Use of legumes and multi-species swards
Over 150 people joined us in Northern Ireland for our three-day summer meeting at the end of June.
There were a number of recurring themes on the farms visited, one of which was the use of legumes and multi-species swards.
Some of the farmers visited felt that there were issues with adding clover to swards, such as the lack of clover-safe herbicides or its suitability for their system, but others had included clover either by stitching it in, or by opting for a full reseed.
Alastair McNeilly from Co. Antrim planted a grass/red clover sward last year and was very pleased with its performance.
There was much discussion amongst the delegates about the sward, and how to manage it so that it would persist for as long as possible.
New BGS president, Dr Elizabeth Stockdale, got hands-on with the multi-species sward at the farm of John Egerton in Co. Fermanagh, by digging out a clump of soil to look at root structure.
John admitted that he had required a new set of skills to manage the sward and had to treat it differently to his grass swards, particularly in terms of grazing rotation.
Having initially used a 21-day rotation he realised that this would need to be extended and was looking to move to 30 days.
The role of higher protein forages and home-grown protein sources within dairy systems was also highlighted at AFBI Hillsborough.
With planning already underway, BGS are looking forward to welcoming delegates to North Wales for the summer meeting 2023 from June 26-28.
Tom Goatman is chief executive of the British Grassland Society
