28 May 2022

The Clover Reporter with Ger Pardy

The Clover Reporter in the Grass10 enewsletter will give weekly reports and videos from farmers who have a lot of clover established on their farms. This week The Clover Reporter is Ger Pardy, a dairy farmer in Co. Offaly.

The Management and establishment of grass-white clover swards booklet discusses and sets out the principles for the management and establishment of grass-white clover swards so that the benefits can be achieved at farm level.

Ger Pardy, Co. Offaly - 24-05-2022

Location:  Birr, Co. Offaly
Enterprise:  Dairy
Soil Type:  Dry & Clay soils
% Farm In Clover:  100% (78ha) – (>60% enough to reduce N)
% From Reseeding:  10% (8ha)
% From Oversowing: 90% (70ha)
Clover content 2021: 23% on best. 12% on remainder

Clover Plan for 2022

Clover Management for Existing Swards

60% of the farm has clover content >20%, which so far this year has received 20u N/ac plus 4,000 gal/ac of watery slurry. With good growth it received no chemical N this rotation. These paddocks last year grew around 13.5 T DM/ha on 55u N/ac chemical fertiliser plus some slurry. If I feel they need fertiliser N I will apply it, my main priority is to feed the cows.

Clover Management for new swards

This year’s oversown paddocks got a great strike with the rain we got. Cows are grazing normal covers at night and the oversown clover paddocks by day at around 800 KgDM/ha. This is the second grazing on these paddocks since oversowing. They got 0.5 bag/ac of 0-10-20 and no chemical N since sowing as grass growth rates have been extremely high, and I want to give clover a chance to establish. Once grass growth comes back to normal I will apply some N fertiliser.

What % Grazing Block: 15% oversown and 7% reseeded
Why These Paddocks: Had no clover
Soil Fertility Status: Index 3 & 4 for P & K, and they are OK for lime too
When: Started oversowing the end of March and finished the 20^th April
Clover varieties: Buddy and Crusader (both medium leaf size)
Seeding Rate/Ac: 2 kg/ac - oversown, 2 kg/ac white clover + 2kg red clover - reseed
Method for 2022: Reseed – Plough & till (needed to level paddock), Oversow - Einboch

Top Tip for Clover in May

I know all farmers should be out anyway, but for clover you really have to be out in the paddocks measuring them to see what way growth is going and getting a visual of what’s happening. I’m responding with fertiliser rates depending on the conditions, if it needs it, it gets it, if I can get away without it, all the better. My first priority is still to feed my cows.

Find out more from Teagasc here about Clover

You can find out more about Grass10 here
Find out about all the previous farmers who took part in The Clover Reporter here