Grass right - Growing Grass Right

Grass is universally acknowledged to be the cheapest source of energy for ruminant livestock. It's use as forage - whether grazed or ensiled - contributes directly to the profitability of the livestock enterprise.

It therefore follows, that any steps taken to further improve the productivity of grass land, through efficient and effective grass

management and use of inputs, will also further improve farm profitability.

Yet the profitability of a piece of grass land is determined not by one management factor but by many. These include: grazing system, ground cultivation, re-seeding frequency, choice of seed mixture and it's suitability for the intended purpose, appropriate choice and timely application of fertilisers and herbicides for the best results at least cost, cutting dates (silage), clamp management and appropriate use of silage additives. Nor should any one of these factors be considered in isolation, they are all inter-related.

So how can farmers follow 'best practice' and ensure that grass land is managed 'right' for profit? The answer is an initiative called 'grass-right' in which information and advice will be made available to farmers to help ensure the full profit potential of their grass is realised.

This initiative is supported by a group of four companies, each with specific knowledge and expertise in certain areas of grass land management. They are: OPICO, Limagrain UK, Dow AgroSciences and GrowHow UK.

The grass-right group will also be working with farmers, through practical on-farm trials, to assess the financial returns from adopting an integrated approach to grass land management.

Grassright members - Click the images for their web site links.