No-one knows what the next 12 months will bring. But one thing is certain – new pasture sown this autumn will help (or hinder) your future more than you might think.  

That’s why one industry expert is urging farmers to take the risk out of their pasture renewal by picking proven performers ahead of cheap or uncertified seed.

Barenbrug pasture specialist Graham Kerr has seen the results of sowing cheap seed more times than he cares to remember over the past 30 years.

“It’s cheap for a reason.”

Whether it’s poor germination, high weed content, low growth, no endophyte or pastures that are simply not what they claim to be, he says one reaction prevails – farmer stress over the amount of feed that isn’t there when needed, and expected.

“That’s one of the biggest costs of seed with unknown provenance. You don’t know until it’s too late, and then you have a problem.”

Certified proprietary ryegrass seed like Array NEA2, however, makes up only a fraction of the total price of pasture renewal.

And for something so small, it has a huge impact on productivity in years to come.

“If something goes wrong with your pasture, the repercussions for the whole farm system are major.”

Not only is there no way of knowing for sure what’s contained in uncertified seed mixes, there’s also a lot of feed at stake.

And unlike many other unpredictable factors affecting your business, seed choice is 100% in your control. 

“There aren’t that many proven opportunities to mitigate risk in such a high stakes business as pastoral dairy farming. Putting seed quality ahead of price is one of them!”