Wales Farmer 10 NEWS


Upland grass‘going to waste’–warning


■ Getting the best out of forage crops


By Debbie James


UP TO 50% of grazed grass on Welsh upland farms is being wasted, thereby doubling its pro- duction cost, an expert


has claimed. Sue Buckingham, of the


Grassland Development Centre at Aberystwyth University,calcu- lates thatgrazedgrass costs 6p/kg/DM to produce.But if half of it isn’t used, the cost of pro- ducing it doubles to 12p forevery kilogram utilised. “It is no good producing cheap


crops if youdon’t use them,’’ she told farmers at aFarming Connect demonstration farm open dayatRhosferig Farm, near Builth Wells. The event focused on growing


crops forlivestock. Host farmers, beef and sheep producers,Rob and Tracy Powell, grow arange of forage crops including spring barley,arablesilage and high sugar grasses combined with red clover. This year they plan to grow


newcrops,including kale,tofill the autumn forage gapand are also growing atrial crop of lucerne. Mrs Buckingham said systems


likethe one at Rhosferig, where crops aregrown forlivestock, would reduce the cost of feed and winter housing and makefarmers less exposed to rising input costs. On Welsh upland farms,30%


of production costs arerelated to forage and feed thereforeifthis could be reduced by 10%, it would lead to big savings.


TASTY MEAL: Ruminant livestock are designed to utilise forage, says Sue Buckingham, pictured here with farmer, Rob Powell.


PICTURE: Debbie James Ruminant livestock are


designed to eatforagethereforeit is wrong to believe thatthey per- form better on concentrates, added Mrs Buckingham. The keyisproducing forage


with higher energy levels,but onlyfor stock thatneed it. “Less productive stock such as dry ewesand dry suckler cows


don’t need high levels of energy. Forage should be targeted where it is needed. Thatisthe most cost effective approach,’’ advised Mrs Buckingham. In Wales,90% of improved


land is grass because it is easy to grow and has lots of advantages. But farmers could be getting morefromitbyhaving asystem


of better grazing or making silage moreefficiently. Mrs Buckingham said grass,


whether grazed or fed as silage, provided 90% of the energy requirements of sheep and 80% forbeef.When combined with cloverthe crop wasasuperior one,she added. “Adding extraforageincreases


livestock intakes.Cloverisvery digestible and thereforeincreases livestock performance and it can help meet protein needs. “If afarmhas good redclover


silage it can save 6.5 tonnes of feed for2,000 eweswhen com- pared to agood grass silage.Itis amatter of targeting and using it properly.’’


Trees hold key to holding back floods


TARGETED tree-planting can alleviate the cost of flooding to farms and the environment, according to the Woodland Trust.


Despite astate of drought in


manyparts of the UK, recent heavy rains highlighted the numerous problems water run- offbrings to the farming indus- try and the environment. However,bystrategic tree planting, the damaging effects of flooding to farmland can be sig- nificantlyreduced and water infiltration under newwoodland can be improved by up to 60%


after just three years,saysconser- vation charity the Woodland Trust in anew report. Morethan twomillion tonnes


of top soil is eroded annuallyin the UK, resulting in aloss of resources such as seeds,fertilisers and pesticides,and incurring replacement costs and labour. The charity says planting trees


can help reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss,helping farmers fight the costs of surface water flooding. As well as damaging crops and


degrading soil, run-offcauses fertilisers and chemicals to leach


or be carried into water courses, damaging water quality and river biodiversity. The increased frequency of


severe weather threatens to make the problem worse.Anestimated 25% of phosphates and 50% of nitrates in rivers arefromagricul- tural sources.70% of soil sedi- ment in rivers is also believedto come from farming. Studies from the USA and


Canada showtrees can improve infiltration and reduce pollution, slowing the flow of water and sediments across farmland. Woodland ‘buffers’ planted on


slopes and field edges forexam- ple,can be effective in filtering water,intercepting nutrients and sediments beforethey contami- nate streams and rivers. MikeTownsend, Woodland


Trust communications and evi- dence adviser,said: “The damage caused by heavy rainfall impacts on businesses and, in turn, the surrounding environment as rivers become contaminated with chemicals and sediment. “With extreme weather events becoming moreregular,we encouragefarmers to explore planting trees,shelterbelts and


James joins animal health team


SPUNHILL Farm Sales has appointed James Tudor-Jones as an animal health adviser, based at its Mold store, north Wales. He is qualified to prescribe animal health products to farmers and will also advise on grass and forage crop inputs. James previously worked


as an agricultural adviser for an animal health and equipment company in north Wales, where he gained his AMTRA qualification. He also has hands-on experience in his field from being a smallholder. Bryn Thomas, agronomist at Spunhill, said: “James brings with him the


experience he has gained as an agricultural advisor, and as an SQP. “With his appointment, we can further develop and broaden our technical advisory service to farmers in the north Wales area.” James will visit and advise farmers in the North Wales region, as well as working


from the Mold branch of Spunhill. He can be contacted on 07970 000593 or by email: jtj@spunhill.co.uk


RIGHT: James Tudor- Jones, newly appointed animal health adviser at Spunhill Farm Sales.


For the latest Wales farming news: walesfarmer.co.uk


woods to help protect their land from water damage.Support and funding is availablefromthe Woodland Trust.” The Trust’sMOREwoods pro-


gramme offers funding and sup- port to landowners with a hectareormoreofland available forplanting. An alternative use forunpro-


ductive or difficult-to-manage land, asmall newwoodland could cost the owner from £400 per hectare. Formoreinformation call


0845 293 5689 or email more- woods@woodlandtrust.org.uk.


July 2012


Rural homes solution urged


LANDOWNERS arebeing urged to embrace opportunities to alleviate the rural housing cri- sis in Wales. According to the Country,


Land and Business Association Wales,only5,500 houses are built in Wales each year when 14,000 areneeded. CLA Wales says aWhite


Paper –Better Livesand Communities –givesrecognition to the housing crisis specific to rural areas. “Weneed to address this issue


head-on by looking moreinto the provision of aproper,well thought-out housing plan that provides morehomes,” says CLA Wales policy director,Sue Evans. The association believesthat


landowners arewell placed to provide asolution to rural hous- ing provision. It wants to see moreorganic


growth of homes,through the small additions of houses in rural villages and hamlets where thereisahousing need rather than puttingupnew housing developments. The White Paper suggests a


need forevery existing landlord to be registered and licensed, but CLA Wales opposes this as “unnecessary redtape’’.


Farmer admits charges


ACEREDIGION farmer has been placed under asuspended prison sentence forfurther offences of animal cruelty. Alban David Rees,aged 56,


had admitted twooffences of causing unnecessary suffering to cows by failing to provide suitablecareand attention. On May16th, Rees,of


Beulah, near Newcastle Emlyn, wasgivenathree-month prison sentence,suspended for12 months,and placed under supervision for12months. His wife SaraLinda Rees,


aged 50, admitted the same offences and she wasordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work forthe community. Swansea CrownCourt heard


howthe offences were discov- ered onlyamonth after Alban Rees had been conditionally discharged by Cardigan magis- trates forsimilar offences.


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