Grassland

An independent report commissioned by the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Livestock has concluded new methods of mitigating carbon emissions from livestock production must be found to reach net zero targets by 2050.

Participation in GrassCheckGB has helped Welsh sheep producer, Anwen Hughes, slash costs of production simply through better management and utilisation of grass.

As farmers seek to meet new targets around ammonia emissions, slurry acidification could offer one option for doing so. An ongoing study is looking into whether there are any wider impacts on soil and crop quality. Hannah Par

As well as championing the use of dried and ground near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) silage analysis, Eurofins laboratories has launched a series of new indexes to help farmers to optimise their silage production.

Joining the grassland monitoring project, GrassCheckGB, and switching to paddock grazing is helping a high-yielding herd in Dorset maximise milk from grazed grass and cut its concentrate costs.

Reduced grass silage yields in the first half of the year are set to make producing good maize silage even more important this season. So how do you achieve the best maize preservation?

Recent polls highlight knowledge gaps around worm monitoring strategies which threaten the sustainable use of anthelmintics.

The livestock industry, particularly methane from cattle, is often touted as one of the leading causes of global warming. But an increasing bank of scientific evidence is saying otherwise. 

With the dry start to the summer affecting grass growth and silage yields, autumn-cut silage could provide a valuable opportunity for producers to avoid a forage shortfall this winter.

Weather extremes hitting both sides of the spectrum so far this year has made for a challenging grass growing season to date. Hannah Park finds out more.