CloverCheck, prepared jointly by AFBI and the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), provides actual and predicted information on growth and clover content of grass-white clover swards. Information is collected
a) from sets of plots on four organic dairy farms and three beef/sheep farms (including one organic farm) throughout the Province and
b) from four conventional beef/sheep farms focusing on the use of grass/clover swards on these farms, providing information on grass covers, clover content and stock performance. Management issues that arise are also highlighted and discussed.
Sampling on-farm CloverCheck plots
A CloverCheck Bulletin is published every 2 weeks during the growing season, in which the latest results are presented. The most recent bulletin is presented on this webpage.
The aim of gathering information from the CloverCheck plots, in conjunction with information collected on farms, is to provide a bench mark for grass/clover swards to aid decision making in managing grass-white clover swards for farmers interested in exploiting white clover in their swards. The plots have been laid down on existing grass-white clover swards on farms near Coleraine, Portglenone, Seskinore, Castlecaulfield, Saintfield, Castlewellan and Greenmount (Antrim) and are cut monthly (to 4-5cm) in two sets. One set is cut two weeks prior to the other so that every two weeks we have an estimate of growth and clover content over the previous 4 weeks.
Plots have received slurry either last autumn or this spring except those on the two conventional beef/sheep farms which received urea at 30 kg N/ha in early April and P and K as necessary.
While the data from the plots provide information on growth and clover content which have already been achieved, a model is used to predict growth and clover content during the next two weeks which should help in planning a feed budget during grazing.
At most of the sites daily maximum and minimum soil and air temperatures, rainfall and soil moisture content are recorded. This information is used to interpret differences in sward performance between sites.
For further information contact:
Dr Scott Laidlaw
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
50 Houston Road
Crossnacreevy
Belfast
Co. Down
BT6 9SH
