Overseeding One Year Leys Sainfoin Lucerne Red Clover Leys White Clover Leys Long Term Leys Herbal Leys Root Crops Green Manures OELS Game Cover Parkland Horse & Pony Conventional: Wild Flowers Lawn Order Online
or Call 0800 252211 |
|
|
Organic White Clover LeysLow input, high clover makes economic sense. |
We have been using 'POCHON' mixtures on organic farms for 25 years. These white clover leys provide excellent grazing swards and can also be occasionally cut for silage. The benefits that are derived from white clover are proportional to the amount of clover in the sward. High levels fix 250 kg N per hectare which effectivley doubles forage yield compared to unfertilised cloverless swards.
White clover has a high protein content at around 27%. Perennial ryegrass contains about 17%. Combining the two together in the field increases the overall protein content of forage by 2-3%. The extra protein available from clover leys has a direct increase on live weight gains. This however, is just half the story as livestock find clover very palatable. Due to these characteristic animals eat more forage and this again has the benefit of further increasing live weight gain. Bloat Concern has always been expressed by dairy farmers when grazing high clover leys. Preventative measures can minimise the problem. Animals should be gradually introduced to clover in the diet by limiting the amount of time grazing and can be fed dry materials such as hay before turnout. Who was Pochon? Andre Pochon was a Breton beef farmer who had developed a rotational grazing system using 'high levels' of white clover and perennial ryegrass leys. Robin Hill from Cotswold Seeds first visited Monsieur. Pochon in 1984 to see first hand how the system worked. These leys proved highly successful and have been adopted by many farmers since. We offer the two mixtures opposite. One for cutting and grazing and one for long term grazing. 
White clover can be cut or grazed. It lasts longer than red clover although it is lower yielding. Its lower growth habit makes it suited to grazing and this is its main use. The aim is to produce a sward which contains 30-50% white clover and the right balance of clover to grass throughout the year. Where possible allow an interval of about 35 days between defoliation. This gap allows the legume to perform. Most of its nitrogen is fixed during the later stages of the white clover growth and therefore early defoliation restricts nitrogen fixation. Also we have encountered less bloat on mature swards. Yield Dry matter yields of white clover ley are in the range of 10-13 t/ha. Without using any applied nitrogen, high clover leys can achieve the same production as conventional systems. |
'POCHON' Dairy
Two-Four Year Silage / Grazing Ley Ref. MIXCGO2ORG 65% Organic A seed mixture specifically for the dairy farmer to produce high quality grazing. This ley has an open growth habit allowing the white clover plenty of space to exploit. Including Aberystwyth high sugar ryegrass and white clovers this mixture is can also be cut to provide high D value silage.
N.B. For sheep grazing use 'POCHON' Persistent below.
2.70 kg certified ABEREXCEL tet.hybrid ryegrass
3.00 kg certified STAR ORGANIC italian ryegrass 2.80 kg certified PASTOUR ORGANIC per. ryegrass 2.00 kg certified CALIBRA ORGANIC tet. per. ryegrass 0.60 kg certified ABERHERALD white clover 0.60 kg certified CRUSADER white clover 0.30 kg certified ALICE white clover 12.00 kg per acre (30 kg/ha)
'POCHON' Persistent
Long Term Grazing Ley Ref. MIXCGO1ORG 65% Organic This is the original Pochon Ley mixture which has proved very successful on organic farms. Suitable for taking a cut of silage, but mainly for rotational grazing. The mixture includes the very best strains of high yielding white clovers from Aberystwyth. Excellent mid-summer production without artificial fertiliser. Based on the ideas of M Pochon.
2.70 kg certified TWYSTAR perennial ryegrass
1.00 kg certified TRANI ORGANIC per. ryegrass 3.40 kg certified CALIBRA ORGANIC tet. per. ryegrass 3.40 kg certified PASTOUR ORGANIC per. ryegrass 0.60 kg certified ABERCONCORD white clover 0.70 kg certified ABERHERALD white clover 0.20 kg certified S184 OR ABERACE wild white clover 12.00 kg per acre (30 kg/ha)
Sowing & Establishment
White clover seed grows on all but the most waterlogged soils. Phosphate and potash levels should be above soil index 2 and pH over 5.6. Sow between March and September. White clover seed is small and will benefit from shallow sowing. A very firm seed bed is required and the white clover must be sown on the surface. (You should be able to ride a bicycle across the field before sowing!) Rolling at least once after sowing a white clover ley is strongly recommended. If undersowing do not choose a thick crop. This will result in failure. A thinly sown spring cereal is ideal. The seeds are best sown by broadcasting using a spinner. If sowing in the autumn, aim to sow by mid September. Variety There is a large range of white clover available. White clovers are classified by leaf size. In general terms, the smaller the leaf, the more tolerant of close grazing. The medium leaved varieties are more productive especially when cut for silage or hay. Although large leaved strains give slightly higher yields they are less persistent when grazed and are therefore for specialist use only. Cotswold Seeds advise the use of the following varieties.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Need advice? Please call 0800 252211 |