NUTRITION ▶▶▶


Mixing grass seeds for maximum forage intake


Dairy farmers know very well that fresh grass is the cheapest form of feed needed for their cows to produce quality milk at a profit. However, cows can be quite fussy eaters, and farmers need to ensure they make the right choices when picking grass seed varieties and mixes.


BY CHRIS MCCULLOUGH C


ows can be picky eaters indeed and often prefer some fields over others. This taste preference can be boiled down to the grass variety used to seed the field. Choosing the correct grass variety is crucial to


ensure reseeding costs are well spent and that the grazing ef- ficiency is maximised. Most reseeds are probably a mixture of diploid and tetraploid perennial ryegrasses. However, other types of ryegrass and species such as clover, cocksfoot and timothy may have a role to play in certain situations. Each type of grass has different growth and quality characteristics, so when reseeding it is important to select the most appro- priate species for the situation.


Testing grass varieties During a trial at Teagasc Moorepark in the Republic of Ireland a number of grass varieties were tested to investigate their graze-out potential. In total, 30 perennial ryegrass varieties from the DAFM Recommended List were sown in 36m2


plots


and rotationally grazed from February to November on 11 oc- casions. On average the trial grew 15t of dry matter (DM) per hectare over the year. Before grazing, the yield and height were measured and samples collected for digestibility. The af- ter-grazing heights were measured with a rising plate meter as the measure of graze-out, so swards with lower post-graz- ing heights had greater levels of utilisation. During the tests, varieties with larger pre-grazing heights were found to have poorer graze-out and from this a new characteristic of grazing quality called the Residual Grazed Height (RGH) was calculat- ed. The results showed that tetraploid varieties were among those grazed-out the most, with diploids generally yielding well but not grazing-out tightly. The majority of tetraploids had better graze-out performance than diploids even when DM production was similar between both ploidies.


16 ▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 29, No. 9, 2021


Mixing grass seed varieties Using a mix of grass seed varieties has a number of benefits for both the farmer and the sward. These include risk management because using a mix mini- mises the risk of a crop of seed failing. A mix also ensures sward quality throughout the grazing season, and it can achieve a balance of desirable traits. When varieties with close heading dates are sown together, this increases compe- tition between varieties, resulting in an increase in DM yield compared with the average yield of the component varieties sown separately. In contrast, mixtures with a wide heading date range have a lower yield than the corresponding weighted average of their components. In the first year after sowing, most mixtures are likely to change in their composition from what was sown. Early studies suggest that, in mixtures managed for grazing, later-heading varieties become more dominant, while in si- lage mixtures, the contribution of earlier-heading varieties tends to increase. In addition, mixtures with a greater head- ing date range will change more than those with a smaller heading date range. Tom Niehof, the product manager for forage at Barenbrug, outlines the key benefits achieved using grass seed mixes. “For farmers it’s better to use a mixture because of several reasons,” he said. “The main reason is spreading risks in terms of growing conditions, harvest flexibility and persistence, for example, with drought resistance and winter hardiness being important. “The result in your pasture should be a balance between yield potential, animal productivity and climatic or soil adaptation. Every single grass species and/or variety has its own characteristics. “That’s why we make specific mixtures into a concept to com- bine the benefits and eliminate possible risks. Normally we combine three to five varieties into a mixture. Depending on purpose, it can be also up to five species. “When farmers use grasses as forage for ruminants in animal production the main reasons are as a source of protein, ener- gy and digestible fibres. They also need it to stimulate animal health and as a source of palatable feed. “With this in mind, you can imagine that using a mix will fit better in someone’s strategy than using a single variety,” adds Niehof.


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