A North Wales cattle breeding farming couple have highlighted how data driven decision making is helping them make efficiencies and be more sustainable, whilst managing their carbon footprint and improving biodiversity across their land.
Located within the outskirts of Llanrwst is Moelogan Fawr, an upland beef and sheep enterprise, covering an area of 304 hectares (ha) – 751 acres (ac) that rises to 1500 feet (about 457.2 m). The farm is home to the Jones family, where wife and husband team Sian and Llion, as well as their three children Gwern (9), Beca (8) and Annie (2), look after 150 Stabiliser cattle and about 850 improved Welsh ewes. The farm has been in Sian’s family since 1972 and they are the third generation to farm here.
“Before taking over the farm here in 2018, we were farming on a small National Trust farm, a 40-acre holding. Llion worked on a dairy farm and I worked at the local authority as a surveyor as well. Starting here was a massive step for us, making farming our full time job but this is such an excellent opportunity for us and also our children,” said Sian.
The land here varies from improved and semi improved through to the upper reaches where an expanse of seminatural/ unimproved habitat is extensively grazed. Extensive tree planting, through a Glastir Woodland Creation grant in 2018 means that the farm now also includes 10 hectares (24.7 acres) of mixed broadleaf, newly planted woodland which extends the area covered by the existing woodland, increasing the habitat and in doing so increasing its resilience to environmental changes now and in the future. The woodland also improves the connectivity of habitat across the lower parts of Moelogan Fawr bolstering biodiversity on the farm.
There are also 20.6 hectares (51 acres) of upland heathland (wet and dry heath), which are important for a number of species of high conservation importance which have been lost from many other parts of the UK. The mix of wet and dry habitats, different vegetation heights and structure further provide important habitat. The farm also has 2 ponds, which help to support aquatic plants and animal species such as ground nesting birds including Curlew and Lapwings.
Sian and Llion are keen to be as sustainable and efficient as possible and regularly record and measure their farm data, including carbon auditing. Working with HCC on their carbon audit, Sian and Llion took away tangible advice on how to lower their carbon footprint through for example increasing the sward variety in their grass, have eliminated fertilizer use on grazing land and only applying a minimal amount on silage ground and they are soil testing to further optimise nitrogen fertiliser applications – all of these things not only save them money by reducing inputs but are also beneficial for the environment. In their bid to reduce costs across the farm they also concentrate heavily on health and fertility of the herd.
“The information from the carbon audit and the biodiversity survey which we have worked with HCC on, has really inspired our decision making. For example, at the beginning we were just growing rye grass and then we started looking into the inclusion of herbal leys, and understanding what worked where. We’ve adjusted and put plantain into the mix and added the old grasses like Timothy and Cocksfoot in the mix too. On the lower ground we have herbal leys and they do really well there. It’s learning what works on which ground and how to best look after it. We don’t graze it too hard until it’s properly established and that helps too. These are just a few examples of how we are moving towards a healthier farm, healthier soils and a more efficient business,” adds Sian.
As part of their efforts to be more efficient, a rotational grazing system as part of Grass Check GB has also been implemented, and new infrastructure through tracks across the farm, are providing tangible results.
“We try to extend our grazing season and rear everything of grass. We’ve added quite a bit of infrastructure to the farm since taking over. We’re lucky we have our own stone on the farm so we added tracks which means we have good access to the fields. This means we can get the cows to the further fields at the wettest times. And to make sure we get water to all the paddocks, we now also have a solar water pump that helps bring water to even the furthest fields.
“The cattle used to come in around September but now we have been able to extend their outdoor season until October / November and in calf heifers are out until January on fodder beet or a winter crop. That’s reduced winter housing and feeding by two months and we hope to extend this further. The cows are 100% rotational grazed during the grazing season and we’ve started implementing that for the ewes as well,” said Llion.
“It’s great to see how the rotational grazing system has helped us be more efficient and improve soil health as well. Through the dry summers this has really helped. Being part of discussion and benchmarking groups has helped us understand the financial side of the business and enabled us to know where we need to improve and can make savings. Data recording has helped us see where the efficiencies need to be made and that level of data driven decision making is something that we will continue to do,” added Sian.
Talking about their sustainability goals, Sian and Llion are clear that it can’t be business as usual. “Sustainability in our eyes goes hand in hand with efficiency. The more efficient we can be the better - it will improve our carbon footprint, and help us to achieve our goals. We are working towards reducing bought in inputs, getting our livestock as healthy as possible, utilising the grass, and protecting the soil.
“We have a rigorous system and don’t keep cattle that don’t perform. Genetics and epigenetics also play a big part. We sell Stabiliser bulls and breeding females through a Stabiliser Cattle Company. Whatever we sell - if it’s in-calf heifers or bulls we want to ensure they perform as good as possible for other farms” explains Sian.
“We farm on high ground and are very exposed here, which means we’re best suited to be a breeding cow farm. We have a very strict system here and we hope they will perform wherever they go. Feet, udders and overall condition, temperament, condition and fertility are all things we scrutinise and they must rear good calves. We look for uniformity in our calves and record everything, including live weight gains and weaning weights. We look to produce moderate sized cows and calves. They are all fed on silage and grass and we don’t supplement any of the females. If they don’t get in calf within a 9 week block at 14 months, we fatten and sell them on as meat. It might seem a harsh way of doing it but we need to be efficient and a stringent selection process is part of that sustainability journey,” adds Llion.
Dr. Heather McCalman, HCC’s Research and Development and Sustainability Executive, who has been working with Sian and Llion on Grass Check GB as well as fertility improvement projects, said: “Farms like Moelogan Fawr are setting the scene for future farming practices. It is essential that farms embrace research and development and combine traditional farming practices with the benefits of technology and data to be sustainable and fit for the future.
“While the impact of agriculture on climate change continues to be a hot topic, it’s important to remember that there are huge variations in the environmental impact of different farming systems across the world, with Wales being especially suited for rearing cattle and sheep, as we can see here.
“The Welsh way of farming has a very different story to tell compared with some of the intensive and industrial systems found in other parts of the world. With high standards of animal husbandry and pasture land management, the Jones family help to preserve our unique landscape. They are making a positive contribution to mitigating climate change and are managing their grassland by combining traditional practices with innovation and HCC is proud to help them on that journey.”
