By Rhiannon James, Farming Connect Knowledge Transfer Journalist
The grazing infrastructure of a Pembrokeshire dairy farm is being extended and updated to improve grass utilisation and produce more milk from forage.
At Moor Farm, Walwyns Castle, Haverfordwest, Farming Connect Demonstration Farmer, Andrew Rees is creating an integrated system of cow tracks across his 370-acre farm. As well as reviewing the existing system, new tracks are being installed to improve access to a 37-acre grazing block and the water system is being upgraded. Andrew, who farms alongside his parents Colin and Jean, hopes to increase the grazing period for the spring calving herd of 240 British Friesian cows, while also reducing lameness.
Andrew says: “We are looking to make more of the land easily accessible for the cows throughout the year, particularly a 37-acre block which is difficult to access in wet weather. New tracks should give us the option of taking a more direct route and crossing the road a bit less and the cows can graze the grass for longer during the day.”
The farm has been GPS mapped by a company specialising in farm infrastructure planning, and a provisional plan of the new cow tracks drawn up. The GPS mapping ensures the grazing paddocks are all evenly sized, and this will be underpinned by carefully calculating the final design and location of the tracks, making grass budgeting for the herd easier.
“Having accurate measurements of every field will help us to allocate grass more effectively to improve utilisation,” adds Andrew.
The tracks will include multiple access points to the paddocks to reduce sward and soil damage as cows travel in and out of the paddocks. Improved access will extend the grazing season to reduce the housed period of the cows, saving money on winter inputs such as concentrate feed, bedding and labour.
“The herd has been growing and while we can only graze for as long as conditions enable us to during the year, accessing an extra grazing block means we will no longer be overstocked on the other paddocks, so more of the cows can stay out for longer,” says Andrew. “Every day saved on housing the cows and feeding them inside is a big cost saving for the business.”
The design of the tracks, including materials, drainage and shape, will also be carefully considered to reduce lameness in the herd. The new facilities will also incorporate the use of auto-release gates, which allow farmers to remotely open gates using phone apps or timers to automatically open gates, so that the cows can return to the parlour by themselves, saving labour.
Grass is measured weekly at Moor Farm and once the new infrastructure is in place, this data will be analysed to assess any improvements in grass yields and utilisation and the number of grazing days achieved.
A Farming Connect open day will be held at Moor Farm on Thursday, 9 June, at 11.00am, on best practice in farm infrastructure. The provisional plans of the new cow tracks will be presented and discussed to ensure optimum utilisation of grass.
To register your interest to attend the open day, or for more information contact Jamie McCoy, Farming Connect Dairy Technical Officer on Jamie.mccoy@menterabusnes.co.uk or 07985 379819.