An interview with a grower

Farm Facts 

• East coast of Lincolnshire, between Louth and Alford
• 500ha mixed family farm
• 160ha of grass
• Amenity and agricultural grass varieties
• Grass seed growing for 50+ years
• Grazed after the first year 
• Hay sold as by-product

For more than 50 years, the Stovin family has found a place in the arable rotation to grow grass for seed. As one of around 50 growers supplying grass seed to Barenbrug UK, growing not just the agricultural varieties that will eventually be sown for grazing or silage but also the amenity seed that constitutes the hallowed turf of legendary sporting venues such as St Andrews, Elland Road and Queen’s.

“As a long-term crop, it’s become very obvious what grass contributes,” Andrew explains. “These days, we rarely need to subsoil fields because the grass – left down for two or sometimes three years – roots deep, breaking up compaction. Those roots persist in the soil, too, keeping the pores open for years after. We’ve a Charolais x Limousin suckler herd, which allows us to graze all our crops after the first year. We’ve found that grazing tight to the floor makes a real difference to a second-year crop. It also aids with volunteer control and, of course, by allowing the livestock onto the arable land we also have a constant top-up of organic matter.”

Environmentally, the large area of grass – and its minimum two-year duration – has led to a boom in wildlife, Andrew notes, with key species such as hare, skylark and yellowhammer increasing dramatically since the family further expanded the grass cropping area.

“The grass also helps us to keep more of the farm under green cover over the winter,” Andrew points out, “which is both a further fillip for wildlife as well as reducing soil erosion and nutrient run-off.”

Moreover, that two-year cropping cycle provides a reduction in autumn workload – something Andrew regards as a blessing when periods of inclement or extreme weather might otherwise threaten timely completion of field operations. In addition, by organising grass varieties into heading date and growing a selection from early to late, Andrew says he can get a better handle on harvest and aid the flow of crops onto the drying floor to avoid bottlenecks.

“That’s particularly important when it comes to cleaning and processing,” he highlights. “We’ve recently invested in a new JCM grass-cleaning plant from McArthur Agriculture. Capable of precleaning grass to 95% purity at 16t per day, or 98% at 6-7t per day, we need to plan carefully to make full use of that capacity and take advantage of its automation – which allows us to get on with other jobs while it works away in the background.”

As with any crop, good establishment lays the foundation for optimum yield and quality. “That process starts with the drill,” says Andrew. “After many years of using a Vaderstad Rapid for grass, we’ve just switched to a 6m Horizon DSX.

“Why? The Horizon sports a liquid fertiliser kit so, for the first time, we can add fertiliser to the crop at establishment: that gives it a good boost in droughty springs. It’s also helped us with seed placement – the Vaderstad had a habit of burying seed too deep in field ridges – and has allowed us to avoid ploughing after a grass crop, as we use it to direct drill wheat into the grass seed residue.

“That’s a big help in a dry autumn, and represents a welcome cost and carbon reduction.”

Harvest technique

• Shelbourne stripper header 
• Harvest when slightly unripe to stop shedding
• Follow with wheat 

Harvesting, too, has benefited from recent investment decisions. The family has moved away from direct cutting of grass and now favours a stripper header. “The Shelbourne stripper header has, simply, revolutionised harvest for us,” enthuses Andrew.

“We’re faster than ever before, and the output is purer than ever before. Those alone are good headline reasons for the switch, but beyond that we’ve reduced risk too: the Shelbourne allows us to take a crop when it’s slightly unripe, which can help to avoid shedding, while its speed means we can make the decision to take a crop in the face of an oncoming storm and avoid the otherwise inevitable loss of yield.”

“Grass is a very valuable crop for us,” concludes Andrew. “On so many fronts – agronomic, soil health, environmental, workload and economic – we see the advantages grass brings.”

Top Insights

• A Horizon DSX drill has allowed us to direct drill wheat into the grass seed residue
• We have seen yield improve by grazing grass tight to the floor before a second-year crop
• Apply a two year dose of fibrophos after first year grass to improve yield
• Stripper header has reduced the risk of losses
• Wildlife is booming, with the crop being left down for two years there are huge environmental benefits. Hare, skylark and yellow hammers have increased dramatically since our grass area increased