Analysis of the figures produced by the GrassCheck service has confirmed that the metabolisable energy (ME) values of swards in Northern Ireland have consistently declined within a growing season over the past three years.
“The figure comes in at around one mega joule of ME per hectare of fresh grass”, said Jason Rankin, general manager of AgriSearch.
“This value is significant and reflects the reduction in performance in ruminant livestock performance that can be achieved within a grazing scenario.
“Research will be required to find out exactly what is going on here. Is this a weather-related phenomenon or are other factors coming into play?”
The Agrisearch representative also confirmed the average ME values of grass silages made in Northern Ireland have plateaued-off over recent years.
“It’s too early to say if there is a link between the ME values in fresh grass and those coming through in silages. We know that the ME values of swards peak during early May.
“So, in theory, this should allow for high ME, first cut silages to be made at that time of the year,” Rankin added.
Significantly, the GrassCheck figures are also confirming more extreme grass protein values at the spring and autumn shoulders of the grazing season.
AgriSearch was formed in 1997 to provide a mechanism through which beef, dairy and sheep farmers in Northern Ireland could have direct involvement in production orientated research.
Funds contributed to the organisation, courtesy of producer levies, are used to commission research into the improvement and development of beef, sheep and dairy farming.
AgriSearch’s guiding principal is to provide practical benefit for primary producers to reduce costs, improve performance, drive innovation and improve welfare.
The duplication of existing research and development work is avoided and every effort is made to get maximum leverage from complementary funding sources
AgriSearch has been one of the key drivers from the get-go behind GrassChaeck, which celebrates its 25th anniversary year in 2024.
Since 1999, the service has been fundamental in assisting ruminant livestock farmers maximise returns from grazed grass.
Currently, the initiative is led by AgriSearch, the Agri-Food and Biosciences’ Institute (AFBI) and the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), AFBI and CAFRE.
Additional support is offered by supported by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and the UK Agri-Tech Centre.
GrassCheck monitors year-on-year variations in grass growth, providing valuable information to both farmers and policy makers.
Mining the data
There is universal consensus amongst all of Northern Ireland’s farm stakeholder groups that GrassCheck has an evolving role to play in delivering a sustainable future for ruminant agriculture.
According to Rankin, the detailed analysis of the information amassed by the service over the past quarter of a century will help define this process.
“This works at a number of levels. GrassCheck has evolved from a service, which simply reports on actual swards production levels in real time, to one which accurately predicts future growth rates.
“At the heart of this, is the recognition that a 21-day rotation period will drive grazing patterns in most years on the vast majority of dairy, beef and sheep farms in Northern Ireland.
“But, more than this, GrassCheck has amassed invaluable data regarding bespoke sward production trends that have been identified in regions across Northern Ireland, from East Co Down to West Co. Fermanagh.
“And analysing this data will help identify trends for the future that are relevant to farmers in all locations,” he explained.
The AgriSearch representative continued:
“But predicting grass production levels is only part of the challenge. Finding ways to utilise this forage in the most efficient way possible is of equal significance.”
AgriSearch chair, prof. Gerry Boyle, also spoke at the 25th anniversary event.
He explained that the launch of the service back in 1999 had helped to cement the principle in the minds of research scientists and farmers throughout Ireland that grass was a crop that had to be managed in the most effective way possible.
According to prof. Boyle: “Grasscheck is a classic example of a tool that has been developed to allow ruminant farmers make best use of the most important resource they manage: their grasslands.
“Effective grassland utilisation is the key to profitable and sustainable ruminant livestock production.
“There is absolutely no argument about that. Grass is the least cost feed. It enables farmers to bounce back from difficulties, whether these be on the input price side or the output price side.
“GrassCheck, for the past 25 years, is the toll that has allowed these benefits to be delivered in a very real way.”
Grass Check: A proud history
Courtesy of his address to the 25th anniversary event, former AFBI director and DAERA chief scientific officer, Dr. Sincair Mayne, highlighted the critical role played by GrassCheck in delivering for agriculture in Northern Ireland on a truly international stage.
“Back in 2002 the officially recognised independence and accuracy of the grass production data gathered by GrassCheck made the key difference when it came to Northern Ireland securing a £4.6 million weather aid package from Brussels.
“The year in question saw torrential rain falling throughout the summer months with the result that very large numbers of cattle had to be housed early.
“However, it was the real time date available from GrassCheck that contributed so much to the case that was made to the European Commission.”
Four years later, however, GrassChack made an equally contribution when it came to Northern Ireland successfully arguing its case to Brussels for a nitrates derogation.
“This time, the GrassCheck data was used to confirm that the grass growing season in Northern Ireland extended from March through to November.
“The successful securing of the derogation meant that fertiliser nitrogen application rates on grassland could be secured at 250kg/ha.
“Had the full scope of the measures within the European Union’s 2007 Nitrates’ Directive been mandated for Northern Ireland, this figure would have fallen to 175kg.
“The impact of such a development on production agriculture of such a development would have been very significant indeed,” Dr. Mayne said.
The future for GrassCheck
The current GrassCheck service is delivered by 50 plus farmers at locations across Northern Ireland measuring grass production rates on a weekly basis.
This is supplemented by data generated by 30 weather stations, again strategically placed at locations across Northern Ireland.
In addition, grass plots are cut and physically weighed/analysed on a weekly basis at three locations: AFBI Hillsborough, AFBI Crossnacreevy and CAFRE Greenmount.
The 25th anniversary event gave a number of the participant farmers an opportunity to relate how they use their own grass measuring data to drive their own businesses forward.
One of the most fundamental themes identified, was the use of grass measuring to rank the production capacity of individual fields within a farm business.
In turn, this is allowing the earlier and more efficient identification of fields that require re-seeding.
The information is also encouraging the greater use of soil testing. In turn, this information is highlighting the significance of soil pH values and the benefits that will be accrued in developing bespoke potash and phosphate fertiliser strategies for individual fields.
Grass measuring is also confirming the strategic use of paddock grazing systems and, specifically, in a dairying context, the absolute importance of having roadways that are fit for purpose.
This is relevant from both a poaching and hoof/foot condition perspective.
The future is clover
Current GrassChack data is confirming the future role for clover in grass-based production systems.
However, there is general recognition across the farming sector that much more must be done to improve clover establishment and persistence levels.
Where establishment is concerned, there are very few herbicides available that are clover friendly.
In response to this challenge a number of the GrassChaeck farmers are currently stitching clover into a new ley 12 months after it has been established.
Breeding new varieties of clover that are more persistent within Irish growing conditions has been identified as a priority by many GrassChack farmers.
The reality is that clover will tend to die out of swards quite quickly if wet growing conditions persist for a significant period of time.
And this has certainly been the case for the most part in 2023 and 2024.
That said, the ability of clover to fix nitrogen (N) from the air most be maximised in the most efficient way possible.
The legume will have a greater impact on sward production rates from mid-summer onwards.
It is envisaged that the strategic use of N fertiliser can to deliver the levels of grass growth required during the spring months with clover taking over this role as the growing season progresses.
While specifically reflecting on the key role played by GrassCheck over the past 25 years in improving grassland management standards across Northern Ireland, the 25th anniversary event was also used to encourage the greater update of regular grass measuring across agriculture as a whole.
It has been estimated that less than 200 farmers in Northern Ireland regularly use the likes of a plate meter to accurately assess sward growth rates and grass stocks on their farms.
The reality is that ‘eye balling’ a sward on a regular or semi-regular basis is no substitute for the hard data that bespoke sward measuring equipment can deliver.
