93: The benefits of growing Lucerne for dairy cow diets

Ben Stroud’s family farm in Leicestershire incorporates a 190 dairy cow herd, 140 hectares of arable crops and 80 hectares of forage and grazing. The farm grows Lucerne as a cheaper source of protein for the dairy cows, which is also helping to control blackgrass. With plenty of muck and slurry produced by the cows and youngstock, making use of this on both forage land and crops is important for both soil biology and cutting input costs.    AHDB’s Tom Hebbert met with Ben to discover more about the benefits of growing Lucerne, and to discover how arable farmers can also benefit by working alongside a local dairy farmer. AHDB's ‘Livestock and the arable rotation’ guide looks to inspire farmers to work together for mutual benefit. It looks at the opportunities available, including the grazing of arable land, growing crops for silage or hay and arranging muck-for-straw deals.