October News letter article summaries
NEW GRASS SEED MIXTURES TAILORED TO SFP AND AGRI-ENVIRONMENT SCHEMES’ CRITERIA
Barenbrug has launched a new range of grass seed mixtures for SFP, ELS, OELS and HLS schemes… more ...
NEW WAREHOUSE AND IMPROVED MANUFACTURING AND DISPATCHING FACILITIES AT BARENBRUG UK HEADQUARTERS
Facilities expanded and improved to meet growing customer demands. more …
TRIALS UNCOVER WHERE VARIETIES WORK BETTER IN MIXTURES
Research on how different varieties perform as part of a grass mixture uncover important indicators for mixture composition, more …
TOP TRIO OF PERENNIALS JOIN RECOMMENDED LISTS
Three top performing perennial ryegrass varieties have been added to Recommended Lists. The three new additions to the perennial ryegrasses portfolio for 2005 are Kilrea, (early diploid), Dunluce (intermediate tetraploid) and Dunloy (late tetraploid). All three varieties have recently been added to the NIAB (England and Wales) and SAC (Scottish) Recommended Lists, more …
Barenbrug has launched a new range of grass seed mixtures for SFP, ELS, OELS and HLS schemes.
To provide farmers with mixtures that will help them meet the new requirements of the Single Farm Payment Scheme and other agri-environment schemes Barenbrug is introducing a range of grass seed and wildflower mixtures that have been specifically designed to fit the requirements of the schemes and help keep land in ‘Good Agricultural & Environmental Condition’ (GAEC).
SFP 1 Productive mixture
This mixture is designed to create a sward that will give forage production under stewardship rules. The mixture will create a predominantly Timothy, Meadow Fescue sward of the type that was common in the UK before farming intensified.
SFP 2 Non-Productive mixture
This mixture is designed to create a dense, leafy sward that will not produce excessive growth, similar to a golf course rough. It will produce a sward suitable for ground nesting birds and insects.
SFP 3 Species-rich grassland
This is a similar mixture to SFP2 but the inclusion of Meadow foxtail and Yellow oat grass means it is suitable for re-creating species-rich grassland.
SFP 4 Pollen and nectar
This mixture incorporates flowering plants that will boost the numbers of pollen and nectar feeding insects. When the plots are cut to simulate late flowering, the cuttings can be ensiled to provide high protein silage, and autumn grazing will help to finish fat lambs.
SFP 5 Beetle bank
The mixture is designed to produce tussocky sward ideal as a habitat for ground nesting birds, small mammals and insects. It can be used in conditions of low fertility, anywhere little or no nitrogen will be applied.
Set aside mixtures
Designed to produce a dense leafy sward that is easier and cheaper to manage than natural regeneration, will help to suppress weeds, yet give a useful amount of production outside the set-aside period. Because of its relatively short dense growth habit, the amount of cuttings left from the compulsory topping is minimal and should not damage the sward.
Mustard
Mustard is a fast establishing, drought tolerant cover crop which will help suppress weeds and can then be ploughed as green manure.
SFP 6 Wild bird seed mixture
This mixture, mixed with any source of mixed cereal seed to provide a suitable food source seed eating birds.
SFP 7 Sheep feed mixture
This mixture produces a palatable, flexible sheep mixture that is hardy enough to graze into the spring. It is a practical alternative to either swedes or kale as a sheep forage crop.
SFP 8 Catch crop sheep feed
Designed to be drilled or broadcast into cereal stubbles this mixture is an ideal catch crop for finishing lambs or flushing ewes, over the late autumn/early winter period.
SFP 9 Wild flowers for buffer strips
This mixture of 95 per cent fine grasses and 5 per cent native perennial British wildflowers will produce an interesting and colourful area whilst being economic; all the wildflowers are considered non-toxic with the main flowering period through the months of June, July and August.
Short term grass cover crop
Bartissimo blend is ideal for establishing short term grass cover onto maize or combinable crop stubbles. It can also be under sown under a maize crop, by broadcasting into the maize just before travelling through the crop without damaging it becomes impossible.
For information on any of the above mixtures or to discuss your individual requirements email info@baruk.co.uk
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Facilities expanded and improved to meet growing customer demands.
Barenbrug’s UK business has seen sustained growth in recent years, and to cope with the increased business and improve customer services Substantial capital investment into new specialised storage facilities for certified seed, new packing lines and customer service facilities have been made at the Bury Ste Edmunds headquarters.
The requirements were to house 2,500 tonnes of cleaned and certified seed, to have five dedicated packaging lines, install a full under cover unloading canopy to house 30ft articulated trailers, new meeting and training rooms and production staff wash and rest rooms.
The new design incorporates solutions to previously identified problems in terms of product flow from straight varieties inwards to finished specific mixtures outwards. This project has been achieved with the erection of new portal framed buildings and the extension of existing office block and processing buildings. The offices are now connected to the production warehouse so improving communication links with sales office and mixing plant. Maximum utilization of space in the warehouses has been achieved by using narrower racking in the existing sheds as well as the new buildings. This has meant the tiring gas run forklifts previously used by operators have been replaced by brand new, quieter, cleaner and more efficient electric models which can “turn on a sixpence.
For information on Barenbrug mixtures or to discuss your individual requirements email info@baruk.co.uk
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Research on how different varieties perform as part of a grass mixture uncover important indicators for mixture composition.
Barenbrug has been undertaking a series of trials to see how particular varieties perform in a seeds mixture. The evaluation of varieties within a mixture will provide valuable data for future mixture composition and has already provided important data as to what works and where improvements can be made.
In association with DARD and using their trial sites at Moira and Loughgall, the Barenbrug trials are comparing mixtures of Early, Intermediate and Late heading materials with mixtures of Intermediate and Lates with other mixtures simply containing Late varieties on their own. The make-up of mixtures has been expanded to include mixtures with and without Timothy, with and without tetraploids and mixtures containing less perennials and more traditional varieties like cocksfoot and meadow fescues.
The results of these trials have provided comprehensive data with regard to yield, sward density and seed head emergence and have been used to determine mixture composition. Each mixture trial can of course be compared with individual single variety trial results and again can show whether the inclusion of a particular variety would make a difference to that mixture.
Only too aware of the skepticism of some regarding trial work undertaken in a controlled environment, such as DARD, Barenbrug has also evaluated these mixtures at the coalface, on farm. To allow for the different methods of farm management, the farm mixture trials have been conducted on three different scenario farms, conventional, organic and low input.
The results show different mixtures outperforming each other in different management regimes. Conventional mixtures performed exceptionally well under conventional practices and under low input management, more traditional mixtures containing cocksfoot and meadow fescues ???? Can we give specific examples of what worked well where – this is very general at present.
For further information email info@baruk.co.uk
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Three top performing perennial ryegrass varieties have been added to Recommended Lists. The three new additions to the perennial ryegrasses portfolio for 2005 are Kilrea, (early diploid), Dunluce (intermediate tetraploid) and Dunloy (late tetraploid). All three varieties have recently been added to the NIAB (England and Wales) and SAC (Scottish) Recommended Lists.
All three varieties were developed at the DARD breeding station at Loughgall, Co. Armagh.
DARD grasses, all with Northern Ireland names, are widely used throughout the UK and Ireland under an exclusive partnership arrangement with Barenbrug.
Kilrea is quite a special variety in terms of heading date, just over a week later than DARD’s existing early varieties Moy and Donard. It produces dense, productive swards and will be an especially useful variety on farms where early grazing is required. Kilrea was selected out of a cross between two very reputable DARD varieties, Moy and Tyrone.
Dunluce, is now recognised as the highest yielding perennial ryegrass on the NIAB list, with very high spring growth and fast recovery after cutting. At the late end of the intermediate group, Dunluce will be especially suited to farms which take their first silage cut in mid May.
Late tetraploid variety Dunloy is a consistent, high performer with high digestibility. In cow grazing trials at Loughgall, Dunloy came out in first place out of 21 varieties tested and will therefore be of special interest to farmers who wish to make the most of spring grass.
With plant breeding trials at Loughgall and Moira (near Belfast) and further trials in Dublin, Aberdeen, Worcestershire, Cumbria and Devon, DARD ensures that varieties are tested in a range of environments before they are submitted to official trials and released commercially.
According to plant breeder David Johnston, the programme is strongly focused on producing varieties, which are high yielding, persistent, and dependable, performing well in both dry and wet years.
“We keep in close contact with the Barenbrug sales team, agricultural advisers and the personnel who have responsibility for the various Recommended Lists in the UK and Ireland. This has helped us develop varieties which are a big improvement on what was available even a few years ago and the additional information from our own farm trials are a real asset in identifying what’s best for local farming conditions,” he said.
The grass breeding programme at Loughgall, with the continuing support of Barenbrug, is making increasing efforts to ensure that British and Irish farmers are provided with the best possible range of grasses to meet the needs of a changing industry.
For further information or to discuss your individual requirements email: info@baruk.co.uk
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