The Clover Reporter: Kevin Moran
The Grass10 team return to Kevin Moran for The Clover Reporter this week. These farmers have a lot of clover established on their farms and are continuing to establish more clover into their grass-clover swards for animal performance and nitrogen reduction gains. Get Kevin's top tip for April
Name: Kevin Moran
Location: Caherlistrane, Co. Galway
Enterprise: Dairy Farming
Soil Type: mix of free draining and clayey type soils
% Farm In Clover: 30 % 28 (ha)
% From Reseeding: 0 % (ha)
% From Oversowing: 100% 30(ha)
Clover content 2021: 25-30% on 25 ha
Clover Management for new swards: These paddocks that I am going oversowing clover into were limed last Septmeber and will be oversown after their 2nd grazing & given 2000 gallons/ac of lagoon slurry and some more P & K in subsequent grazings. I graze the area that was oversown at 1000 - 1100 Kg DM/Ha for 4-5 grazings after and avoid poaching at all costs.
What % Grazing Block: 15% (14Ha)
Why These Paddocks: These paddocks have good soil fertility, close to the parlour and very rarely have silage cut off them.
Soil Fertility Status: pH - 7, P – Index 4, K- Index 4
When: Mid-April
Clover varieties: Buddy (medium leaf), Crusader (medium leaf), Coolfin (small leaf)
Seeding Rate/Ac: 2kg/ac - oversown, 1kg/ac - reseed
Top Tip for Clover in April:
For established swards, I begin to go with half rate Nitrogen applications from the end of April. For freshly oversown swards, the key is to graze the sward at 1000 - 1100 kg DM/Ha and feed the plant with P & K to develop clover
Find out more from Teagasc here about Clover
Find out about all the previous farmers who took part in The Clover Reporter here