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July 04, 2008
FWGS Grassland Management Competition 2008
This year's winner of the Grassland Farming Competition jointly run by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society and the Federation of Welsh Grassland Societies and sponsored by HSBC Bank is a member of Meirionnydd Grassland Society.
Excellent grassland management has given a rugged hill farm in the Snowdonia National Park on the outskirts of Bala the well-kept appearance of a bowling green. Rhiwaedog, Rhosygwalia, has been adjudged as a very worthy winner of this year’s Federation of Welsh Grassland Societies Grassland Management Competition. It is the family farm, extending to 142 hectares (350 acres), of Emyr Jones (Deputy President of the Farmers Union of Wales). The all grassland farm carries 1200 breeding ewes (900 Welsh Mountain and 300 Crossbred ewes) with prime lambs sold through live market. There is also a 60 head suckler herd of pure Welsh Black cows with the bullocks sold as stores at 18 months of age at Dolgellau Mart and the heifers sold as breeding stock as far away as Carlisle.
The farm runs from 500 to 1000 feet above sea level with a rainfall of 90 inches per annum. However, the terrain makes the success all the more impressive considering its ruggedness with very steep slopes and stony ground.
Lead Judge, Arthur Davies of IBERS, Bronydd Mawr, remarked that in over 40 years he has rarely seen such ideal grazing swards on a hill farm. "At Rhiwaedog they are achieving sward height control that is sometimes difficult to obtain under experimental plot conditions and not just in a few fields but right across the entire grazing area of the farm". There was hardly a seed-head to be seen. The 90 acres or so of silage ground, which would have been cut earlier in the week had the weather been favourable, also looked impressive with a good content of perennial ryegrass and white clover. Emyr's son Aled (now a partner in the business), who showed the judges around on a very wet and wind swept day, attributed the denseness and close grazing, even by cattle, of the swards, to the fact that they are now using a slow-release fertilizer, which does not produce such a flush of growth earlier on, thus making management that much easier.
To capitalise on the pasture improvement there had also been considerable effort in improving the potential of the animals through careful selection for breeding. The farm has just completed 10 years in the Tir Cymen Agri-Environmental Scheme and is now contemplating making an application for entry into the Tir Gofal Scheme.
The success of Rhiwaedog, which can be described as a traditional family-run hill farm, is a timely reminder that because of earlier investment in land improvement (by farmers and government) the Welsh hills and uplands can still make a significant contribution to sustainable food production that now seems wanted again.
Mr Jones and family will now go on to represent Wales in the British Grassland Societies UK competition.
A very close second was Gwyndaf Davies of Trefwtial Fawr, Tremain, near Cardigan. The 122 ha (300 acres) farm carries a pedigree Holstein herd of 210 cows. The autumn-calving herd averages 8800 litres with concentrate usage of 2.7 tonnes per cow. The judges were particularly impressed with how "up to speed" Gwyndaf was with modern technology and current thinking. He uses liquid nitrogen, and slurry is injected where needed following soil analysis of every field in the autumn. No phosphate and potash fertilizer have been used for the last four years. He is about to use sexed semen on a batch of heifers to increase the number of females produced.
The other finalists in a competition, strongly supported throughout Wales, were:
Cleddau Grassland Society
Mr Peter James, Minwear Farm, Martletwy, Pembrokeshire
Monmouth Grassland Society
Mr Adrian Cooke, Nantyderri Farm, Llantilio Crossenny, Abergavenny
Anglesey Grassland Society
Mr Dewi Jones, Trefollwyn, Rhosmeich, Llangefni, Ynys Mon
The Judges for the competition were Mr Arthur Davies, IBERS Bronydd Mawr, Mr Bryn Edmunds, HSBC and last year's Welsh and UK winner Mr Arthur Owen Bodysgaw Isa, Denbigh.
For Further Information:
Mr Charlie Morgan,
Secretary, Federation of Welsh Grassland Societies
Grassland Development Centre
IBERS, Aberystwyth University
Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3EB
Tel: 01970 823058/Mob: 07786 397673
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Webmaster in Archives at Jul, 2008 17:10 PM
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