Description
Description of the innovation
Sowing grass and legumes together in a mixture is widely spread practice among dairy farmers. Addition of legumes improves protein content of fodder as well as nitrogen circular economy. From broad literature of the subject we know that seeding is of crucial importance for sward establishing and quality. Grass seeds and legumes seeds differ and to be precisely put in the soil should be treated and sow separately. Sowing grass and legumes seeds separately in perpendicular rows allows to obtain more uniform grass-legume sward than sowing them in the same row and at the same time.
Moreover, higher yields, up to 15 tonnes of dry matter per hectare, and high share of legumes can be harvested in the sward, which amounts to 40% or even 50%.
Results obtained with the adoption of innovation
The main result of the innovation is quicker improving grassland condition and receiving higher yield of better quality grass-legume sward, already in the first year after renovation.
Jerzy Kokociński, where the innovation is adopted, took over family farm from his parents in low in 1986. Farm was then 16 ha big with few cows and few pigs. Since then he was developing this farm and today he has 70 dairy cows and about 150 heads of cattle in total. Rented land consists mainly of grassland of different quality. To improve this land farmer has implemented innovative pro-cedure of sowing grass and legumes seeds separately, perpendicular to each other. This innovative technique has helped him to quickly achieve required results.
The strategy of the farmer is to increase milk yield per cow and total milk production with increasing share of good quality grass-legume feeds in cow diet.
Advantages
- regular distribution of the sown seeds on the soil surface
- better rooted plants
- less need for nitrogen fertilization
- high yield
- lower usage of concentrate per cow
Disadvantages
- higher consumption of gasoline
- more labour required
More information
- www.encyclopediapratensis.eu – case study: Jerzy Kokociński Farm
- Guidelines for seeding new pastures and renovationg old pastures, Maryland Cooperative Extension
