With the recent heatwave affecting grass growth, fodder supply has been a growing concern for many farmers. At our farm walk on Thursday 10th July at Boycefield Farm, we explored three grazing systems that can help build farm resilience:
- Permanent pasture – the powerhouse of many farms, which can be resilient and productive.
- Species-diverse grassland – with benefits for soil health, livestock nutrition, and drought tolerance.
- Herbal leys – temporary mixes which can improve soil structure and provide high-quality forage
Some excellent conversations about building up farm soils took place, and the key takeaways were:
- Small, incremental changes can build healthier soils and create buffers against extreme weather.
- Adaptive paddock grazing varies by farm context – it is ok to chop and change.
- It is crucial to understand your soils and adapt the management accordingly, with the goal of increasing soil organic matter.
- Reintroducing deep-rooting native grasses such as cocksfoot, can help during drought conditions.
- Grasslands need a diverse mixture of broadleaved plants and grasses to be productive.
- Herbal leys are a valuable tool, especially when seed mixes are designed specifically for the farm – soil, site and livestock.
As we walked and talked, the award-winning herd of stunning Herefords ruminated in the shade of a traditional perry pear orchard, a reflection of careful, considered approach to farming practised at Boycefield. A huge thank you to our hosts, Lucinda and Jim Lewis for their generosity in sharing the thinking behind their land management, and to everyone who contributed to such a grounded and inspiring afternoon, including Herefordshire Rural Hub CIC.
Here are some links and notes on the topics we discussed:
- Plantlife / Herefordshire Meadows Meadow Restoration Plan can be found on our website
- Carbon sinks in your grassland: forbs vs grasses and their root exudates, see the recent article by John Kempf: The Take-Half, Leave-Half Fallacy – Acres U.S.A.® Magazine
- A nice video put together by Billy Lewis outlining their mob grazing system (in normal weather conditions!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsG8qlIVCls
- Pasture for Life species guide- 2. Benefits of Pasture Diversity – Species Guide.docx
- Cotswold Seeds poster -revealing the above and below ground structure of grasses and forbs
If you need further help and guidance for your grassland please get in touch with us or request an advisory visit. If you enjoyed the visit and would like to donate to Herefordshire Meadows to support our programme of events and work please click here.