NEW varieties, equipment and advice to improve grass yields were all on hand at Grassland & Muck last week.

The national event at Stoneleigh, organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of England and Yara, attracted visitors from all over the world.

AHDB launched the new Recommended Grass and Clover List featuring 12 new varieties giving improved yield, quality and durability.

Visitors could also compare different varieties and mixtures in100 growing plots, and explore the benefits of rotational grazing in a new mob grazing feature.

Drought tolerance and home-grown proteins were hot topics at the event, with Germinal recommending red clover, forage brassicas and Lucerne to reduce production costs.

Ben Wixey, from Germinal, said less than a third of UK livestock farmers grow forage brassicas, and only one in five include red clover in their leys.

He said: "Legumes can fix around 150kg/ha of nitrogen, reducing the amount of artificial fertiliser required. Clovers and deep-rooted plants such as perennial chicory also help to improve soil structure."

DLF used clear growing tubes to demonstrate the rooting abilities of different plants, with festuloliums boasting both drought and flood tolerance due to their deep rooting abilities.

Chris Gamble, director of agriculture, said: "Following the dry spring some pastures will be damaged, so farmers might consider over-seeding to replenish grass at minimal cost.

"Using a ProNitro seed coating ensures the developing seedling receives the full benefit of the additional nutrition, not the surrounding plants."

Working displays included new balers, wrappers, mowers and rakes. Kverneland launched its 15m GEOrake.

Dan Crowe, product manager, said the 97150C, with a 15m working width, had pivots at the front, unlike other rakes. "This means instead of lowering and lifting, farmers can bring the arm back which is great for tapered fields," he said.

The rake uses GPS to locate field boundaries and lifts rake arms in response to the field and swath type for optimum grass production. "For the most efficient foraging, raking needs to create longer, straighter lines," said Mr Crowe. "The GEO system enables this, meaning farmers are optimising their rake and effectively reducing labour costs."

Richard Simpson, from Kingshay, said there was plenty of scope for farmers to produce more milk from forage – producing a litre of milk from grazed grass cost just 3.5p against 9.5p from concentrates.

He said: "It’s often assumed that good milk from forage is only for low input herds but it can be achieved across all herds."

Well-managed rotational grazing was essential to maintain quality at 11.5-12MJ/kg of metabolisable energy throughout the season, boosting grass yields by up to 45 per cent.

He said: "A typical 200-cow herd yielding 8000 – 9000 litres could save 2.6p/litre by making more from forage – that’s £44,000 a year."

Dr Paul Newell-Price, from Adas, used demonstration soil pits to explain how to assess soils and choose the right management options to improve them.