Grassland and grazing
Updated 13 June 2024
Applies to England
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In some situations, sowing temporary grassland with a clover mix or high sugar grasses can be a cost-effective method of increasing production and improving environmental protection. For example, clover’s nitrogen fixing properties (although not suitable for all soil types) can reduce the amount of nitrogen applied and improve grassland yields. High sugar grasses can help to improve the efficiency of animal production (for example, improved milk yields and faster live weight gain) which can in turn reduce GHG emissions.
Figure 1 Proportion of livestock holdings that have sown their temporary grassland with a clover mix by proportion of grassland
| Year | All sown with a clover mix | 81-99% sown with a clover mix | 61-80% sown with a clover mix | 41-60% sown with a clover mix | 21-40% sown with a clover mix | 1-20% sown with a clover mix | None sown with a clover mix | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 27% | 6% | 7% | 9% | 10% | 17% | 25% | 100% |
| 2020 | 13% | 3% | 7% | 22% | 12% | 17% | 25% | 100% |
| 2021 | 20% | 3% | 3% | 19% | 12% | 18% | 24% | 100% |
| 2022 | 19% | 2% | 7% | 19% | 11% | 15% | 27% | 100% |
| 2023 | 26% | 3% | 5% | 12% | 8% | 21% | 26% | 100% |
In 2023, 74% of livestock holdings indicated that a proportion of their temporary grassland had been sown with a clover mix, showing little change in the past five years. However, there is more variation in the proportion of temporary grassland that is sown with clover each year (Figure 1). For example, those sowing all of the temporary grassland with clover rose from 13% in 2020 to 26% in 2023, back to a similar level seen in 2019.
The most common frequency for reseeding clover in 2023 was 3 to 5 years, with 24% of holdings doing so. This is lower than in 2022, but still in line with the trend of recent years.
Figure 2 Proportion of livestock holdings by the frequency with which holders reseed their clover sward
| Year | 1 month but less than 12 months | 12 months but less than 24 months | 24 months but less than 36 months | 36 months but less than 60 months | 60 months but less than 120 months | 120 months or more | never | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1% | 4% | 8% | 34% | 23% | 1% | 30% | 100% |
| 2020 | 2% | 7% | 8% | 27% | 24% | 1% | 31% | 100% |
| 2021 | 1% | 6% | 9% | 32% | 19% | 3% | 30% | 100% |
| 2022 | 2% | 11% | 13% | 29% | 15% | 1% | 30% | 100% |
| 2023 | 0% | 7% | 11% | 24% | 22% | 1% | 34% | 100% |
High sugar grasses were sown on 59% of livestock holdings with temporary grassland in 2023, with 16% sowing all of their temporary grassland. As with clover, the proportion of land sown with high sugar grasses varies each year, whereas the proportion sowing any remains broadly stable (Figure 3).
Figure 3 Proportion of livestock holdings that have sown their temporary grassland with high sugar grasses by proportion of grassland
| Year | All sown with high sugar grasses | 81-99% sown with high sugar grasses | 61-80% sown with high sugar grasses | 41-60% sown with high sugar grasses | 21-40% sown with high sugar grasses | 1-20% sown with high sugar grasses | None sown with high sugar grasses | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 19% | 6% | 7% | 10% | 9% | 9% | 41% | 100% |
| 2020 | 8% | 4% | 4% | 22% | 11% | 11% | 39% | 100% |
| 2021 | 12% | 2% | 5% | 17% | 14% | 14% | 35% | 100% |
| 2022 | 9% | 2% | 4% | 18% | 11% | 13% | 41% | 100% |
| 2023 | 16% | 3% | 5% | 13% | 7% | 15% | 41% | 100% |
Since 2019, over half of farms have consistently reseeded high sugar grasses every 5 years or more frequently. The most common frequency for reseeding swards in 2023 was every 3 to 5 years, with around a quarter of livestock holdings never reseeding.
Figure 4 Proportion of livestock holdings by the frequency with which holders reseed their high sugar grass sward
| Year | 1 month but less than 12 months | 12 months but less than 24 months | 24 months but less than 36 months | 36 months but less than 60 months | 60 months but less than 120 months | 120 months or more | never | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1% | 6% | 12% | 35% | 27% | 1% | 19% | 100% |
| 2020 | 1% | 6% | 16% | 34% | 22% | 1% | 21% | 100% |
| 2021 | 0% | 10% | 11% | 36% | 18% | 3% | 21% | 100% |
| 2022 | 0% | 15% | 10% | 32% | 14% | 1% | 27% | 100% |
| 2023 | 0% | 10% | 16% | 28% | 20% | 1% | 24% | 100% |
Land and soil management mitigation methods can help to preserve good soil structure preventing erosion and compaction, both of which can lead to GHG emissions. Mitigation methods relating to this include keeping livestock away from water courses and reducing stocking rates when conditions are excessively wet.
Figure 5 Proportion of livestock holdings taking action to reduce stocking rates when fields are excessively wet by frequency
| Year | Always | Some of the time | Never | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 75% | 22% | 3% | 100% |
| 2020 | 76% | 22% | 2% | 100% |
| 2021 | 77% | 21% | 2% | 100% |
| 2022 | 76% | 20% | 4% | 100% |
| 2023 | 72% | 25% | 3% | 100% |
Most livestock farmers (72%) always take action to reduce stocking rates when fields are excessively wet. This has consistently been the case since the question was first asked in 2015 and has seen no significant change in recent years (Figure 5).
In 2023, over two thirds (69%) of livestock farmers routinely try to keep livestock out of water courses, this has risen steadily since 2019.
Figure 6 Proportion of livestock holdings taking action to keep livestock out of water courses by frequency
| Year | Always | Some of the time | Never | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 61% | 29% | 9% | 100% |
| 2020 | 62% | 28% | 9% | 100% |
| 2021 | 63% | 25% | 12% | 100% |
| 2022 | 67% | 26% | 7% | 100% |
| 2023 | 69% | 22% | 9% | 100% |