Grass+: managing swards with high clover content

Grass growth was mixed around the country again this week, with the rain a help for those suffering with a moisture deficit.

On other farms the drop of rain paired with the heat will lead to very high grass growths and fields with high cover need to be watched closely as they will get out of hand quickly.

However the rain seems to be missing some areas of the country in which case working off a 25 day+ rotation should be done. So on a 100ha farm you should only graze 4ha a day, the rest of the diet being supplemented to bridge the gap.

Clover swards

As you may have noticed clover has really taken over some fields over the last week or two and it’s the time of year for it. From 1 July onwards the clover plant really starts to grow.

In swards with a high inclusion of clover of 25% or more your grazing management should be adjusted.

Consistently grazing to a post grazing height of 4cm or less is needed as light needs to get to the bottom of the pant to promote stolon growth.

Clover also has the ability to fix its own nitrogen. So in a sward with at least 25% clover content N application can be pulled back significantly going with half rate over the summer.

Bloat is one thing we need to look out for at this time of year. If cows are not used to grazing these high clover content fields they can often gorge on the highly digestible clover and suffer bloat.

Making sure cows had a good fill of grass before entering the paddock with clover will help avoid this. Also giving the cows just a 12hr grazing strip at a time will force (cows) them to eat the grass along with the clover and help balance the diet. Another option is bloat oil in the water.