A Lancashire farm has made significant cost savings on its annual fertiliser spend by sowing Barenbrug’s Ensign White Clover blend.

Barenbrug’s Ensign White Clover is a blend of the best UK- and New Zealand-bred white clover varieties – Crusader, Barblanca and Alice – which deliver greater persistency and productivity as well as an exceptionally long growing season.

Sellerley Farm in Galgate has been producing milk and free-range eggs for the last 80 years. As a family-run farm, the rocketing price of nitrogen fertiliser – which doubled during 2008 – was of mounting concern to owners the Newsham family.

Farmer Eddy Newsham consulted his local Barenbrug distributor, David Adderley from Phoenix Feeds, as well as Barenbrug’s agricultural product manager, David Long. “We wanted to cut our fertiliser costs as we felt that prices last year were just ridiculous,” says Eddy. “David Long suggested we sow Ensign White Clover to reduce our costs and it’s certainly paid off.”

Fifty acres were oversown with Ensign in spring 2008 for grazing Sellerley’s herd of 70 Friesian cows on pastures around the village of Galgate overlooking Lancaster University as well as producing silage. Eddy says he would normally expect to apply 180 units of fertiliser from first to last cut, but that this input has not been necessary since the white clover was sown.

“The Ensign has really worked,” Eddy enthuses. “The only nitrogen we’ve added has been in the form of farmyard muck and slurry. And that’s it. We haven’t used any artificial fertiliser, which has saved us thousands of pounds. The cows are very happy with it too, so it’s smiles all round!”

David Adderley from Phoenix is delighted that his customer has experienced such impressive results. However, he believes the best is yet to come: “The crop was only sown in spring and, in spite of an abysmal summer, still the clover produced a thicker sward and the grass kept coming. Come summer 2009 when the crop has had time to establish I’m confident Eddy will see the full capabilities of Barenbrug’s white clover.”

Barenbrug’s Ensign White Clover is a blend of the best UK- and New Zealand-bred small, medium and large leaf white clover varieties – Crusader, Barblanca and Alice – which deliver greater persistency and productivity as well as an exceptionally long growing season. Further details of the blend are available in a free brochure download from www.barenbrug.co.uk. Alternatively, copies can be obtained by calling
01359 272000 or emailing info@baruk.co.uk.

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