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