News & Events

01/05/2025

Multi-species Swards Backed by Science, Irish Farmers and DLF

Fields of chicory and plantain as part of diverse multi-species swards are now a common site across the Irish countryside. The popularity of multi-species swards has exploded in recent years, partly thanks to generous grants from DAFM, but mainly because of their value to Irish farmers. The list of benefits of multi-species swards is quite extensive but the main benefits include greatly reducing N fertiliser requirement and fertiliser costs, increasing summer forage production and quality - giving drought tolerance and improving animal intakes and performance Read more

29/04/2025

Why Sow Multi-species Swards in 2025?

Would you like to reduce your Nitrogen fertiliser bill by up to 100%? Interest in multi-species swards has grown rapidly in recent years with an estimated 8,000 acres sown in 2023, a significant increase on the couple of hundred sown just 5 years ago! Read more

15/04/2025

DLF’s local R&D producing specialist grass varieties for Irish farmers

Vast is a new late Tetraploid ryegrass from DLF with a very interesting story! Selected on Irish farms for Irish farmers, Vast has been trialled and tested by DLF since 2020. After impressing initially at our Waterford trial site, Vast excelled when sown on our Partner Farms across the country as part of the DLF Variety Grazing Trial. Read more

31/03/2025

Agritain Plantain meets Climate and Production Targets

Over the last few years the increasing use of multi-species swards has seen Irish farmers significantly reduce their N fertiliser bills, increase animal performance and enhance summer forage production. On some drier farms, multi-species swards have been the only grazable forage available during prolonged dry spells. Read more

26/03/2025

DLF’s Top Tips for Reseeding Grass this Spring

Spring is the ideal time to reseed as daylight hours extend and soil temperatures rise to provide ideal conditions for seed germination and plant establishment. The value of reseeding cannot be overstated and although it may seem expensive, reseeding is an investment worth making. Read more

11/03/2025

Maize better value now than ever before

2024 was a challenging year for maize crops across the country with wet weather impacting pollination and cob formation and a lack of heat throughout the summer impacting crop yields. However, maize is still an excellent home-grown energy crop and a large acreage is expected to be sown again in 2025. Read more

11/03/2025

Want Easy Grazing Mixtures in 2025?

The reseeding season for 2025 will kick off shortly and now is the ideal time to consider your grass options. DLF have a wide range to pick from with intensive grazers and cut & graze options to multi-species and red clover mixtures available. In this article we will focus on our top grazing mixtures designed to produce the highest quality grass with top utilisation to ensure your farm is profitable and sustainable. Read more

23/08/2024

How Much Forage Rape Do I Need For This Coming Winter?

For accurate feed planning it is essential to measure the DM yield of the crop. This can easily be done by following the steps below. To measure your crop you will need 1m² frame, seed bag, pair of garden shears and scales Read more

16/08/2024

New Data From DLF Shows The Value of August Reseeding

Its time to start planning your autumn reseeds and new data from DLF’s on-farm grass trials shows why this important job should not be left to the last minute. Many farmers prefer to reseed in the autumn months of August and September as both grass demand and workload on farm eases. However, farmers should not leave this important job until too late in the autumn as this can increase the risk of poor establishment and even failure of reseeds in some cases Read more

16/08/2024

Uncover The Value Of Catch Crops In Your Rotation

Catch Crops, Cover Crops and Green Manures are terms generally used to describe a crop that is sown between two cash crops. Broadly speaking they all help to improve soil structure, increase organic matter content and help with trafficability, but there are some key functional differences between each type of crop. Read more

22/05/2024

New Hybrid Brassica Leading The Way In Irish Trials

Mainstar promises high yields of leafy forage with excellent utilisation and judging by the data collected so far, it won’t disappoint. Sowing brassicas like forage rape for winter grazing is a cost-effective way of boosting winter forage stocks while also extending the grazing season. Mainstar promises high yields of leafy forage with excellent utilisation and judging by the data collected so far, it won’t disappoint. In 2023 we established a number of forage rape grazing trials on farms across the country to assess the yield, quality and utilisation of Mainstar compared to the leading varieties on the market. The graph below shows some impressive initial results for Mainstar. The DM yield of Mainstar particularly stands out, producing 1.8t/ha more than the next best variety. Read more

22/01/2024

Red Clover Silage An Attractive Option For Both Livestock And Tillage Farmers In 2024

In an effort to reduce the amount of nitrogen fertiliser used on Irish farms, DAFM have announced that last years’ hugely Red Clover Measure will be available again in 2024. The measure is worth €300/ha up to a total of 20ha for each applicant. It essentially means free seed! Read more

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