Farmers who have declined to invest in replacing their leys over the past couple of years are now paying for it in the shape of reseeding delays, it has been claimed.
While farmers operating in the grass production sector of the industry benefitted from a wet 2008, with this followed up by a wet 2009, according to Simon Broddle, the forage manager at Nickerson Direct, this served to lull many into a "false sense of security".
Writing for the website Farming UK, the industry expert noted that the dry weather seen over the first few months of the current year has highlighted the gap between those farmers who replaced their leys two years ago and those that did not.
"Livestock producers who replaced leys during the last couple of years generally have sufficient forage, but those who delayed reseeding because of the apparently good condition of older leys have had a sharp 'wake-up' call," he said.
He added that reseeding is even more important these days as livestock farming becomes increasingly intensive, thereby putting pressure on small areas of land.
At the same time, the world-famous Chepstow racecourse is looking into reseeding its grass following a recent outbreak of parasitic worms.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the farming industry includes buckets elevators, elevators and valves. 