although a full reseed may still be needed eventually. Now is a good time to over-seed as soil temperatures are high and grass growth has slowed. The limiting factor may be moisture, so the final decision will be driven by rainfall. Soil nutrient levels must be on target, but do not apply nitrogen (N) as this will stimulate existing grasses too much. Aim for 40% bare soil before over-seeding. Aggressive harrowing may be needed. An over-seeding machine that harrows and sows can be used. Alternatively, harrow before and after broadcasting or drilling seeds, or use a slot-seeder/direct drill without cultivation. Seed-to-soil contact, moisture and light are critical for success. After sowing, graze hard in intensive four-to-seven day bursts every month, until the new plants are well established. Over-seeding works best with large-seeded varieties, but bear in mind the process may need repeating if germination is patchy.  HOW TO... Regain grass quality It has been very difficult to maintain grass quality this year after the best spring and early summer growth for a while. But this means some fields now have quite a few seed heads blowing in the wind – a sure sign of declining feed quality. When deciding what to do, try to estimate the total amount of the seed heads present as a proportion of the total feed available in the field – it will not normally be as bad as it looks. Then devise a plan to get back on top of excess growth without resorting to the topper. Read more... Decide when to apply sulphur Forty years ago, sulphur (S) supply to grassland was more than adequate. But today most pastures receive less than 15kg SO3 annually from the air. Swards deficient in S may not yield or respond to nitrogen fertiliser as well as expected. Grazing ground and first cut silage crops may be okay, but second and third cuts may suffer without additional S applied. Read more... Welcome The EBLEX Grazing Club is for all beef and sheep producers who want to: • Improve grass yields and quality • Improve animal performance off grass • Cut production costs • Make more money This newsletter is full of topical information, ideas and suggestions on how to achieve these objectives. As with any club, members can share and swap ideas on how they make the most of grass. Join the Grazing Club conversation on twitter– just follow #grazingclub. Dr Liz Genever, EBLEX livestock scientist Repairing soils after flooding At the end of May, DairyCo and EBLEX ran a joint event at Dairy Plot Farm in Somerset, focusing on how to get land back in order after heavy flooding.  The meeting was hosted by dairy farmer Mr Hubbard and his family, after they experienced the worst flooding they had ever known last winter. Read more... Are we ready for changes to weed killer regulations? At Grassland & Muck, EBLEX conducted a survey to see if beef and sheep producers were aware of the approaching changes to the regulations for weed killers. Overall, 76% of the people surveyed were aware that certification for sprayer operators was needed and Grandfather’s Rights, allowing farmers born before 1964 to spray un-certificated, were ending. 80% were aware of that legislation requiring testing of field sprayers is being introduced. However, only 41% of the respondents had the required certificates and around 30% had no qualifications. So it appears that many have not done anything to prepare for the changes, although it could be that they are going to ask a certificated neighbour or contractor to spray instead. Application methods Knapsack sprayers were the most common application method by those farmers surveyed.  Knapsacks and other handheld sprayers do not have to be tested every five years like boom sprayers do, but should be regularly checked against a checklist and a record kept.  Weed-wipers were only used by around 10% of respondents. It is worth noting that these do need testing every five years if wider than 3m, or every six years if not. Be aware that only glyphosate is licensed to be used in a weed wiper.  More information can be found on the Voluntary Initiative website. Improving performance at grass Sam Parrott is taking steps to increase liveweight gains at grass to reduce the cost of finishing home-produced and bought-in cattle. Reseeding older pastures, rotational grazing and breeding smaller cows are all up for consideration. Read more... Will there ever be a virtual shepherd? The IT revolution has already impacted many sectors of agriculture. Arable famers use satellite technology to map crop yields to help target fertiliser, while dairy farmers are increasingly using precision technologies to monitor cow behaviour. Dr Mark Rutter from Harper Adams Univesity asks whether such precision approaches will ever be available to beef and sheep farmers.Read more... Grazing Club at the Sheep Event Both Liz Genever and Poppy Frater will be on the EBLEX stand (148) at the Sheep Event in Malvern, talking about all things grass and sheep.  They will be focusing on how to plan grazing strategies, including how to implement an all-grass wintering system and how to establish a winter-feed budget. They will also be talking about the importance of measuring and monitoring grass, and the various ways of doing this. A new sward stick will be on show that converts compressed sward heights into kg DM per ha, which is really helpful when planning grazing strategies. It will also be an opportunity to pick up a copy of some of the BRP+ booklets related to grassland management, which can also be downloaded here. Words of wisdom Drench testing is as important as soil testing says Trevor Cook of Totally Vets. Anthelmintic resistance is not noticed until a wormer is less than 50% effective, so it is important to regularly monitor the activity of wormers by carrying out drench tests.   Rotational grazing more risky? Some perceive that rotational grazing increases the risk of stock picking up parasites.  Unfortunately, the ideal conditions for pasture growth are also ideal for infectious larvae to develop. Larvae can survive six to eight weeks in hot conditions and several months in cold. They can move up and down the sward to increase the chance of being eaten. They do not like dry conditions, but can move 10cm down into the soil to survive. The key is to lower the challenge of infectious larvae by employing mixed grazing or using aftermaths. For more information, see the EBLEX-funded report on the Impact of grazing management on cattle and sheep parasites, or the EBLEX BRP manual Worm Control in Sheep for Better Returns.

© Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 2014 EBLEX is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Edit your subscription | Unsubscribe EBLEX, AHDB Stoneleigh Park Kenilworth Warwickshire CV8 2TL