12 June 2023

The role and importance of multispecies swards

Brendan Horan, Farm Systems Researcher at Teagasc Moorepark, is on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss multispecies swards (MSS) and the reason he and his team are researching them in the multi-milk systems trials at Curtin’s Farm.

Brendan starts by telling us the policy context for looking at MSS, stemming from the Farm to Fork Strategy. This strategy aims to reduce the inputs associated with farming systems to minimise the environmental impacts of farming, increase resource use efficiency and increase biodiversity.

Following on from the policy piece and the requirement to reduce the nitrogen footprint of the farming system, the third piece of the jigsaw is climate change and how are we going to deal with potentially drier summers and wetter winters. In that context, multispecies swards have the potential to reduce the nitrogen requirement, as well as offering increased sward diversity that might have the potential to allow us to adapt to changing weather patterns.

Under the multi-milk trial, Brendan explained, multispecies swards are growing similar quantities of forage, showing increases in milk solids output during the mid-season, but very importantly, have the potential to reduce nitrate leaching by 5-10% compared to standard perennial ryegrass swards that are commonplace currently.

Finally, Brendan encourages farmers to try some on their farms as, farmers will need to learn how to farm these swards and the best way to do this is to try it. Furthermore, assuming that good perennial ryegrass and clover varieties are used, these swards, while potentially not persisting as multispecies swards, will continue to persist as high-quality grass/clover swards in the medium to longer term on farms. 

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast, a co-production with LastCastMedia.com, go to the show page.