Earn 3 BASIS points at the Grassland & Muck Event on the 21 and 22 May 2008 at Stoneleigh Park by taking time to look around the herbage and crop plots. On show in the growing plots will be the latest grass and clover varieties, grass performance under various inorganic and organic fertiliser regimes, lupins and forage maize.
There is a serious issue also being raised within the event’s grass demonstration plots driven by the plant breeders and the BSPB. Both groups are urging farmers to check whether their merchants are paying the 2.6p/kg levy to fund independent grass trials.
“If the BSPB/NIAB testing system has to be stopped, growers may be forced to grow varieties from Europe based trials which are unproven and untested under UK conditions or from private trials within the UK which do not have common control varieties,” explains Ben Wixey from Wynnstay Farmers.
“If the system goes, the independent results which differentiate varieties and support the advice given to farmers in England and Wales will go,” he says. “And given that there is, on average, a 10% difference in yield between the best and the worst varieties on the current list, there are significant implications for livestock producers. To put this into context, this 10% differential represents 1 tonne DM/ha/year, which in today’s financials equates to over £100/ha/yr.”
Grass demonstration plots
Within the grass demonstration plots there will be a vast array of practical advice and demonstrations including:
- Nickerson-Advanta will be tackling
establishment which is of particular importance to medium and
long term leys. Within the Nickerson-Advanta plots will be a
selection of drilled circle leys and mixtures and some straight
rye-grass and linked advice on the seed types, establishment
methods, drilling depth and the variations between drilling and
broadcasting. According to Simon Broddle of Nickerson-Advanta,
“I walked the plot recently and the results are phenomenal.
Drilled close to surface, we are getting good clover cover;
where deeper drilled, clover emergence has reduced, to the point
that at a drilling depth of ¾ inch (19mm), 90% of clover cover
lost.” These demonstration plots also examine establishment
variations dependent on plant type, drilling date and
performance of individual varieties/species in mixture.
- The Lupins in Sustainable Agriculture
(LISA) project, has been running for four years and has
investigated and developed the potential of both yellow and
narrow leaf lupins. Considerable progress has been made in our
understanding of the agronomy of the crops and ways in which
yields can be made more reliable. At Grasslands 2008 lupin
experts from LISA Link project will be on the IGER/BSH stand
from 10am-2pm on both days. They will deal with queries on all
aspects of the growth of the crop including land preparation,
establishment, weed control and harvesting. Progress has also
been made in the improvement of both species in terms of yield,
earliness of maturity and increasing the tolerance of alkaline
soils. Michael Abberton, Project Co-ordinator from IGER said:
“Lupins have considerable potential as an alternative to soya.
We are developing these crops both agronomically and genetically
to ensure that farmers have the best guidance and advice and
also to set the stage for the development of new lupin varieties
which will be better performing in UK conditions.”
- NIAB’s grass demonstration plots
contain a selection of current Recommended List herbage and
legume varieties which highlight the diversity to maximise
potential productivity for different grower requirements. Data
will be provided demonstrating the improvements in species over
the past decade and the value to the grower of those
improvements. NIAB will also be launching the new Herbage and
Legume Recommended Lists at the event, plus in association with
the British Society of Plant Breeders and the British Grassland
Society, NIAB will be launching the all new free Herbage
Varieties Guide incorporating data from the Recommended List
which will be available during the event from NIAB, the British
Grasslands Society and participating levy scheme merchants.
- British Seed Houses will have the
full spectrum of green forage options including new varieties of
high sugar ryegrass and clover displayed alongside other
innovative grazing-gap solutions from perennial chicory to
fast-growing brassicas. The IGER-bred Aber High Sugar Grass
range has become a leading feature of the Recommended Lists
since the launch of the first variety AberDart in 2000. As a
more general ryegrass feature, British Seed Houses will be
demonstrating the highly valued characteristic of persistency.
The display will be based on plots transported from IGER’s Long
Term Trial programme and will compare the performance of diploid
and tetraploid perennial ryegrasses over a 6-year period.
Breeding progress will also be revealed from IGER’s clover
programme, including AberGuard, a new small leaf white clover
variety with considerably enhanced resistance to the widespread
pest clover eelworm (stem nematode). At a more general level,
the stand will include a feature on sward clover content,
staffed by IGER’s Grassland Development Centre.
- Climate change may also make
drought a more common phenomenon in the UK, so visitors to the
British Seed Houses stand should be interested in plots of Puna
II perennial chicory, which at Grasslands 2008 will be displayed
in a mixture with AberRuby red clover. The deep tap root of Puna
II gives this high yielding herbaceous fodder crop good drought
tolerance as well as high nutrient value. It can be grown as a
stand-alone crop or as part of a mixture with grass and/or red
or white clover. British Seed Houses will also be displaying
plots of other new cropping options that offer the potential to
fill grazing gaps. Amongst the brassica fodder crops on show
will be the new rape/kale hybrid Swift, which combines rapid
establishment and growth with winter hardiness and is a flexible
grazing option to livestock farmers.
- Oliver Seeds will be demonstrating
the Landmark Lucerne and grass mixture which provides a high
protein, high energy forage and is ideal for dry sites or
shallow soils. An integral element is Luzelle, a Lucerne variety
with a deeply placed root collar that enables it to withstand
rotational grazing. Also on display will be Hi-Pro Red Clover
and grass mixtures illustrate the high forage yield potential of
these species and the potential for savings on fertiliser. The
company will also have Donata, a new type of Cocksfoot with soft
leaves and excellent palatability coupled with good disease
resistance and persistence, valuable for sites that suffer
climatic extremes. Finally, Lofa Festulolium, a combination of
Tall Fescue and Ryegrass, will also be on show offers
palatability, high sugar levels, high feed quality and yield.
- DLF Trifolium will be launching ForageMax range of quality grass seed mixtures comprising modern, highly trialled cultivars. The new range includes specialist mixtures, HorseMax, DroughtMax with festulolium, a tall fescue/Italian ryegrass cross and GrassMax overseeding mixtures, the latter which has been proven in independent trials. “Outstanding grassland performance results were announced recently following a comprehensive three year replicated overseeding trial at DLF Trifolium’s Didbrook research and development trials centre in Gloucestershire,” explains Chris Taylor, Head of UK Grass Breeding at DLF Trifolium. “The benefits seen are worth in the region of £125/acre per year in improved animal performance if you consider only D-Value and yield. The trial results confirm the success of overseeding young grass to maintain and improve yields and forage quality.”
For more details and to save money by booking tickets in advance go to www.grasslandevent.co.uk. Tickets are priced at £12 for adult tickets booked before 15th May and £15 on the gate. Student tickets are priced at £10 but only available in advance and RASE member tickets are £8 in advance and £10 on the gate. Visitors can earn up to 3 BASIS points by attending different areas of the event and pig producers attending the Manure and Nutrient Management Centre can earn 2 PIPR points.
---Ends---
Notes for Editors
Grassland & Muck 2008
Grassland and Muck 2008 is the triennial event for the industry. Partnered by Yara UK Limited and proudly presented by the Royal Agricultural Society of England.
Yara UK Limited
- Yara UK Limited is the UK business unit of Yara International ASA, with our head office at Immingham in NE Lincolnshire.
- Yara UK Limited is the leading supplier of agricultural fertilizer-both in solid and liquid form- and horticultural and amenity fertilizer, to the UK market.
- Yara International ASA, the parent company of Yara UK, is a leading chemical company that converts energy and nitrogen from the air into essential products for farmers and industrial customers. As the number one global supplier and developer of mineral fertilizers and agronomic solutions, we help provide food for a growing population.
- Yara International ASA has 6,800 employees, operating in 120 countries and with a turnover in excess of £3.5billion. The head office of Yara International is in Oslo, Norway.
- The Business model for Yara comprises three business
segments:
- Upstream- global production plants
- Downstream- the global sales and marketing of fertilizers and plant nutrition products, divided in to nine business units of which the UK & Ireland is one unit.
- Industrial- the sales and marketing of products for industrial applications
- The name “Yara” is taken from a Nordic word meaning ‘good harvest’.
- For further information on Yara UK Ltd, please see www.yara.co.uk
- For further information on Yara International ASA, please see www.yara.com
For further information please contact:
Alice
Bell, RASE
Tel: 02476 858 276
Email:
aliceb@rase.org.uk
Rosie Carne, Yara UK Ltd
Tel: 01469 554643
Email:
rosie.carne@yara.com
Jane Craigie, Event PR
Tel: 01466 780078
Email:
jane@janecraigie.com
