Planning for an Autumn Reseed

With weather beginning to improve, this autumn could give you an opportunity to get more from your grassland by reseeding.

Fane Valley have been running a reseeding roadshow with Gary Spence from the Agronomy & Forage technical team, taking farmers through the steps needed to get a successful reseed on your farm. Gary states this all starts by selecting which fields based on their condition, age and performance and investigating why they may have deteriorated.

“It is vital to correct any issues that may have caused the highly productive grass species to decline in the sward before reseeding,” he said.

This decline could be caused by soil fertility, drainage issues or challenging conditions.

Autumn reseeds allows the new sward to establish well over the winter period and build soil structure giving a fully established sward for grazing or silage in the following spring. The benefits of an autumn reseed are that they are less likely to be affected by dry conditions and have a reduced weed burden. The sward can be established by ploughing, discing, or direct drilling. All these methods can be successful however if there are issues with soil structure ploughing would be the most successful method. Irrespective of method a fine, firm seed bed is required where the seed is placed, and the land should be rolled after to improve soil to seed contact and reduce pressure of pests.

It is also important to select the correct grass seed mixture for your land type and purpose for the sward whether this is grazing, silage or a mixture of both. Each mixture and variety will have different strengths and getting advice from one of Fane Valley’s Agronomy & Forage specialist will ensure you have the best mixture for your farm. The events also focused on early sward management.

The final event in the series is being held on 17th August at 2pm on Battery Road, Coagh, BT80 0HG, this event will cover the key steps to getting a successful reseed and improving grassland production on your farm. If you want more information on autumn reseeding please attend the event, visit your local Fane Valley store, or call 028 9261 0485.