Progressive forage producers from around the world, have learned from their own experience that it pays to reseed pasture blends every 5 to 10 years.  (This is accepted practice in New Zealand, Ireland, and Holland.)  Plowing or spraying in late spring and planting in a summer annual, then reseeding in the fall, works great and you don’t sacrifice as much forage production as you would with spring seeding.  This also helps break up the insect and disease cycles.  It seems that new seedlings establish faster if the land has been plowed and worked down.

We like using a Brillian packer seeder best because it spreads the seed evenly.  (However, if the weather is dry, it may be best to use a drill.)  The goal is to have the new seeding looking like a lawn and so dense that the weeds have a hard time coming through, plus it can withstand hoof traffic better.  To accomplish this, we use about 45 lbs of seed (the turf people use 200 lbs).

No-tilling may be a better option on steep hillsides.  If you’re no-tilling into an old sod, use herbicides to kill the old grass or it will come back stronger then the new grass.  Cows will pick out the tender new grass and just nibble at the old grass, so the new grass never really has a fair chance.

If you use a drill, criss-cross the field, putting on only half the seed each time.  This really helps to get a dense stand.  Those 7-inch rows take a long time to fill-in and are just another place where weeds can get started.  Also, if planting grass into an old alfalfa field, we recommend no-till drilling.  Alfalfa doesn’t crowd out the new seedlings as much as grass does, especially not during the fall.

Another on-farm trial in Wisconsin showed that in an August seeding of BG 34 Ryegrass, the cost of renovation was paid back by the 2^nd grazing in the spring.  They actually split the herd in half and recorded milk production from both herds.  Milk production was twice as high per-acre on the new BG 34 Ryegrass!