For this week’s OviCast, we chat to post-graduate student, Lisa McGrane, about some of the factors influencing the establishment and persistency of companion herb and legume forages in sheep swards. 

Lisa discusses some of the work they have undertaken in the area, examining the impact of herbs (chicory & plantain) and legumes (white and red clover) on performance and productivity. 

We discuss the impact of various establishment methods on sward content of companion herbs and legumes, issues around their persistency and challenges associated with re-establishing them in sheep swards. 

We also discuss the impact of seeding rate at establishment and type of ryegrass used in the mix has on both the content and persistency in a sward. 

As with all reseeds, post-sowing grazing management has an impact and Lisa discusses what they have found by altering the post-grazing sward height on these different forages. 

Finally we finish up the episode with Lisa offering some advice for those sowing it this year on targeting finishing lambs and getting the grazing infrastructure right to get the best out of their reseed. 

To find out more about the work Lisa has been undertaking you can watch her presentation from this year’s National Sheep conference at: 

https://youtu.be/eNdAmoM9Nik

For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast