A huge thank you to all who attended the Germinal Grass Reseeding Info and Demo day last Wednesday in the Horse and Jockey, held in association with Teagasc.
Almost 400 attended the day and we hope you all took away some valuable information to help with your own farming situation. Many thanks to Brian and Pat Hogan and their families for hosting the event.
A few key take home messages from the day;
A healthy soil is essential
- A spade is one of the most useful tools on your farm. Get out with a spade - dig a hole and assess soil health, noting signs of compaction, limiting layer, rooting depth.
- Feed the earthworms- they will do the aerating and improve overall soil health. It’s our job to mind their homes - the soil.
Choose the top grass varieties
- Grass quality is the most valuable trait in grazing mixtures, it influences sward utilisation and animal performance. Ensure you use the top quality varieties on the PPI in your grass mixtures.
- What you sow today should last 8-10 years at farm level, there is a difference of €148 per ha/year between the best variety (AberGain) and the worst variety on the PPI. Ensure you sow the top varieties as they will return more to your farm.
Weed control is essential
- The best opportunity for weed control in your sward is at reseeding. Use a post-emergence spray to control weeds before they develop tap roots – timing is critical for successful weed control and if clover is included in the sward use a clover-safe spray.
Sustainable ruminant production
- Correct soil pH for a healthier soil. Applied nutrients will also be more available to grass at the optimum soil pH
- Introduce white clover into your swards
For successful sward establishment
- Liming at reseeding is critical to counteract surface acidity as the old sward decays – don’t skip liming.
- Rolling is crucial to create a firm seedbed, maintain moisture and ensure quick establishment of your sward. Ensure you adequately roll after sowing the seed.
For the day, 250 handouts were printed. However, the crowd turnout was much bigger than expected so many did not get a copy of this – you can now view it or download it from this link.
For information on Germinal's agricultural grass seed mixtures please click here, or you can download our latest catalogue.
If you have any further questions on any aspect of reseeding or on any topic discussed on the day please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to discuss it further.