Why clover? Clover does an important job for New Zealand's agricultural and pastoral systems producing free nitrogen to help grow and maximise the quality of pasture.
Farm Source Southland Regional Manager Jamie Callahan says we don't tend to pay much attention to clover, focusing instead on ryegrass cultivar.
"Clover is not well understood and for the most part farmers are not establishing or protecting clover within their pastures to get the most of out of it. For too long we've just been relying on synthetic nitrogen to maximize quantity and quality of our ryegrass, but with clover, if it's managed and established well, you can do that job for free," he says.
The challenge for farmers is how best to establish clover in pastures. In an ideal world, clover would be sown separately but this is not always practical or financially viable in commercial farming systems.
Best practice is a composition of around 30% clover within an established pasture mix. On most farms, however, ryegrass and clover seed are grown in rows at the same depth and the ryegrass tends to overtake the clover.
"Sowing depths, paddock preparation and general awareness of managing clover within the pasture sward are largely understated at any industry level. Strategic grazing and management of clover as well as ryegrass within the sward will help ensure your clover has a chance to get established, which can take around 12 months. There are huge gains to be made if done correctly," Jamie says.
The positive impact of increased clover in pasture includes palatability, live weight gain, and increased milk solids. Trials on research farms found a cow with 25% clover in pasture mix will produce 23% more milk than a cow with no clover in the pasture mix.1
"With clover grown more efficiently, farmers will reduce the need for imported feeds that impact our processing capability, improve the quality of their pastures and ultimately their bottom line," Jamie says.
Visit your Farm Source store or contact your local TSR to find out more about how clover can improve your pasture.
| The Numbers | Benchmark 100% ryegrass sward | Assumed Industry Average | Best Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clover composition in Pasture with Ryegrass | 0% Clover | 15% Clover | 30% Clover |
| Approx. Units of N fixed from Clover per year | 0 Units N | 100 Units N | 200 Units N |
| Additional Feed Grown at a response rate of 10kg DM/ha/pa per unit of N | 0kg DM | 1000 kg DM/ha/pa | 2000 kg DM/ha/pa |
| Approx. Value of this Feed/year* | $0 | $492.30 | $984.62 |
| Cost of clover Seed | $0 | $67.96 | $75.44 |
| Cost of Establishment | $0 | $682.04 | $689.52 |
| Return (year 1) | $0 | -$189.74 | $295.10 |
| Return (over 10 years) | $0 | $4240.96/ha | $9,156.68/ha |
Assumptions:
Units of N based off Dairy NZ estimations (rounded for simplicity). Assumed industry average being approx. half best practice.
1 Harris, S., Clark, D., Auldist, MJ., Waugh, CD., & Laboyrie, P. (1997). Optimum White Clover for Dairy Pastures. Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association.