Grazing Mixtures with Clover
Permanent Pasture
3.5Kg Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass
2.1Kg Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass – Tet
2.8Kg Late Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
3.5Kg Late Perennial Ryegrass – Tet
1.12Kg Timothy
0.98Kg White Clover
Sowing Rate – 14Kg per acre
Just Grazing
7.8Kg Late Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
4.55Kg Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass – Tet
0.65Kg White Clover
Sowing Rate – 13Kg per acre
Grazing - Dry Soils
1Kg Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
4Kg Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
4.75Kg Late Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
1.5Kg Timothy
0.5Kg Sheeps Fescue
0.9Kg Strong Creeping Red Fescue
0.45Kg Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass
0.9Kg White Clover
Sowing Rate – 14Kg per acre
Herbal Pasture - Not Suitable for Horses
2Kg Cocksfoot
1Kg Timothy
2Kg Premium
1.25Kg Tall Fescue
0.5Kg White Clover Blend
0.5Kg Alsike Clover
0.5Kg Red Clover
0.25Kg Birdsfoot Trefoil
5Kg Mixed Herbs
Sowing Rate – 13Kg per acre
Goat Grazing Ley
3.5Kg Int Perennial Ryegrass – Tet
3.5Kg Int Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
1Kg Timothy
2Kg Strong Creeping Red Fescue
0.5Kg Mixed Herbs
0.5Kg Lucerne
0.5Kg Alsike Clover
1Kg Red Clover
0.5Kg White Clover
Sowing Rate – 13Kg per acre
Alpaca Ley
2Kg Late Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
2Kg Int Perennial – Dip
1Kg Meadow Fescue
3Kg Strong Creeping Red Fescue
0.5Kg Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass
0.25Kg RSMG
1Kg Tall Fescue
0.5Kg Cocksfoot
0.25Kg Small Leaved White Clover
0.5Kg Bent
1Kg Sheeps Fescue
1Kg Timothy
Sowing Rate – 13Kg per acre
Baa and Moo
4Kg Late Perennial Ryegrass – Tet
2Kg Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
2Kg Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
2.5Kg Late Perennial Ryegrass – Tet
2Kg Timothy
0.5Kg White Clover Blend
Sowing Rate – 13Kg per acre
Grazing Mixtures without Clover
Permanent Pasture without Clover
3.9Kg Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
3.25Kg Late Perennial Ryegrass – Tet
2.6Kg Late Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
1.95Kg Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass – Tet
1.3Kg Timothy
Sowing Rate – 13Kg per acre
Pig Ley
7Kg Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
7Kg Late Perennial Ryegrass – Tet
Sowing Rate – 14Kg per acre
Sheep Catch Crop Mix
3Kg Rape
0.75Kg Kale
0.25 Stubble Turnip
Sowing Rate – 4Kg per acre
Three Year without Clover
6Kg Hybrid Ryegrass – Tet
4Kg Hybrid Ryegrass – Dip
2Kg Late Perennial Ryegrass – Dip
2Kg Intermediate Perennial – Tet
Sowing Rate – 14Kg per acre
Italian Ryegrass Blend
100% Italian Ryegrass Blend
Sowing Rate – 14Kg per acre
Agricultural Herbs
Burnet
Sanguisorba minor
Burnet, also known as Sheep’s Burnet or Salad Burnet, is a perennial forage herb that is sown alongside other herbs in a grazing ley to increase diversity. It is winter hardy and drought tolerant once established and its deep tap root draws up trace elements and minerals to improve the soil.
Burnet grows upright stems from a basal rosette. Each stem has toothed leaves arranged in pairs up the stem and produces crimson oblong flowers from June to September.
Ribgrass
Plantago lanceolata
Ribgrass, also known as Ribwort Plantain, is a perennial forage herb that is sown alongside other herbs in a grazing ley to increase diversity. It is a mineral rich plant and has a protein content averaging around 13-14% which helps meat and milk production. It helps lift trace elements from within the soil and is drought tolerant.
Ribgrass has thick ribbed leaves formed from a basal rosette and brown flower heads containing white antlers.
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Yarrow is a perennial forage herb that is sown alongside other herbs in a grazing ley to increase diversity. It grows deep tap roots which helps lift trace elements nearer to the soils surface. These deep tap roots also enable the plant to be drought tolerant and stay green throughout a drought. It is rich in minerals and is known to improve circulation in livestock.
Yarrow has finely divided, feathery leaves and pretty umbels of white or sometimes pink flowers.
Chicory
Cichorium intybus
Chicory is a forage herb that can be used in grazing leys alongside other herbs. It has a strong, deep tap root system that helps break down compacted soil and aerates it, which helps with drainage. This mineral rich, frost tolerant species has an average protein content of 17-18% making it good for fattening lambs. It is also known as an anthelmintic species, making it good for ruminant farmers wanting to reduce worm burden.
Chicory is a leafy plant that grows from a basal rosette. It produces impressive cornflower blue flowers from July to September.
Sheeps Parsley
Petroselinum crispum
Sheeps Parsley is a perennial forage herb that is sown alongside other herbs in a grazing ley to increase diversity. It is winter hardy and drought tolerant once established and has the ability to lift trace elements from deep within the soil due to it is long tap root system. It is high in vitamins and minerals, particularly Iron and vitamins A & C and is known to enhance the fertility of breeding stock.
Sheeps Parsley is rich green in colour with typical parsley leaves and white or off white inflorescences.
Also available:
Comfry
Symphytum officinale
Coriander
Corinadrum sativum
Dill
Anethum graveolens
Fenugreek
Triginella foenum-graecum
Agricultural Clovers
Red Clover
Trifolium pratense
Red Clover is a perennial herbage legume best sown in a grass/clover sward. It improves the soil structure due to its strong tap roots and also fixes nitrogen reducing the need for nitrogen fertiliser. It has better digestibility and palatability than pure grass forage and it’s good protein content improves live weight gain in livestock. Red Clover is also very vigorous and competes well with weeds. It is worth noting that red clover can cause bloat in livestock, especially cattle.
Red Clover has a persistence of 2-3 years and is drought tolerant once established.
Red Clover has green trefoil leaves with white v shaped markings. It grows pinky red pompom like flowers May to October.
White Clover
Trifolium repens
White Clover is a perennial herbage legume categorized in to small, medium and large leaf sized varieties. It has very similar characteristics to red clover with its ability to fix nitrogen reducing the reliance on nitrogen fertiliser. It also has the ability to improve soil structure and reduce compaction. White clover is good at suppressing weeds and is great homegrown source of protein. It is worth noting that white clover can increase the risk of bloat in livestock.
Large leaved varieties are best suited to silage leys or other cutting situations. This is due to their larger upright plants.
White Clover has green trefoil leaves and produces white pompom like flowers from May to October.
Root Structure
Taproot
A taproot is a primary root that grows vertically downwards with smaller, finer lateral roots growing off it.
Here is an interesting read about sustainable foods and mixed farming systems to get the mind thinking. There has been a massive change in agriculture over the years with it intensifying dramatically but there are ways that food can be sustainable. Among the many points brought up in this article, it is astonishing to learn that we only produce approximately 16% of all the fruit we eat in Britain!