Crops - The Lynch File: Now may be the time to reconsider red clover

It may not be very exciting and there are no proprietary varieties. But the advantages of mastering the art of red clover establishment make it well worth the effort

by PAT LYNCH

In the early 1970s, we had just come through a period of low crop prices. This was followed by a series of events, including a weather change, which prevented the Peruvian fishing fleet from being able to find anchovies.

In turn, this resulted in a dramatic increase in fishmeal and fish oil prices, and triggered other events leading to high crop and high commodity prices, including nitrogen. We started to reuse red clover as a nitrogen source.

Better Farming March 2008