May - when the soils are warm and there’s adequate moisture - is the ideal time to sow lucerne and sainfoin, and after last year’s dry summer, farmers are increasingly interested in these deep-rooting, drought-resistant forage legumes.

As they are slow to establish, the traditional method for establishment is to sow them into spring cereal crops, but this is not essential.

Please see our Sowing & Growing guides for more details:

Sowing & Growing Guide: Lucerne

Sowing & Growing Guide: Sainfoin