Friday, March 29, 2024

The red-carpet treatment

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Red clover is proving its versatility. Its reputation in lamb finishing and resilience to clover root weevil now has it finding favour in cooler climates.  Southern farmers are reporting exceptional rates of growth from lambs grazing red clover and it’s not unreasonable to expect growth rates in excess of 300g/day. Southern farmers are reporting exceptional rates of growth from lambs grazing red clover. It’s not unreasonable to expect growth rates in excess of 300g/day.
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The normal life expectancy of modern red clover is three seasons, at which time there should be a nitrogen bank created by stock grazing it for the following crop or pasture. 

Southern South Island sales manager Gareth Kean of Agricom said red clover is more forgiving than lucerne and can handle being grazed hard.

It can be planted on its own but by the third autumn there may only be 25-30% of the original clover plants left. It is commonly sown with 3kg of white clover to fill these gaps. 

In Southland and parts of Otago the clover root weevil is taking its toll on white clover, so pure red clover swards are being planted along with increased red clover in place of white clover in permanent pasture mixes. Increased demand, on the back of a difficult seed-growing season in Canterbury, may even outstrip supply this spring.

Southern farm consultant Graham Butcher of Rural Solutions in Gore said growth rates achieved on Barry and Julie Crawford’s Rosebank farm, near Gore, achieved about the 300g/day mark.

He said it is a good quality feed but the big question is how long will it last? There is also a need to be reasonably careful with how it is grazed.

Vaccinating lambs against pulpy kidney (enterotoxaemia) is a must. He also recommends introducing stock to it carefully.

Sheep-and-beef farmers Dean and Fiona Addenbrooke of Clifden in Western Southland are into their fourth year of a 9ha pure sward of red clover. They are very happy with it although it is not without its issues. 

Sown into stony ground, which Dean described as almost straight riverbed, it struggled in its first spring to get going because of an unseasonably dry turn in the weather. Some of the seed didn’t strike until early autumn, which meant it only hit its straps going into the second season. 

Red clover has a reputation for resilience to clover root weevil.

The Addenbrookes have found that although growth starts early in spring, the sheep don’t find it palatable until about December, by which time it is almost out of control.

Dean thinks it must be bitter until the warmth hits it and it gets close to flowering, which is when stock love it.

In the meantime ewes and lambs are forced to eat it to keep it in control. They perform reasonably well but it is later into summer when he sees the real benefits. 

“It’s very good in summer with lambs. We put 500 on it (9ha) and peel them off as they come up to weight and keep loading it up. We struggle to control it,” Dean said.

Lambs were killing out at 19kg and exceptionally clean with hardly a need to crutch. 

But once autumn hits and the lambs have mown it off it’s gone until spring, which means there is 9ha out of action for winter.

To get the best out of the crop a farm with scope is needed that can handle paddocks out of rotation over winter, and for palatability reasons even into spring, Dean said. 

“But for fattening lambs, balage or silage, it is fantastic.”

Animal health is important too. Pulpy kidney will kill the fastest growing lambs quickly so vaccinating against this is paramount. Cattle are prone to bloat and should avoid it. 

Weed control isn’t normally a big problem. There are a number of products that will control grass weeds and some thistles, although thistle spray will knock out any chicory or plantain present. Unfortunately nodding thistle isn’t easily controllable.

New varieties

Newer red clover varieties include Rajah and Relish, which offer an extra year’s persistence. 

Flushing ewes on red clover traditionally caused fertility issues, but this is not relevant to the newer varieties. Formononetin levels are as low as one-third of traditional red clover. 

Red clover is currently seen as a valuable clover root weevil management tool in the Southern regions.

Red clover swards are normally sown with DAP, particularly if the paddock is coming out of winter crop. Nitrogen levels should be monitored during establishment, ie: the first six months.

Subsequent fertiliser applications tend to be normal farm maintenance fertiliser. Potash levels should be monitored if cut and carried or intensively grazed.

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