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Red Clover – an ideal tillage
crop?
Dan Clavin, Organic Specialist, Teagasc Athenry
Presentation to National Organic Tillage Forum
Kilashee Hotel, Naas,
Tuesday 11th September 2018
Talk topics
Where red clover fits into a tillage farm
Benefits and uses
How to establish?
How to manage?
Yields, production costs and value
What is
red
clover?
Legume
+ companion grass
Erect growing habit
Grows to 20-80 cm tall
Silage > grazing
Red clover -Trifolium pratense L.
High yield and protein potential
Perennial – 2 to 6 years
Not as common in pastures/tillage rotations over recent decades
Red clover - Trifolium pratense L.
Red clover - nitrogen fixation
N-fixing bacteria enter roots and induce nodules
Can fix 200kg N/ha/year
↓ dependence on inorganic N
Soil health and fertility
• ↑ soil structure
• ↑ soil fertility (N)
• Suppress weeds
Excellent quality forage
Green manure
• Mulch/Plough under
• ↑ soil organic matter
Red clover - tillage potential
Red clover - Animal production
Red clover silages
Excellent forage:
• DM yield (13-16 t D.M./ha)
• Protein (14-22% crude protein)
↑ intake beef & milk production vs. grass silage
↑ linoleic acid, CLA & -linoleic acid in milk vs grass
15 t D.M. /ha Yield of red clover
swards/year
over 6 years
(ref: Teagasc Grange research)
Year to year comparison Average Annual yield
(ref: Teagasc Grange research)
(ref: Teagasc Grange research)
Companion Grass Crude Protein %
Grass + 0N (Mid March) = 10% protein
Grass + 125 kg N/ha (mid March) = 16% protein
(ref: Teagasc Grange research)
Red Clover-Grass on a tillage farm, Co. Westmeath
1 week after 2nd cut,
1st August 2018
Red Clover-Grass on a tillage farm, Co. Westmeath
3 weeks after 2nd cut,
14th August 2018
Red Clover-Grass on a tillage farm, Co.
Westmeath
5 weeks after 2nd cut,
28th August 2018
Red Clover-Grass on a tillage farm, Co. Westmeath
7 weeks after 2nd cut,
10th September 2018
Red Clover
Establishment
Sow April
to August
Seed: 50-
70% red
clover +
30%-50%
grass.
30 kg/ha.
Tiny seed-
recommend
surface spread.
Max. depth 1cm.
Recommend to
allow to flower
before 1st cut - for
root development
Cut and remover or
mulch by November.
Leave low cover 4-6cm
over Winter
Full-re-seed on
it’s own or under-
sow with arable
silage
Red Clover
Management
3-4
cuts/year.
6-8 week
intervals
1st cut May
Silage>Grazing Cut crops at 7-8cm height-to avoid
crown damage
P and K and Lime
as per Teagasc
recommendations
N
Wilt for 24 hours-
silage ensilability, avoid
conditioner mower – shatters
leaves
1. 2.
3.
4.
5.
Yields and production costs- red
clover-grass silage
Year Good Yield
(t DM/ha
Cut
Costs
(€/t DM
utilisable)
1 12.6 €157
2 13.9 €150
3 14.4 €152
Avg:
13.6 €153
Poor Yield
(t DM/ha
Cut
Costs
(€/t DM
utilisable)
8.4 €218
9.3 €206
9.6 €209
Avg: €211
4 cuts per year
-€€ potential
cost savings if
4th cut (1 t
DM/ha) is
mulched, not
harvested.
Value to livestock
farmer in energy and
protein = €188/t DM
utilisable.
Costs:
- Establishment
- Fertiliser: P, K , Lime
- Harvesting: Pit – 1st Cut;
Bale and wrap – 2nd- 4th Cut
- Minor field maintenance (eg.
hedges)
Yield: ~4-5 ha
could produce
30% of the Winter
feed for a 100
cow herd.
€ returns per ha Potential sale price to livestock farmer €188/t DM
Costs for tillage farmer -€153/t DM utilised DM/ha/year (avg. 3 years). __________
€35/t DM
x 11.5 tonnes DM/ha utilised
= €400/ha margin
But – market price livestock farmers generally pay is ~€160 t DM for good quality grass silage.
Need for focus on extra benefits of red clover both to tillage system and to animal performance.
Practical observations • Red clover appears sensitive to mechanical damage in wet
weather. Red clover sometimes looks poor during the Winter
but it recovers well by May.
• Remains to be clarified how red clover would respond to
organic manures and if persistence can be maintained at farm
level subject to effects of manure and silage harvesting.
• Hardly any crop pests or diseases are noticeable in Ireland.
• Red clover contains oestrogenic compounds that can lower
ewe fertility when put to ram.
• Ensilability: all red clover is adjudged to require some wilting or
addition of a preservative to aid ensiling.
• Mulching instead of harvesting the 4th cut may be financially
prudent due to low yield.
Conclusions Red clover has the potential to improve soil health and fertility of tillage
soils.
Red clover-grass silage offers the potential to produce a high yield and
high quality protein crop for tillage famers to sell for animal feed or use
themselves.
Favoured management option for yield, quality and clover persistency:
- sow red clover with a companion grass
- early harvest schedule starting in May
- avoid Nitrogen use
Keys to success of this crop:
- very good initial establishment
- NB Lime, P and K maintained at recommended rates
- low apparent challenge from diseases and pests
- crop removed at end of each year (4th cut or mulch)
Organic Tillage
Price for organic porridge oats 2018
(J. Flahavan)
€380/tonne
Go raibh maith agaibh
Thank you