The return from reseeding is high. Reseeded fields grow on average 3t/ha more grass, are 25% more responsive to fertiliser and give improved animal performance both in terms of milk output and liveweight gain.

That said, there is a cost involved in reseeding. Conventional reseeding, that is ploughing, tilling and sowing with a one-pass, costs €300/acre. With low milk prices and cashflow very tight, many farmers are thinking about postponing reseeding for this year.

You can understand the logic – cash is tight and while there would be an economic return from reseeding, the cash to carry out the work is just not available in some cases, as it is going to be used for repaying feed bills, paying rent and of course repaying loans. But are there options available to reduce the cost of reseeding?

Spraying off

Between the cost of glyphosate (Round-up) and spraying, the initial spray to burn off existing vegetation costs €26/acre. I know of some farmers who never spray off before reseeding and still have reasonably good swards. A lot depends on what weeds are in the existing sward and the type of cultivation planned.

If perennial weeds, such as docks and ragworth are present, then spraying off with glyphosate will kill the established plants and roots, reducing the weed burden post-emergence.

If the existing sward is relatively clean of weeds, and if the field is going to be ploughed, then there might be space to skip the Roundup spray. However, I would always recommend spraying off first if minimum cultivation is going to be used.

Sowing

In the €300/acre cost of reseeding, cultivating and sowing accounts for €70/acre. Ploughing will cost about €30/acre, while tilling and sowing with a one-pass will cost in the region of €40/acre. There are other options available, such as direct drilling with disc/tine combinations, which cost about €40 to €50 and work well when ground conditions are suitable.

Other options also exist. Some farmers will make use of equipment they already have on the farm or will borrow equipment from neighbours to reduce costs. One option is to get the field ploughed (€30/acre), then give it two or three runs of a land leveller and then sow.

There are two low-cost options for sowing. Firstly, many merchants lease out grass seed drills free of charge when you purchase the seed from them. Just be careful if using this option, as some of the seed drills may have damage and could be putting out seed at uneven rates. However, when well set up, they work very well when the seedbed is well prepared – fine, firm and level.

The second sowing option is to use a fertiliser spreader for sowing grass seed. Best results appear to be achieved when using a wagtail-type spreader on a calm day.

We spoke to a farmer who uses a Vicon fertiliser spreader to sow grass seeds at a rate of 1.25 bags/acre, and he said: “The spreader opening should be between 0.75in and 1in wide at its widest opening. Travel speed should be between 5mph and 6mph and the distance between wheel marks should not be more than 2ft and only spread one or two bags at a time so you can gauge the rate.”

While this work won’t be done for free, it is not a big cash cost, as in many cases the machinery and labour is available, so the only real direct cash cost is diesel. There is a potential to save €30/acre by doing it in this way.

The other costs with reseeding are pretty much non-negotiable. You must buy quality seed, you need to spread lime and fertiliser, you need to roll after sowing and you need to use a post-emergence spray – this is critical in preventing weeds in the new reseed.

While the potential savings of €56/acre are not huge, it does make a significant difference over a large area. Really, the only areas that you would be prepared to skimp on are on the machinery side, but the time and effort involved in alternative arrangements need to be factored in also.

To read the full Reseeding Focus Supplement click here.