East Essex Smallholders Chitchat

Web Version  |  Unsubscribe Like Tweet CONTENTS Growing grass to grow profits Have you got healthy grassland soils? Getting re-seeds right Using sheep to combat black-grass Words of wisdom: balance in the sward  DO IT NOW Count earthworms   Earthworms are vital to the turnover of organic matter in the soil and the mixing of organic and mineral components as they feed on soil organic matter and leaf litter. The best time to observe or count earthworm populations is early to mid-spring or after the soil has wetted up in autumn. Find out more about counting earthworms HOW TO... Increase white clover levels White clover not only fixes nitrogen in the soil but it has a higher protein and mineral content. This crop also increases intake of forage by stock and increases.  Read to find out more about how best to manage white clover Cutting date The stage of growth at which the crop is cut will have a big influence on the feed value the silage will have. Find out more about the deciding when to cut EVENTS Grassland UK Come and meet EBLEX at  the Grassland UK show where we will have a joint stand with DairyCo and the British Grassland Society. 7 May 9am-4pm Royal Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet  More info about Grassland UK Make better silage The Better Returns Programme is running a series of events to look at better ways of making silage. 11 May: Staffordshire 12 May: Gloucestershire 19 May: Buckinghamshire 26 May: Sussex 28 May: Cornwall Call the events team on 01904 771211 for more details. More EBLEX events PROFIT FROM GRASS In the latest edition...   Northumbrian beef and sheep farmer, Angus Nelless, talks about managing grass for his ewes and lambs. And Liz Genever discusses what grass can provide. Read more on the Farmers Guardian website RESOURCES   Improving soils for Better Returns manual   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 Our 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. And we’d love to hear what you think, so join in with the Grazing Club discussion on Twitter using #grazingclub or email us. Dr Liz GeneverEBLEX livestock scientist Growing grass to grow profits Adam Woods, BETTER Farm Programme Manager at Teagasc, provides tips and advice on how to grow better grass. The focus of the programme has been to encourage producers to think about the areas they can control such as the use of grass, kg of output and veterinary costs.  Read more about how to grow better grass... Have you got healthy grassland soils? A new online resource, Healthy Grassland Soils, has been produced to help grassland farmers manage the soil on their farm more effectively. It's been co-funded by DairyCo and EBLEX to ensure producers have the tools to study soil properties then choose the best, and least, damaging management practices. There is an array of information including advice on soil biology, videos and downloads. Improving soil structure and conserving biological activity has been proven to support better plant growth, forage quality and thus profits. It can also minimise the negative impacts on the environment which can follow poor soil management. Read more about how to ensure your soil is healthy…    Getting re-seeds right Pete Woolston has had a few issues with some of the fields he has re-seeded over the last year. The Rutland Grazing Discussion Group joined him on his Northamptonshire farm to discuss the need to understand what the right grass is and managing re-seeds.   Read more about what was discussed at Pete's farm... Using sheep to combat black-grass John Pawsey has brought a flock of 250 NZ Romney sheep onto his organic Suffolk farm to try to combat black-grass. He invited a group of farmers to discuss the cultural methods of black-grass control. And Dr Stephen Moss from Rothamsted Reserch  presented the research and progress made with regard to black-grass control. Read more about using sheep to control black-grass... Words of wisdom: Balance in the sward In a grass sward there is always a balance between grass growth and death. The graph shows that maximum grass production is reached at covers between 1500-2500kg DM/ha, which equates to around 5-12cm. After this point the dying leaves deprive the new leaves of sunlight, which leads to an increase in leaf death and a decline in overall production. Grazing at optimum points and resting pasture when cover is down to 1250-1500kg DM/ha can optimise grass utilisation and sustain a quality sward. Find more information in the Planning grazing strategies for Better Returns manual © Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 2015 EBLEX is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Email the BRP team | Unsubscribe EBLEX, AHDB Stoneleigh Park Kenilworth Warwickshire CV8 2TL