Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Magazine Subscriptions
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. December 2023
      2. Agritechnica Preview Supplement
      3. November 2023
      4. October 2023
      5. September 2023
      6. August 2023
      7. Drills & Seeds Supplement
      Featured

      December 2023 Issue

      By Matthew TiltNovember 21, 2023
      Recent

      December 2023 Issue

      November 21, 2023

      Agritechnica Preview Supplement

      October 30, 2023

      November 2023 Issue

      October 30, 2023
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Reader Profiles

    NAGA 2023 Grassland Manager of the Year: Rising to the challenge

    Vicky LewisBy Vicky LewisOctober 4, 20236 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

    Dry summers, steep fields and shallow topsoil have presented a series of challenges to our 2023 Grassland Manager of the Year, who has responded by diversifying and building resiliency in his family’s livestock business.

    It’s a beautiful view from Marc Jones’ farm, part of the Powis Estate high above Welshpool. It’s no surprise that in the mid-90s his parents David and Jane turned part of the farmhouse into a bed & breakfast, now supplemented with two self-catering units which were established in 2017.

    As stunning as the scenery is, however, it has presented its fair share of challenges to the family. The farm has always been in a rain shadow, with a far lower annual rainfall than places just ten miles away, and this has been compounded in recent years by long dry spells which have reduced grass growth. The farm’s position between 600 and 1,200 feet above sea level might provide a wonderful view for visitors but it also makes the ground steep, with shallow soils over shale rock that struggle for moisture during the summer.

    Marc Jones, centre collected his award in February from Omex district sales manager Neil Hayne, and host Patrick Monahan

    Marc joined his parents in DG & JM Jones ten years ago, having spent time as a beef and sheep consultant for ADAS, and completing a scholarship in New Zealand. “I brought a lot of that knowledge from New Zealand back to the farm,” he explained. “At the time, we were lambing indoors and kept a suckler herd which spent six months housed every year. We were profitable but like a lot of farms in the area, a big proportion of that profit came from the single farm payment.”

    Working with his parents, Marc started to implement different techniques. Over time the 700-head flock of breeding ewes has moved from Welsh Mules to NZ Romney sheep and has been moved to a permanently outside system, with rotational grazing and outdoor lambing. Moving away from the suckler herd, the farm runs a finishing cattle business for Angus dairy beef heifers. 350 animals are brought in at 150kg and taken through to finishing at 600kg between 22 and 24 months.

    To put in place the rotational grazing system, the farm needed work with new fences put in (David also operates a fencing contracting business which runs through the winter), and a borehole was put in to provide access to water at all points of the farm. Fodder beet is primarily used for overwintering, with silage bales placed in the beet so that the fields are strip grazed, which Marc says they have had a lot of success with.

    “We’ve also experimented with different mixes of herbal leys,” he said. “Our ryegrass and clover mixes have really struggled with the dry weather so we’re looking at more deep rooting varieties such as cocksfoot, tall fescue, chicory and plantain. Lucerne is another crop we’re looking at, although I’m concerned that this would require deeper soils than we have, which would help reduce our reliance on brought in feed during drought.”

    The last 12 months have been particularly difficult. The lack of rainfall has seen grass growth knocked back to the same rate as during the winter. To keep live weights gains where they need to be, the farm has had to supplement feed with bought in straw and barley, which has a significant impact on the bottom line.

    “It’s difficult when we’ve worked hard to make our system as low-cost and efficient as possible,” Marc said. “The weather has always impacted farming but it’s becoming increasingly unpredictable.”

    The Joneses frequently see less rain than surrounding areas which has hampered grass growth in recent years

    One of the ways they have tackled the limited grass growth is to pre-mow in front of the cattle using a Malone mower. Taking the heads off established grass crops to stimulate quality regrowth. They also purchase chicken muck from local farms to boost the organic matter in the soil. Marc has continued to learn about the best ways to maximise grass growth, and subsequently live weights across the livestock. The farm is part of the Grasscheck GB monitoring network, with samples taken fortnightly for analysis of rotational grazing.

    “We have a weather station as part of that, which has helped us monitor the rainfall on our farm, and we’ve been able to see the impact of our methods compared to our peers,” he noted.

    The different methods on farm have had other advantages. Improved soil health and different species have helped them cut fertiliser and spray applications by around 80%, with foliar fertiliser used for improved efficiency, especially in the dry conditions. There is some flexibility in this system; the farm has increased from 200 to 700 acres since David and Janes first moved there in 1986.

    “As neighbouring farmers have retired, the Powis Estate has allocated more ground to us but some of these farms have been lacking in macro and micronutrients, so as well as fencing the fields to fit our system, we have had to look at nutrient management when additional land comes into the business,” he said.

    For the future, Marc is paying close attention to the environmental schemes put in place by the Welsh government. He expressed some concerns over the rumoured requirement to put 10% of Welsh farms down to woodland, which would not work on Estate-owned ground, but is keen to take part in any schemes that would help to bolster income.

    “We’re all in on the environmental schemes, and we’re looking at how we can farm more regeneratively,” he explained. “We’ve already increased our efficiency to a point where we could easily handle more stock if we needed to. We move the sheep and cattle daily, and during lambing I maybe had to lamb 10 of the ewes out of 700. Now our focus is making the business as resilient as possible.”

    He concluded by saying he was thrilled to be awarded Grassland Manager of the Year back in February. “It was completely unexpected, but it shows that what we are doing is working. We keep trying something new every year so that we can continue to develop our methods.

    “It also helps with my consultancy work. I still spend time on arable farms helping them to integrate grassland and livestock into their businesses, so an award like this helps every aspect of what we do.”

    More information

    Read about the 2023 NAGA winners, here.

    For news and updates about the 2024 NAGA awards, nominees and winners, follow

    National Arable and Grassland Awards

    @farmconmagazine

    #NAGAwards

    Linkedin

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleHorsch launch a new generation of seed wagon combination
    Next Article Pottinger distribution system to allow for simultaneous work activity
    Vicky Lewis

    Read Similar Stories

    NAGA 2023 Grower of the Year: A commitment to the highest quality

    September 20, 2023

    NAGA 2023 Oilseed Grower of the Year: Farming with flexibility

    September 6, 2023

    NAGA 2023 Protein Grower of the Year: A chance that paid off

    August 23, 2023
    Most Read Stories

    Measuring the cost of compaction

    December 4, 2023

    New protected urea fertiliser launched at Croptec

    December 4, 2023

    Farming should embrace disruption, conference attendees find

    December 4, 2023
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2023 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
    Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • Farmers Weekly
    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Analytics" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Others".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Performance".
    PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    CookieDurationDescription
    _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
    _gat_gtag_UA_31822138_191 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
    _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    CookieDurationDescription
    OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo