Watson Seeds, in conjunction with Taits, Orkney (now part of Harbro), took the opportunity to establish a series of demonstration grass mixture plots in June 2025. Messrs Wood of Garson Farms, Sandwick, kindly provided the site for the plots. The field had previously been in spring barley for five years and consisted of a heavy loam soil with excellent soil health.
To establish the grass, 12 tonnes per acre of farmyard manure was applied before ploughing. The field was then ploughed, power harrowed twice with a front press, sown using an Opico 6m air drill and finally rolled to ensure good seed to soil contact and moisture retention.
Following sowing, 100kg/acre of 10.24.24 fertiliser was applied. Once the plots were well established, they were lightly grazed with sheep to encourage the seedlings to tiller. After grazing, a further application of 50kg/acre of 16.15.15 fertiliser was applied. Throughout the autumn, the plots carried a group of 50 to 60 gimmers, which were tupped on the plots before being removed in December. This allowed the grass to rest and recover over the winter until April 2026.
As lambing began, grass covers across the demonstration plots were looking particularly strong. An application of 40.0.0 with 15% sulphur was applied before grazing, and ewes and lambs were turned onto the plots, where they have continued to graze throughout the season.
The Mixtures
The four mixtures selected for the demonstration were Fyvie, Hermitage, Greenan and Duart.
FYVIE is a highly palatable, long term cutting and grazing mixture with a high proportion of tetraploid perennial ryegrass and white clover. It is particularly well suited to lighter soils due to the deeper rooting characteristics of its tetraploid varieties.
HERMITAGE is a multispecies mixture designed for long term use, combining perennial ryegrass with cocksfoot, fescues and herbs. The varied rooting depths of the different species make it well suited to a wide range of soil types while increasing sward diversity.
GREENAN is a long term grazing mixture developed for heavier and wetter soils. Its dense, predominantly diploid sward provides excellent ground cover, helping to resist poaching, while the permanent white clover blend improves both palatability and persistence under grazing. It is particularly well suited to rotational grazing systems.
DUART is an all perennial ryegrass mixture, predominantly later heading, designed for both cutting and grazing, delivering excellent forage quality and persistence.
Observations
Over the past 12 months, Fyvie has been the standout performer, followed closely by Hermitage, with Greenan ranking third and Duart fourth.
The sheep had access to all four plots at the same time, with no electric fencing used to separate the mixtures. Grazing behaviour suggested a clear preference for Fyvie, closely followed by Hermitage, where the herbs and cocksfoot appeared particularly palatable.
Greenan also performed well, producing a dense, leafy sward that stood up well under grazing and was readily utilised by the sheep.
Duart was generally grazed last. As it contains no clover, its overall palatability appeared lower than the other three mixtures, resulting in a noticeably higher grazing residual.
The next stage of the trial will involve installing electric fencing to measure utilisation more accurately and assess which species are selectively grazed. This will provide valuable information on the performance of individual species within each mixture, alongside data on lamb performance across the different plots.
