Wales Farmer February 2013 NEWS


Soil secret?—you onlyhavetolook!


AT Erw Farm, near Holyhead, father and son Ifan and Ceredig Evans are seeking to improve their milk yield from forage through better soil and pasture management. Their 300-cow Holstein herd is yielding 9,000 litres with 3,500 litres achieved from forage. Ceredig admits they could be achieving more from grass. “It is adifficult balance to strike with high yielding cows but with the high cost of bought-in feed it is an area we really need to improve on,’’ he said.


By Debbie James


ASIMPLE visual assessment of farm soils could help increase spring grass production by 50% on


Welsh farms. Soil textureand structuretogether with


pasturecolour and root length arejust four visual indicators among 20 which define the health of soil and grass,according to soil scientist Graham Shepherd. By allocating ascoretoeach of these


indicators,farmers can define just howwell their land is performing. During aFarming Connect Knowledge


Transfer event at Erw Farm,near Holyhead, Mr Shepherdsaid fertiliser application could be reduced or kept to maintenance levels if soils were maintained in good con- dition. Manyfarmers over-use chemical fertiliser


to boost production butbysimplyimprov- ing the soil structure, inputs can be cut sig- nificantly. The volume,type and cost of applied fer-


tiliser areinfluenced by the condition of the soil and the performance of pasture. Soil structureisimportant forgrass pro-


duction and if the structureispoor it can alter seasonal growth patterns,reducing spring pastureproduction by 30-50%, said Mr Shepherd. Good grass production can be achieved


by ensuring agood mix of pasturespecies, including agood herb and clovercontent. Soil porosity also influences growth


because it enables roots to grow throughout the soil and aids aeration, which encourages the uptakeofwater by plants. Soils can takeyears to recoverfromsevere compaction butaerating in the autumn can increase dry matter production by 52% within eight months. “Spending money on diesel instead of fer- tiliser to aeratecompacted soils will often


17


Farmers sharein record sales year


THE loyalpatronage of its farmer shareholders has helped an agricul- tural supplybusiness achieve a recordturnover. Despite challenging economic conditions,Mole Valley Farmers achievedarecordturnoverof£350.4 million foryear ending September 30th, 2012, a6.9% increase of £22.5 million over the previous year. Profit beforetaxation increased to £4.4million,amargin of about 1.25% of turnover, while bank borrowings were also reduced. The number of farmer sharehold-


ers has increased forthe fifth consec- utive year and nowstands at 7,300, as the companyfocuses on providing added value and newservice initia- tivestoits membership. The performance has allowedthe


companytoreturn atotal benefits package to shareholders of more than £800,000 with adirect rebate of £425,000, an increase of 21%. Graeme Cock, chairman, said:


“The support of farmer shareholder members is hugelyappreciated and once again has contributed signifi- cantlytothe overall result. “Weplace enormous emphasis on


delivering value to our members and customers as well as ensuring we have asustainablebusiness which will always remain our priority.” Andrew Jackson, chief executive,


added: “Wehaveaimed to improve product offer,technical advice and service across the business using scale to achieve buying power.” The Devon-based business has


give better pastureproduction and pasture quality,” Mr Shepherdsuggested. Earthworms areseen as agood indicator


of the health and condition of soil because they influence soil properties through their burrowing, feeding, digesting and casting. Pastureneeds attention too.Grass per-


formance is commonlyassessed on dry mat- ter production butfarmers must understand what is in thatdry matter,said Mr Shepherd. “One of the keys to successful grassland


farming is to grow pasturewith ahigh sugar content and ahigh nutrient density.This is achievedbyensuring agood mix of pasture species,including agood herb and clover content. “Pastures have ahigh palatability if they


arerich in sugars and carbohydrates relative to protein, with ahigh nutritional value, containing manyofthe essential elements required and sought after by the animal. “Asaresult, stock grazethe whole field


with utilisation of around 80%,”added Mr Shepherd.


Making compulsory purchasesfairer


ANEW report has called foracomplete overhaul of the compulsory purchase system. CLA Wales says the current system is ‘inef-


ficient and unfair to those whose land and property is taken from them’. CLA Wales director Ben Underwood said:


“Thereare fewthreats to rural businesses as unfair as compulsory purchase,which often ends in bitter dispute and can wipe out gen- erations of investment in along and distress- ing process. “I believe our reformswould improvethe


system at no additional cost. They will deliv- er afairer balance between the interests of all parties,reducing conflict and delayand lead- ing to better developments thatlessen the impact on those affected.” The CLA proposes thatacquirers would oweanew ‘duty of care’ towardsthose who


ownthe assets,backed by an enforceablecode of practice. Compensation packages would need to


reflect the true value of the property taken, and mitigation measures,such as building tunnels,embankments or bridges,must be considered to reduce the impact on those affected. Mr Underwood added: “Manyproperties


suffer uncertainty and ‘blight’ forseveral years beforeworkstarts so we aresuggesting aproperty purchase guarantee scheme. Importantly, acquirers would also have a duty to takeonlythe minimum amount of land required and to return anyland that becomes surplus to the development. “However,wehavelong argued thatcom-


pulsory purchase should onlybeused as a final resort and thatremains our position.”


Send us your news and pictures email: wfeditor@walesfarmer.co.uk


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


MILK MISSION: Ifan and Ceredig Evans aim to improve milk yields through better soil and pasture management.


PICTURE: Debbie James


stores across England and Wales, including aSCATS Farm and Country storeinBridgend and an agri sales and trading office in Carmarthen.


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