Reseeding: The final piece of the jigsaw in Co. Carlow

Shane Cranny operates a calf to beef system in Myshall, Co. Carlow, where 70 autumn-born Holstein calves are purchased annually. Here Seán Cummins, Teagasc Green Acres Advisor shares some insight into Shane's farm and we get in-depth reseeding information from Shane himself in a short video

Carried to beef under 24 months of age, grazed grass plays an important role in Shane’s system, with the majority of weight gain on farm achieved from pasture feed.

Over numerous years, Shane has developed a paddock grazing system and commenced measuring grass in the spring of 2019. In addition to this, he has worked over the last number of years to correct soil fertility through lime, phosphorous and potassium applications.

Reseeding is really the final piece in the jigsaw for Shane in terms of grassland management

Not only do perennial-ryegrass reseeded swards offer additional dry matter yields, improvements in quality, spring and autumn growth, along with increased nitrogen use efficiency, are also witnessed when compared to swards dominated with non-perennial ryegrass varieties.

Shane opted for two methods of reseeding

Shane opted for two methods of reseeding The first was plough, till and sow, while disc cultivation was used in stonier locations on farm. After the seed was sown, rolling was completed to ensure adequate soil-to-seed contact – a necessary step to maximise germination of the grass seedling.

In a bid to reduce nitrogen applications between the months of June and August – a period on the farm when grass demand tends to drop – white clover was included in the mix which ranked highly on the Teagasc Pasture Profit Index.

With the inclusion of clover, a clover safe post emergence spray was used to tackle problematic grassland weeds – particularly docks and chickweed. This was applied 6-8 weeks post sowing.

Watch as Shane Cranny talks about his farm and reseeding in the video below