Maximum productivity per acre

A Scottish farmer’s investment in better grasses and grassland management has seen him maximise productivity of his 371-acre livestock enterprise.

Robbie Baird from Dalhowan Farm in Maybole runs a herd of around 280 cattle, of which 90 are milking cows, together with 350 ewes and 200 ewe lambs. To meet the feeding demands of his livestock ’ including finishing 500 lambs per year ’ Robbie has reseeded with top-quality Barenbrug forage mixtures, supplied by distributor RH Goldie, and invested in a forward-planning programme that has paid dividends.

Robbie’s programme includes reseeding with Adapt long-term, dual-purpose mixture without clover in the first year, and then with clover in the second as an effective weed control. Some wholecrop was also undersown last year with Barmix, a highly successful, permanent, drought-tolerant, high-protein sward for sheep production.

As a result, Robbie has been able to increase his ewe and cow numbers, plus is constructing a new silage pit to cope with the increased productivity of the grassland. ’I plan to get all the grass into rotation as there is definitely a big difference in the quality and quantity of young grass,’ Robbie reveals. ’Ploughing up and starting again is the way forward with poorly performing grassland.’