Wet 2023 allows Welsh pastures to recover 20-30%
© Adobe Stock Welsh pasture production recovered last year, lifting 20-30% on growth in the drought-affected 2022, according to a national survey.
Dairy farms grew 13.4t dry matter (DM)/ha in 2023, a 34% increase on the year. Sheep and/or beef farms reported a 20% rise, to 8t DM/ha.
This is according to grass measuring data from 39 farms across Wales in Farming Connect’s Welsh Pasture Project.
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Project participant Huw Williams of Ffordd Las, Ruthin, said he produced 9.8t DM in 2021, 7.5t DM/ha in 2022 and 8.3t DM/ha in 2023.
The farm is stocked at 4.2 livestock units/ha in fields of 0.8-1.6ha (2-4 acres), allowing 12-hour grazing breaks, mainly without subdivision.
Huw said using the project to inform his grazing decisions has transformed the way he farms.
“If someone had told me a few years ago how much milk I could produce on this farm from grass, I would have laughed in their face, but having the data has shown what we can achieve.”
Sheep farmer James Williams of Cefn Draw Farm, Swansea, said by measuring grass and rotationally grazing for the past four years, he has seen growth in the spring flush lift from 90kg DM/ha to 155kg.
“When you are doing daily moves, you can see how much grass has grown in a day. It is very exciting to see,” he adds.
How pasture was measured
- Technique An electronic rising plate meter was used on all farms. Every field was measured with a minimum of 30 “plonks” evenly spaced across the field in a “W” shape or diagonal line. Farmers followed the same route for each measurement.
- Frequency Dairy farmers measured weekly or fortnightly. Beef and/or sheep farmers measured a minimum of 20ha (49 acres) every fortnight.
- Recording All pasture cover measurements and manure/nitrogen applications entered in Agrinet and grazing/silaging events recorded.