Good quality grass silage is the foundation for the Manor Farm herd’s diet, and subsequently, the success of Dave’s business. A lot of thought and attention goes into ensuring that the farm’s limited 60 acres of grass silage is as productive as possible and producing the highest quality grass.
“In my opinion, if you are stuck with poor quality silage, then you are always having to play ‘catch up’ to get the best from your cattle,” explains Dave. “By really focusing on producing the best quality silage we can, it puts our business in a strong position. For us, it is much easier and more cost effective to dilute high quality silage to suit our needs, rather than having to buy in extra feed to make up for shortcomings in silage quality.
“I have always paid attention to forage quality and taken multiple cuts of silage a year, but about 10 years ago, I decided to really push the performance of our grass leys. I also wanted to try and put some nutrients back into the soil and reduce our reliance on bought in nitrogen fertiliser.”
After talking over the options with ForFarmers’ Chris Boult, Dave decided to start reseeding grass leys with ForFarmers TOPGRASS Protogen seed mix which includes Advanced grasses and red clover.
“I now reseed the grass leys every 2-3 years on a rotational basis, usually as a break crop after wheat,” Dave explains. “We aim to take three cuts a season and I have been really impressed by the performance of the grass, both in terms of silage yield and the quality of the silage produced, with the clover adding a much-needed boost of protein.”
“As well as the clover fixing nitrogen in the soil, what I really like about this seed mix is its flexibility – it performs well in any conditions. If the weather is hot and dry, or the ground is wet, the mix still performs well as the Advanced grasses have a good dense root structure.”