Multi-Species Swards - Leading by Doing

Farming without fertiliser - Can it be done? 

Growing good yields of forage with no artificial fertiliser might seem to many like a pipe dream, but for Paul & Frank Turley it is now a reality. In April 2021 they established over 40 acres of multi-species swards, ranging from a diverse 18 species mix to a simple pure chicory sward, and a number of the more usual 6-species and red clover silage mixes in between. Apart from the pure chicory mix no artificial N fertiliser has been sown since the swards were established in April last year. Their experiences to date will be the focus of an upcoming farm walk on Monday 13th June. There will be two walks with first one starting at 3pm and the second at 7pm. Each walk will last around 2 hours.

While establishment was a challenging process the…