Article taken from the ATN
Mole Valley Farmers has launched a new Grassland Agronomy Service to help provide farmer customers with a whole farm approach to grassland management, and help maximise the crop’s productivity.
The co-operative’s Grassland Agronomy Service complements its existing crop nutrition and management services. MVF developed the service in conjunction with Agrovista and Dow AgroSciences. Customers will be able to draw on the advice of a network of Mole Valley Farmers BASIS qualified-agronomists. The new service also fits with the MVF Forage for Profit initiative.
“Grass is far the biggest single crop grown in the UK, making up 43% of the 17.2m ha of agricultural land, yet only 7% of grassland receives agronomic support each year,” observes Mole Valley Forage Service’s agronomist, Mark Shaw. “Most farmers wouldn’t dream of growing other crops without getting vital support to maximise the potential. But correctly grown grass is the cheapest feed available to farmers, so it makes economic sense for them to maximise what they can grow.”
The Grassland Agrovista Service team will offer integrated, farm-specific advice from soil management to see selection, fertiliser choice, agronomy and conservation, continues Mr Shaw. It is committed to giving general agronomic management advice, rather than just selling product.
“It’s important to think about cultural and chemical control of weeds, so we will walk the farm, look at weed burdens around tracks and slurry pits and offer management advice. We can then suggest the most suitable chemical for a specific situation,” he concludes.
Mole Valley Farmers has launched a new Grassland Agronomy Service to help provide farmer customers with a whole farm approach to grassland management, and help maximise the crop’s productivity.
The co-operative’s Grassland Agronomy Service complements its existing crop nutrition and management services. MVF developed the service in conjunction with Agrovista and Dow AgroSciences. Customers will be able to draw on the advice of a network of Mole Valley Farmers BASIS qualified-agronomists. The new service also fits with the MVF Forage for Profit initiative.
“Grass is far the biggest single crop grown in the UK, making up 43% of the 17.2m ha of agricultural land, yet only 7% of grassland receives agronomic support each year,” observes Mole Valley Forage Service’s agronomist, Mark Shaw. “Most farmers wouldn’t dream of growing other crops without getting vital support to maximise the potential. But correctly grown grass is the cheapest feed available to farmers, so it makes economic sense for them to maximise what they can grow.”
The Grassland Agrovista Service team will offer integrated, farm-specific advice from soil management to see selection, fertiliser choice, agronomy and conservation, continues Mr Shaw. It is committed to giving general agronomic management advice, rather than just selling product.
“It’s important to think about cultural and chemical control of weeds, so we will walk the farm, look at weed burdens around tracks and slurry pits and offer management advice. We can then suggest the most suitable chemical for a specific situation,” he concludes.