As part of this Signpost update, DairyBeef 500 participant, Gareth Peoples tells us why he wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to reseed this autumn – allowing for better and more efficient swards.

Excellent ground conditions, 25 finishing cattle housed and good grass growth have allowed us to take full advantage to get some reseeding done, directed at a few paddocks that weren’t performing as they should.

One 8ac block had poor ground cover, a lot of weed grasses creeping in and wasn’t performing. We were getting less and less from it every year and utilisation was dropping. Although I had planned to reseed it last year, poor weather conditions and reduced grass growth meant different. I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity this year.

Reseeding is an in investment in the long-term productivity of the farm. A well-established sward of perennial ryegrass is much more efficient; it grows more, especially in the shoulders of the year, and responds far better to fertiliser. That means better quality grass grown and more days at grass for stock, which is a win for both performance and the bottom line.

From a sustainability point of view, reseeding helps too. A new sward uses nitrogen more efficiently, reducing losses to the environment. Plus, we’re now including clover in our mixes to reduce the need for chemical nitrogen over time. Getting that balance right is key – producing more from grass while keeping input costs and emissions in check.

Reseeding method and post-emergence management

When establishing a reseed, I prefer to plough. It provides a clean seedbed, giving the new seed the best chance to establish and it also buries any trash or weeds seeds.

At reseeding, I always apply 3 bags per acre of 10-10-20 to supply adequate nutrients for the new grass to get going. We also apply ~2/ac of lime to neutralise the ground after burning it off.

With soil temps still good and a bit of moisture after some showers, the timing was spot-on. We’ll keep a close eye on establishment over the next few weeks.

I believe post emergence spraying after reseeding is the best time to get control of problem weeds such as docks. My plan is to apply a clover safe post emergence spray in about a 4 to 5 weeks. This will be around 7 weeks after sowing. At this stage, the weeds will be at the correct stage to get a good response.

I hope then to get to graze the new reseed a week or so after applying the post emergence spray. This will encourage the grass plant to tiller and thicken the sward, a process that is also vital for clover survival. I will graze once a cover of approximately 800kg DM/ha is reached, and the grass plant has sufficient rooting to prevent it being pulled out of the ground by the grazing animals.

Gareth Peoples is a participant in the Teagasc DairyBeef 500 and Signpost Programmes. The above article first appeared in the Farming Independent as part of a Signpost Programme update.

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