Best of the crop from a magnificent seven
August is an exciting month in the BGS world as the Grassland Farmer of the Year competition reaches its conclusion, writes Elaine Jewkes, Society Director at the British Grassland Society.
As we go to press, the judges – head judge Glasnant Morgan, last year's winner Colin Boggs of Northern Ireland, and John Read and John Moore of sponsors DLF and Yara – will be settling down to decide which of the regional winners will make up the final three that they will visit later in the month. It's a great privilege to judge the farms, with the opportunity it provides to see and learn from some of the best examples of grassland farming, and it is always hugely interesting.
I helped to judge the western Midlands regional round this year and, despite the farms being ostensibly similar in certain respects, all having block-calved, grazing-based systems, there were many differences. Each adjusted what they did to work to the strengths and challenges of their land, farm layout and buildings, putting in place systems that worked for them and the resources they had available to them. It's a good reminder that "one size doesn't fit all" and that some thought about what you are trying to achieve, with careful planning and attention to detail means that you can focus your system to perform at its best.
It's always a close competition to find the three finalists, and this year seven quality regional entries will provide some challenges for the judges! The 2016 winner will be announced at an awards evening in Belfast on August 31, following a walk at the farm of last year's champion, Colin Boggs.
As the season moves on we're starting to see people come on board to take part in the Grazing Mentors project. It's great to see people looking forward and seeking to make more from grass and, with the help of our experienced graziers who are providing mentoring help, they should be able to make significant strides. Often, the mentoring guidance will be to help with planning the changes that need to be made, or even just helping to give the confidence to make changes.
Often, reading the entries for the Grassland Farmer of the Year competition, it can be evident that the farmer has benefited from help of guidance from a person or group, giving them the confidence to put systems in place and develop them.
It's always great to see well-managed grassland, but it's really exciting to see people challenge themselves to do better and reap the rewards.
