The Guide To Agricultural Grass Seed

Grass is a very important, if not vital part of any livestock farm or pasture. This essential part of a productive pasture can keep your livestock well fed at a very low cost, keeps your soil healthy and can even assist with the PH balance of your soil.

Grass seed is a “high-risk, high-reward” crop that, when planted and managed properly, can prove hugely profitable for farmers. Specific seed mixes lend themselves to specific needs. For livestock farmers this can involve planting and maintaining a series of grass types and agricultural seeds.

As farmers aim to produce more milk from grazing land in the future, pasture growth will be the first factor that limits productivity. Some popular grasses and mixtures to feed cows will predominantly include Rye Grass, which is energy dense but requires good soil to grow. While most farm lands have the capacity to grow more grass, it can sometimes be difficult for farmers to find the right grass seed mixtures for their soil, pastures and paddocks.

Knowing some of the common grass types involved in pasture management can ensure the health of a pasture-fed herd and increase the efficiency of a farming operation. In addition, investing in soil fertility improvement and increasing sward perennial ryegrass content will yield improved financial rewards in the coming years.

In this article, we’ll look at some of the different grasses that cows can eat, highlight what types of grass cows should avoid, and tips on how to keep your pastures rich.

 

“It’s important that farms that grow grass seed don’t have an underlying issue with blackgrass or wild oats.” Seed production manager

Choosing the the Best Seed Mixture

When selecting grass varieties, it’s important to look at growth patterns throughout the year, as well as drought tolerance and disease resistance and not just grass yield across the platform. This is because some grass varieties might be lower on yield, but better on disease resistance and will thrive higher in the end.

The most productive and highest quality pastures are those that contain a seed mixture of grass species with one or more legume species. A seed mix can be used to spread growth throughout the season, load up the spring, or improve summer grazing performance and spread the distribution of grass yield across the land. When selecting grass species for pasture, it is important to understand both grass and legume growth habits and match them to the soil characteristics and the overall climate. It is important to take into consideration the type of livestock that will be grazing, the soil type and drainage capabilities of the land and the seasonal distribution of pasture growth as these will all determine which seed mixtures will work for you.

Legumes provide a lot of protein and complement grasses improving the overall quality of the pasture. Alongside this, they add nitrogen to the soil via nitrogen fixing bacteria making it indirectly available to grasses. While clovers can improve the quality of your pasture, they may cause bloat in ruminants, so they should not be seeded alone for grazing.

Grasses provide roughage for grazing animals, increasing their fibre intake. While adequate fibre is essential for a grazing animals diet, if grasses become overgrown then they may become fibrous resulting in reduced animal intake and growth.

Why Is Reseeding Important?

Reseeding can be necessary to increase nutritional value of the grazing pastures, work towards eradicating weeds and improve the stand after disease problems or poor management.

It is important to determine the reason behind the need for reseeding as this could help you determine which seed mixtures to use. Is it due to poor soil PH? Is there a weed issue? Or are your animals not benefitting from the grass that is growing there?

For dairy farmers that are looking to increase their milk production, reseeding is a low-cost and effective way to do so. On average, reseeded pastures give 8% more milk output per hectare because of the improved feeding value of the newly-reseeded grass. Successful reseeding depends on a range of factors; soil fertility, time of seeding, plant species selection, animal species being grazed, and grazing management style. If all of these factors are considered and managed accordingly, then your pasture forage can provide all nutritional requirements for your grazing animals.