Having discussed options with Richard, Phillip started reseeding old leys with new, high-performing grass varieties. "One of the ways we refocused our efforts was to invest in reseeding older leys. After all, if you have made a significant financial investment in a ley, you pay a lot more attention to how well it performs - it has to provide a good return."
Three years ago, Phillip began using TOPGRASS Silogen - a three-year, short term grass ley seed mix, which he hoped would improve the quality and quantity of the grass we grow. "This coming year will be a little different because we are hoping to grow more maize, but we aim to reseed about 20 hectares of grassland each year."
ForFarmers' forage specialist Lisa Hambly helps Phillip to decide which varieties are best suited to his unit. So far the results have been good, with increased grass yields and silage values jumping up by more than 1MJ/kg DM during the past couple of years to an average value of 11.8 ME.
"I used to take three cuts off our grass leys, but with the reseeded areas we now take four," Phillip explains. "First cut is exceptionally good, with grass often reaching to waist height, with plenty of leaf and not too much stem. It provides a good starting point from which to produce the best quality silage."