Grass helps farmers get the measure of managing economies
October was a busy month that went by in something of a blur, but it was also the time in which we announced dairy farmer Richard Rogers and team from Tre Ifan on Anglesey as the 2018 Grassland Farmer of the Year.
There was close competition from beef and sheep farmer John Egerton and family from Linavoe in County Fermanagh, and dairy farmer Chris Brake from Frome in Somerset.
Tre Ifan was a beef and sheep farm only four years ago, but, having implemented the essentials of obtaining production from grass in that system, he switched to dairying, with a spring-calving herd maximising use of grazed grass.
All three finalists were achieving great things with grass and forage, particularly John Egerton, who has increased his utilisation of grass so well that he has relinquished rented land and has increased stock numbers by taking in heifers for rearing. The competition is always fascinating, seeing how farmers move their systems forward and look to the future. The only sadness is that there can be only one winner!
A major advantage of production from grass is that it is generally the cheapest feed.
It’s a common mantra in farming advice, as well as any other business, that knowing your costs is the best way to manage them and be resilient to volatility. Hence the expression – "if you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it”.
It perhaps goes a bit wider in grassland farming, that if you don’t know what you’ve got generally, you can’t manage it – whether soil nutrients, grass utilisation or production costs.
We’ve focused much of our upcoming Grass and Forage Manager magazine on knowing and evaluating costs and systems, with the aim of showing that it is very achievable and not as scary as it sounds, and, crucially, has huge benefits.
The long winter and dry summer has challenged farmers hugely and, while so far the autumn has been kind, a lot will be worried about forage stocks and what will happen if the winter is as unkind again this time.
While knowing costs and how well grass is utilised can’t change the weather, it can highlight where problems are looming and help identify where changes can be made to prevent or minimise them. In addition, a lower cost base can mean that there is more flexibility to buy in feeds if needed.
This is probably the last BGS column for 2018, so on behalf of the team, I’ll wish you a happy festive season and a healthy and prosperous 2019.
Elaine Jewkes, Society Director, British Grassland Society
