Rethink forage management this spring

A wet winter, fresh cost pressures, and tight fertiliser supplies have meant a slow start to spring for many grassland farms.

While these issues bring challenges, livestock farmers have always been adaptable, and those who manage their grassland well can drive real advantages for their business.

To help you achieve this, Germinal grassland expert William Fleming has identified five actions for you to consider.

5 grassland actions to support efficiency

1. Keep walking your farm and assess ground conditions.
2. Turn out lighter stock first when the ground can hold them. Release heavier stock if the ground holds up.
3. Consider your grazing system. Switching from set stocking can increase yield and utilisation of grazed forage.
4. Reseeding, if you have fertiliser, will lift production and save on concentrate spend.
5. Use clover to strengthen farm resilience. Clover swards outyield grass-only and can withstand lower nitrogen applications once established.

Livestock feed options

With ground still drying out, we’ve seen a delayed turnout for many grassland farms. And the knock-on effect is declining forage reserves and spending on bought-in feed.

This table shows the cost impact of concentrate reliance. While they serve an important nutritional purpose and in emergencies, it’s better for your budget to take grazing opportunities when they become available.

*Direct drilled

Source: John Nix Handbook 2025

Keep walking your farm to measure grass covers and assess the ground for suitable grazing conditions. Start with the driest field first, but only if the ground doesn’t feel soft underfoot. Bring out your lighter stock initially to see if the ground can hold them.

Optimise grazing management

You could also revisit your grazing system to find efficiencies. For farms with set stocking, there are yield and utilisation gains to be made by switching to continuous, rotational, or paddock grazing.

Source: AHDB

Rotational grazing can deliver 4.2 tonnes of dry matter per hectare and 10% higher utilisation, AHDB research shows.

Maximise homegrown

While you can expect high grass growth in the first four years of a reseed, a study by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) found that perennial ryegrass yields decreased by up to 50% for most varieties.

Although reseeding is an investment, IBERS research found significant production gains when comparing new swards of 95% perennial ryegrass with older swards or permanent pasture. So, if you do have a modest supply of fertiliser, it’s worth making the most of it by reseeding.

Source: IBERS

Clover brings business resilience

With the current fertiliser situation, it’s worth reevaluating your use of clover. Although clover needs time to start fixing nitrogen, it will naturally fix around 150kg of nitrogen per hectare per year in soil. This offers the dual benefit of reducing your reliance on expensive fertiliser and improving the resilience of your farm.

While supporting sustainability, clover can also lift milk and meat production. In a four-year trial by Germinal Horizon, swards with perennial ryegrass and white clover outperformed perennial ryegrass-only swards for biomass yield by 24.7%.

Dairy potential

Establishing white clover in swards can help cost control, production, and sustainability. A Teagasc grazing experiment found that nitrogen applications could be halved in swards containing 20.1% clover to grass, resulting in 6.15% higher milk solids per cow.

Source: Teagasc, 2023-24 

Liveweight gains

A Teagasc study compared the differences between grazing heifers and steers on grass-only and grass-clover swards. This resulted in higher carcass weights and values for the grass-clover groups. The performance increase was especially strong for steers.

Source: Teagasc, 2023/24 

So, for milk or meat production, clover can have the dual benefit of driving business performance while also supporting resilience.

Expert grassland advice

From unpredictable weather to world politics, grassland challenges can emerge with little warning. But expert forage support is always available – connect with your regional Germinal expert here.