Red Clover

​Red clover offers several benefits for regenerative cattle farming, enhancing soil health, animal performance, and farm sustainability. Here’s an overview based on current knowledge:

1. Nitrogen Fixation: Red clover, a legume, fixes 150–250 kg N/ha annually through symbiotic bacteria in root nodules, reducing the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. This improves soil fertility for future crops and supports regenerative principles by minimizing chemical inputs.
2. High-Quality Forage: Red clover is highly palatable and rich in protein (16–22%), providing excellent nutrition for cattle. It supports higher liveweight gains and can reduce reliance on purchased feed, lowering costs.
3. Improved Animal Performance: Its high digestibility and protein content enhance dry matter intake and growth rates. For example, cattle grazing red clover can achieve daily gains up to 1.6 kg,. It’s particularly effective for finishing livestock.
4. Soil Health and Biodiversity: Red clover acts as a cover crop or living mulch, reducing soil erosion, suppressing weeds, and retaining moisture. Its deep taproots draw nutrients from deeper soil layers, enhancing soil structure and supporting pollinators like bees, which boosts ecosystem health.
5. Mitigation of Fescue Toxicosis: Red clover’s isoflavones counteract vasoconstriction caused by toxic tall fescue, improving blood flow and reducing heat/cold stress in cattle. This can increase daily gains by up to 1 lb/head/day in fescue-heavy pastures.
6. Reduced Input Costs: By fixing nitrogen and providing high-quality forage, red clover lowers fertilizer and feed expenses. For example, a Welsh farm achieved lamb production costs below £3/kg deadweight using red clover, with no concentrates needed.
7. Pasture Resilience: Red clover thrives in temperate climates and tolerates lower pH and poorly drained soils better than alfalfa, making it adaptable to varied conditions. New varieties are more grazing-tolerant, supporting rotational grazing systems.