Farmers Weekly Awards 2025: Grassland Manager of the Year

Chris Berry of Higher Thornton Farm, Devon, is the Farmers Weekly Awards 2025 Grassland Manager of the Year.

Managing herbal leys can be tricky, but sheep and beef farmer Chris Berry has cracked it with a formula that demonstrates the transformational potential of diverse mixes.

The switch, from set stocking to rotational grazing and reseeding 70% of the platform with multispecies varieties, came after a “lightbulb moment” when Chris reviewed the farm accounts.

“We were in a vicious cycle of working long hours, putting in a lot of feed and not making any more money than we received from our Single Farm Payment. That wasn’t going to be sustainable going forward.”

See also: FW Awards: Meet the 2025 Grassland Manager of the Year finalists

Bold changes

Chris streamlined the beef and sheep enterprises, running fewer grazing groups and investing in grazing infrastructure.

The positive impact gave him the confidence to embrace a low-input, all-grazing system, putting the business on a profitable and sustainable footing.

Fields are divided into paddocks and stock moved every two to four days to optimise grass utilisation and prevent overgrazing.

Herbal leys provide high-quality feed in the summer dry period on the farm’s shallow, sandy soils – and very low rainfall during the growing period.

These have been a “real game changer” thanks to their drought resilience, low fertiliser requirements and animal health benefits.

Two seed mixes are used – the first is herb and legume dominant and includes lucerne, tailored for finishing lambs and cattle, while grass dominates in the second mix for good ground cover and longevity.

Grazing

Chris aims for a 30-day rotation when grazing the leys, extending to 50 days or more during dry periods.

Cattle and sheep are co-grazed or run in a leader-follower system, exploiting the ability of suckler cows and dry ewes to convert poorer quality grass.

Cows are turned into paddocks after growing or finishing stock.

“The cows are pivotal: having them behind the lambs makes the herbal ley system work a lot better,” he says.

“They give us quality control and a reset behind the sheep by cleaning up the grasses instead of nibbling out the herbs and legumes at the bottom of the sward.”

Getting an accurate measurement of feed availability is difficult, so he uses a combination of visual assessment and rest periods.

“We have a visual benchmark on where we are, and I want to see 40 days’ feed supply ahead in that May, June, July dry period.”

Since the leys were established, grass yield has increased to an annual average of 9t dry matter (DM)/ha, up from 6.5t.

Output averages 280kg deadweight/ha compared with 240kg/ha.

Pasture is deferred for winter grazing in combination with hay or silage bales, with the bales unrolled to protect soil.

The target opening average farm cover is about 2,400kg DM/ha on 1 March to allow for a pre-lambing rotation with pregnant ewes.  

Chris’s ambition has been to make the most of his land, generating a profit every year, while leaving the land in better heart than the previous year – and this he has duly achieved.

What the judges say

Chris has developed an eye for grazing and his own set of rules. He has a clear understanding of what works and how to navigate the farm through extreme dry periods.