April 28 2010
THE variable growth pattern of grass in England makes it very tricky for beef and sheep producers to manage.
This is why EBLEX has just launched a major new initiative to help producers get a feel for how the grass is growing relatively close to them at any point during the season.
GrassWatch is a collaborative grass growth monitoring project involving EBLEX, ten agricultural colleges and Farmers Weekly. The grass growth and quality of three fields at each college (Newton Rigg in Cumbria is the North West College taking part) is being monitored with the results being posted every two weeks at www.fwi.co.uk/grasswatch
There are also commentaries from producers who farm close-by, discussing how they are managing the inevitable growth spurts and shortfalls so typical for grass.
While there is no substitute for looking at or measuring your own pastures, we hope that being able to follow grass growth in fields in your area will help you plan future grazing and feeding needs.
We do hope you find this service useful for managing your pastures this summer.
Dr Liz Genever
EBLEX Livestock Scientist