Alongside optimal soil fertility, good grazing infrastructure, and best practise grassland management, reseeding is a critical pillar in maximising output from the grazing platform.
Ireland has an unrivalled global advantage when it comes to growing grass, however, currently only 7% of the land on specialist dairy farms in Ireland is reseeded annually (approx. 2.5% nationally if we look at the country’s entire grassland area).
Economically, a low proportion of perennial ryegrass in a sward is costing farmers up to €300/ha in lost grass production during the growing season. While, according to the Teagasc National Farm Survey Data, increased total herbage production when coupled with good grassland management can result in an additional €173 for every extra tonne of grass utilised.
Reseeding should be viewed as a long-term farm investment over 8-10 years. The aim is to reseed 10% of the farm annually, resulting in a completely renewed platform every 10 years.
The key benefits of reseeding include:
- Increased grass growth/grass availability in the shoulders of the season.
- Improved response to nitrogen (New swards are 25% more responsive to nitrogen compared to old permanent pastures).
- Higher feed value to support animal production.
- Faster regrowth post-grazing/cutting.
When compared to reseeding in the back end of the year, spring reseeding generally offers farmers more opportunities to achieve a better-established sward, as well as greater flexibility for post-emergence weed control. Also, typically with spring reseeding, there is less impact on the grass available for grazing due to high growth rates on the rest of the farm while the reseeded area is out of production.
Top grass varieties available from Agritech
Our Tipperary Grass Seed Range for this coming season has been further strengthened by the inclusion of a very exciting new variety.
New for 2021, the tetraploid variety, Nashota has a number of unique qualities. While the variety delivers all the benefits of a tetraploid, its groundcover rating is on a par with many of the leading recommended diploid varieties. It is also scoring highly in both spring growth and quality. 
The Tipperary Grass Seed Range also includes AberPlentiful and Callan once again this year. AberPlentiful continues to be the highest yielding late tetraploid on the 2021 Recommended List and Pasture Profit Index (PPI), and it is also scoring highly for spring growth. Callan continues to perform very well, with excellent feedback from farmers, particularly in terms of grass utilisation.
All Tipperary Grass Seed mixtures are also treated with our unique GroQuik Seed Stimulant, to further enhance germination rates and also crop lifetime production. GroQuik is particularly beneficial for the germination of clover, and in light of future regulations which may be coming down the track, this is another added benefit to factor in.
Further Information
For further advice on spring reseeding or to choose a suitable grass mixture, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor or visit the Tipperary Grass Seed page.