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Topping at the end of June completely destroyed huge thistles

HERE at the NewLandOwner organic farm in lowland Derbyshire, converting to the organic management of grassland, from intensive chemical fertiliser-based techniques, has been one of the most rewarding achievements of my farming career.

What does organic management entail? Well, let's start with how we used to and most conventional farmers still do, manage their grassland.

Prior to our conversion to organic farming in the late 1990s we used chemical (artificial) fertilisers to promote growth, carefully balancing the levels of nitrogen, phosphate and potash to the intended requirements from the field, be it grazing, silage or hay. A little nitrogen was applied just as soon as the grass started to grow in the spring, using a formula called "T-sum" which added the daily temperatures from January 1 until they reached 200. At "T-sum 200" we went spreading nitrogen.

This was real cutting-edge stuff, which made us feel extraordinarily clever and "Hi-Tech".

As you have probably guessed, T-sums were developed by the fertiliser industry to encourage the increased use of their product - and it worked. How gullible can farmers be?

We also sprayed grassland for weed control in an attempt to stop docks, thistles, nettles, ragwort, etc. etc. from invading the space required for grass! One was persuaded that a field containing nothing but ryegrass would be most productive and anything less was an admission of failure.

What we failed to realise was that the sprays and the fertiliser combined eliminated a host of plants, which make the pasture more palatable and which contain minerals and trace elements not found in ryegrass, but very beneficial to the grazing animal.

The scientists had weighed the grass produced from such intensively managed fields and declared production eminently superior to old-fashioned pastures. What they seem to have ignored entirely, is that a boring diet, containing nothing but bland ryegrass inevitably reduces the amount consumed by grazing animals, or those eating hay or silage made from such fields.

However, research was being sponsored by the chemical companies, so such thoughts, if they occurred, were unlikely to be voiced!

Organic grassland management bars the use of all-chemical fertilisers and sprays.

Fertility is maintained through the use of clover and the manure from livestock, either as they graze or from yards where they have been housed over the winter.

Clover has burgeoned since we stopped using fertiliser and sprays. This clover captures nitrogen out of the air and deposits it in the soil for the grass to utilise, creating almost as much yield from the field as we had before.

Weed control is managed with a topper and the occasional pulling of ragwort whenever it appears.

How very simple it is and how very much cheaper than fertiliser and sprays!

Yields of grass and clover appear almost equal to pre organic days and our beef animals thrive on it. Our neighbours cannot believe that we can fatten beef cattle on grass and silage alone. They all have to feed expensive grain based concentrates too.

We believe that the mixture of old grass varieties, chicory, trefoils and clover combine to create a very palatable mix, which encourages the animals to eat more.

In addition we know from experience that the grass contains much less water than does fertilised grass, so maybe every mouthful has more have discovered that it works well, is easy to manage and costs very little to maintain.

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