Polish dairy farm on sandy soils harvests nearly 50 tonnes of dry matter per hectare

In the area around Śniadowo, Poland, Wojciech and Patrycja Pruszkowski run a farm with about 350 cattle, of which 150 are dairy cows yielding around 9,000 litres a year. Securing roughage for the whole year matters to them, because harvests on sandy soils vary from season to season. The source is the Polish agricultural portal topagrar.pl.

The farm and its feed base

The Pruszkowskis work roughly 140 hectares of class V and VI soils, which are of relatively poor quality. Grassland covers 70 ha and maize 60 ha, while the rest is triticale and barley, occasionally rapeseed. Roughage is the basis of the TMR (total mixed ration) for all groups of animals, including young stock. The farmers believe they need at least a year's reserve of grass and alfalfa silage. This season's yields were good, but next year's may be lower, since they plan to cut fertiliser use because of high prices.

Overseeding and renewal

The first cut gives about 20 tonnes, and grass and alfalfa together deliver nearly 50 t/ha of dry matter a year. Overseeding is done every year or two, usually from the third or fourth year of a sward's use. The third cut is mown low, at 4–5 cm, the grass is removed, and a disc seeder sows 25–35 kg of seed mixture per hectare. This extends the life of the meadow by about two years. Lime is applied afterwards, and in late autumn slurry if needed. A 25 kg bag of seed costs between 300 and 700 zlotys depending on the mixture.

The farm uses DSV grass mixtures. DSV 2051, containing two fast-germinating ryegrass species, is mainly used for overseeding, while mixtures DSV 2013 and 2014, designed for weak soils, go on permanent grassland. Grassland and alfalfa stands are fully renewed every 4–6 years, starting with ploughing and soil tests.

Alfalfa and grass are stored together in one clamp to make the feed more uniform; the silage contains 18–19% protein.