Pushing output from grass

On the 15th of June last I attended a farm walk hosted by Eurig Jenkins and his family in Lampeter, Wales. Eurig was the 2016 winner of the Grassland Farmer of the Year Award run by the British Grassland Society. The Jenkins family run an impressive dairy operation with grazed grass central to the overall success of this family run business. 

The farm has undergone considerable expansion over the last decade and are now milking 420 NZ Friesians off a 90 ha grazing platform. The average milk yield per cow is 5,620 litres with 3,604 litres coming from forage. The ethos on this farm to push for greater output from grazed grass as they can see for themselves the positive effect this has on farm profitability. 

Eurig’s grassland management skills are central to the farms success. He does this by turning cows out to grass as soon as ground conditions permit.

All paddocks are measured weekly with a rising plate meter and he uses Agri-Net to then make management decisions. Maintaining grass quality throughout the season is critical in prolonging peak milk yield and quality. Extended grazing is achieved by having good cow tracks with multiple access points to paddocks and this flexibility minimises poaching on areas of the grazing platform that have heavier soil types. 

Soil fertility is continually monitored and lime is applied regularly to maintain a soil pH above 6. Ammonium Nitrate is Eurig’s preferred nitrogen source and uses a AN plus sulphur product in spring to promote grass growth rates and quality. Fertilizer is applied accurately using a GPS guided system.

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