The entire farm system at Tullamore is based around maximising the use of grazed grass. In 2021 the farm had an average grass growth figure just shy of 13tDM/ha. This ranges from over 17tDM/ha down to below 8tDM/ha on some of the worst-performing paddocks.

As outlined on the previous pages on soil and soil fertility, the farm is still correcting soil fertility issues on some parts of the farm. Continuing to do so in the coming years provides further opportunity to increase herbage growth in the future.

Growing grass is one thing, but managing it and utilising as much as possible of it is a whole other ballgame.

Grass can be seen as a tricky crop to manage and it is for that reason that so many farmers shy away from measuring and properly managing it.

However, sometimes we can overcomplicate grass and grazing.

Farm manager Shaun Diver has a simple rule when it comes to managing grass: grow it in three weeks and graze it in three days – but always be flexible when required.

Early turnout

In order to utilise grass early in the year, you need to get stock out to grass as soon as possible.

The first to hit the ground in spring on Tullamore Farm are the yearling heifers. They are the lightest batch of cattle on the farm and are also high-priority stock as most of them need to be up to weight for breeding in early May.

Where conditions allow, Shaun will turn heifers out in early February.

Next to start getting to grass are first-calved heifers.

Again, these are priority stock, they have a high nutritional demand which can be met with high-quality spring grass, alongside a low level of concentrate feeding in early lactation if weather conditions are changeable.

By the end of March, grass demand on the farm begins to ramp up quite quickly. Cows and calves continue to be turned out while lambed ewes are also starting to make their way to grass.

Shaun likes to close up a decent area for first-cut silage so there is a huge demand for grass on the grazing platform in May and early June.

Mixed grazing

Once all stock are out at pasture, the mixed grazing of sheep and cattle will begin. This typically sees a batch of 30 to 35 cows and their calves run with a flock of 40 to 50 ewes plus their lambs. Most of the paddocks on Tullamore Farm are around 5 acres in size.

Shaun then subdivides the paddock on the diagonal with a single strand of electric wire. This allows the ewes and lambs to pass out ahead of the cattle and graze the second half of the paddock.

When it comes to moving stock, the ewes and lambs will move a day before the cattle while they stay behind to graze out what is left in the second half of the paddock.

/ Phill Doyle

Visitors often question how management tasks such as getting cows out for AI are handled with both sheep and cattle in the field but Shaun has no great issues with it, although he will admit that the farm dogs Niko and Bella do help to streamline the whole process.

Later in the year when lambs are being drafted every two weeks while running with the cows and calves, Shaun leaves one strand of a wire gap up and the dogs run the lambs out under while the cattle stay behind.

Increasing clover

Like all farms at the moment, there has been a big increase in the use and importance of clover in swards over the last 18 months. Much of the farm was reseeded at the start of the project in 2017. These swards are now coming into their own with a high proportion of clover evident in the majority of paddocks.

\ Philip Doyle

Shaun attributes much the high clover proportion to cleaning out paddocks sufficiently prior to closing for winter. This allows light down to the base of the sward which helps the clover to survive over the winter months.