If ever there was a year to highlight the importance of grass it was 2018. The low spring and summer growth rates necessitated higher than ever supplementary feeding rates. Memories of 2018 will live long in the memory. It was clear that fields which were low in soil fertility or had low levels of perennial ryegrass suffered the most. They were slowest to recover from the cold spring and they were the first to suffer from the effects of the drought.

This week, Irish Farmers Journal grassland specialist Stephen Connolly says fields with a low level of perennial ryegrass grow 3t/ha less and are 25% less responsive to fertilisers than perennial ryegrass-dominated swards. This is a clear indication of the importance of reseeding old pastures to maximise grass growth and nutrient use efficiency. Good soil fertility goes hand in hand with good pasture growth.

Multi-species swards are gaining in popularity. These are explained in detail on here where we ask if they are the way forward for Irish agriculture. While multi-species maybe the future, the Pasture Profit Index is the present. Abergain is back on the top of the list for 2019. However, it is fair to say that all varieties on the list are good, with each variety having something to offer.

For those looking for the best varieties to use in intensive grazing swards, it is hard to look past the latest research from Moorepark as explained by the researchers here. This shows a distinct bias towards tetraploids, with varieties such as Twymax, Aspect and Xenon growing high yields and having a low post-grazing sward height.

Teagasc and Goldcrop have launched their first variety under the new agreement. The variety is called Oakpark and is a mid-ranking diploid on the Pasture Profit Index.