This is rightly focusing farmers’ minds on ways to cut costs and for many people, reseeding is a job that is off the radar for 2016. While the long-term return on investment from reseeding old and unproductive pastures is high, it is an extra cash cost that many feel they cannot justify this season.

However, the benefits of reseeding cannot be ignored, irrespective of farm output prices. Reseeded fields are 25% more responsive to fertilisers and grow about 3t/ha more than older swards with less perennial ryegrass.

Best varieties

ADVERTISEMENT

The information available to us on the best grass varieties is constantly evolving. While not yet the finished article, the Pasture Profit Index does give us a good indication of the varieties’ potential impact on farm profit – this is the key information when picking a variety.

See the 2016 Pasture Profit Index and recommended lists on this page. Most varieties sown in Ireland are done so as part of mix, here we go into some detail on the grass mixtures for sale from some of the main grass seed companies.

Of course, having the best grass varieties is of little value if the land is too wet to be grazed. Peter Varley sees how land drainage has worked out for a farmer participating in the Heavy Soils Programme and revisits a reclamation project in Roscommon that is shaping up well.

To read the full Reseeding Focus Supplement click here.