Faced with extreme weather conditions through the seasons, pasture becomes less productive for livestock farmers as the years pass. To maintain high production levels and support sustainability, pasture renewal is needed on 10% of your farm each year.
Regrassing to improve pasture performance
Germinal Horizon continues to breed new perennial ryegrass varieties in the award-winning Aber High Sugar Grass (HSG) range. Bred to drive meat and milk production, Aber HSG varieties can also reduce ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions by helping livestock capture more protein from grass.
By regrassing with Aber HSG varieties, there is major potential to grow high-yielding, higher-quality grass that lowers bought-in feed costs, drives production, and reduces emissions. This can unlock sustainability benefits without compromising on your production.
The benefits of pasture renewal
- Increase DM production
- Better spring and autumn grass supply
- Grow better-quality pasture
- Get a more efficient response to fertiliser
- Drive farm productivity and profitability
A successful pasture renewal will depend on several factors:
- Pasture characteristics
- Cultivation techniques
- Soil fertility
- Timing of planting
- Mixture or seed selection
- Stocking rate
- Grazing and cutting management
Healthy pasture produces more high-quality grass and clover to drive better animal performance and reduce feed costs.
Pasture renewal checklist
- Identify paddocks for renewal: Sustain production by aiming to regrass 10% of your farm each year. Consider the poorest producing paddocks and investigate the limiting factors – for example: soil fertility, drainage, pasture species, ground cover or soil compaction.
- Soil test: Target pH is 5.8-6.2. Assess all nutrients and apply capital fertiliser as required, incorporating it into the soil during cultivation.
- Spray off the old pasture or crop: This is to kill off any residual grass and weeds to reduce competition for light, moisture and nutrients when the new pasture is establishing.
- Choose the best regrassing method: Prepare a fine, firm seedbed and select a regrassing method that makes sense for your requirements. Direct drilling or cultivation are good options and will depend on the previous crop or pasture, the insects present, and the condition of the soil.
- Liming pasture: Apply to counteract any acidity from the old paddock with plenty of time before regrassing to allow for the lime to breakdown and become available for the new seedlings.
- Fertiliser: Apply NPK starter fertiliser based on the specific requirements identified during soil testing.
- Select the right grass seed: Choose a mixture with varieties suited to the paddock’s purpose, the class of stock, and the farm system.
- Sow the seed: Aim to sow perennial ryegrass diploids at 18-22kg plus clover and 24-30kg of perennial ryegrass tetraploids plus clover in good conditions (warm with rain forecast), no deeper than 5-10mm. Timing is also an important consideration to allow your new pasture to establish before the summer or winter.
- Rolling: Ensure good seed-to-soil contact to encourage germination. Rolling will also help conserve soil moisture.
- Pest control: Monitor pasture for pest attacks. Take action where needed.
- Weed control: Post-emergence weed spray is essential. Apply 5-6 weeks after establishment, before the first grazing. Where clover seed was sown, use a clover-safe spray and apply at the correct growth stage.
- Grazing management: Graze frequently and lightly to encourage tillering and help create dense pasture.
Identify pasture for regrassing and plan ahead
Aim to regrass 10% of your farm each year. Identify suitable paddocks with these criteria and compare these against your best-performing paddocks:
- DM yield is dropping
- ME quality is decreasing
- Ground is badly pugged
- Weeds now control more than 10% of ground cover
- Less grazing of paddock
- Less silage produced
When is the best time to renew pasture?
Regrassing in spring or early summer is ideal in colder areas due to improving soil and air temperatures and ground conditions compared to autumn.
Rising temperatures and longer days will help achieve good germination and establishment of the new seed. For dry summer areas, autumn sowing will be more suitable for allowing new grass to establish before the following dry period.
Improving ground conditions will enable more frequent grazing of renewed paddocks. This is crucial for the tillering process.
Delaying regrassing into late autumn means potentially lower temperatures, thus reducing seed germination. More rainfall can also result in worse ground conditions, making it difficult to graze. It is important to sow early when the conditions are suitable before heading into the winter.
Soil test before regrassing
Test soil first to determine the pH level and nutrient makeup. For most farms, Germinal recommends 5.8-6.2 as the ideal soil pH range.
You can then correct any deficiencies and give your pasture renewal the best chance to succeed. This also lets you save money by targeting fertiliser applications, which is also good for the environment.
Soil testing
Divide your farm into representative areas that can be managed for a specific fertiliser application program. Select soil samples from different areas based on:
- Soil type
- Crop history
- Slope
- Drainage
- Poor yields
- Avoid areas that won’t be regrassed
Taking a wide range of samples helps improve soil fertility across your farm.
- Follow a ‘W’ soil sampling pattern to ensure that the sample is representative of the entire paddock.
- Take approximately 20 cores. Ensure that all soil cores are taken to the full 100mm depth.
- Place the 20 cores to make up the soil sample.
- Record the paddock number and sample number on the sample bag.
Wait three to six months after your last fertiliser application before sampling a paddock for P and K. With lime, allow two years before sampling for requirements.
Preparation: Spray off the old paddock
Years of thatch can deprive your soil of oxygen, sunlight, and water. To prepare for regrassing, spray off the old pasture with the correct rate of chemicals and surfactants depending on the spectrum of weeks.
After following the withholding period for the chemicals applied, graze to ensure a clean seedbed before drilling or cultivation.
Pasture renewal methods
No matter the method, prepare a fine, firm seedbed before regressing, achieving:
- Good seed-to-soil contact for germination.
- Firmness avoid seed getting buried too deep.
- Moisture is better retained, which is critical for the new plant.
- A level and even seedbed helps pasture establish.
Not every paddock is the same, but generally aim to sow perennial ryegrass diploids at 18-22kg plus clover and 24-30kg of perennial ryegrass tetraploids plus clover in good conditions, which would be warm with rain forecast. Sow no deeper than 5-10mm.
Ploughing
This provides an opportunity to level a paddock, control insects or break a pan if there is a soil compaction issue. The plough inverts the top layer of soil and buries the old pasture. Ploughing gives very reliable results, though it can release carbon and disturb microorganisms.
Minimum tillage
Min till can be a viable alternative if you do not want to plough. Often, this involves a tine or disc harrow to cultivate the soil. It is important to spray off old pasture, control pests and wait up to three weeks before min-till to ensure adequate kill of old grasses and weeds.
Disc and one pass
Aim for two to three passes of the disc harrow. The second run should be at an angle different to the first run to ensure the breakup of the sod and sufficient soil is turned up. Avoid excessive forward speeds as this can result in uneven seedbeds.
Direct drilling/no-till
This lets new pasture establish without disturbing the soil beyond what is necessary to place the seed at the correct depth. Begin by spraying off your paddock, controlling any pests and grazing after the spray withhold period.
Then check for thatch and determine if it needs to be tine harrowed to allow for good seed-to-soil contact and to let sunlight in around the base.
In good conditions, seed can be drilled with minimal disturbance. Ensure seeds are placed at the correct depth and avoid deep sowing – 5-10mm is the aim.
Undersowing pasture
Used to rejuvenate older pasture when a full renewal is not necessary, results can be variable and depend on different factors. Good seed-to-soil contact is essential, so this is unlikely to work if there is excessive thatch in existing pasture.
Slot seeding via direct drilling is recommended, but first graze older paddocks hard or use this method after a large silage cut.
The ideal seed rate is 20-25kg/ha, then grazing the paddock lightly and often to avoid the existing grass plants shading out the new seeds.
Apply fertiliser
Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), Potassium (K) and sulphur (S) will likely be needed when sowing. While N provides seedlings with energy for growth, P and K support root and tiller development. Apply fertiliser in line with the requirements identified during soil testing.
Rolling
Post-sowing rolling is essential. It helps compress the soil, keeping more moisture in the seedbed. Rolling also helps seed-to-soil contact and the best chance of successful germination.
Pest control
Pest attacks can be common in autumn. Here are five tips to reduce the risk of an attack:
- Kill off older pasture effectively and remove dead trash.
- Allow sufficient time between spraying and cultivation.
- Apply an appropriate insecticide with the herbicide spray.
- Prepare a good seedbed in the best growing conditions before regrassing.
- Post-sowing rolling.
- Use grasses with endophytes intended for your region.
Weed control
Sprays provides the best opportunity for weed control in new pasture. Weeds are easier and cheaper to control when they are seedlings and most susceptible to herbicides. Apply a spray targeting the weed types present five to six weeks after cultivation.
Grazing management after regrassing
Grazing helps grass tiller out and the first grazing should occur at a low herbage mass. This can happen if the grass passes the pluck test.
Pull the grass leaves by hand to mimic a grazing animal. If the leaves break off, the grass is ready for grazing. If pulling results in the plants and roots coming out in the soil, then your pasture needs more time to anchor fully.
Ask for Germinal pasture seed
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