21 February 2018
Farming Connect is offering Welsh farmers the opportunity to hone their grassland management expertise through a series of dedicated courses.
Wales Master Grass aims to help farmers to develop their knowledge and skills in grassland management, providing them with practical skills and confidence to implement changes on their own farms.
The three-day higher level dedicated grassland workshops are specific to each sector – dairy, beef and sheep – and will be held this spring at Farming Connect’s Innovation Sites in north and west Wales, at Gelli Aur College in Carmarthenshire, and Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, Glynllifon.
At these, farmers will learn about selecting and establishing appropriate grass species and varieties for intensive rotational grazing.
There will also be a focus on grazing infrastructure and soil management and on measuring and interpreting grass growth measurements to inform decision making for grazing livestock.
Dewi Hughes, Technical Development Manager at Farming Connect, says with this knowledge farms could improve their milk yield and liveweight gains from grazed grass and forage and reduce overall input costs.
Grazed grass now underpins the systems on many dairy, beef and sheep businesses in Wales thanks to multiple Farming Connect initiatives, including discussion group meetings, themed clinics and subsidised soil testing.
Farming Connect is now taking this a step further with a project solely dedicated to grassland matters, says Mr Hughes.
“A range of opportunities for farmers to enhance their grassland management skills and understanding are already available through Farming Connect and, as a result, Welsh farmers had become more knowledgeable in this area,’’ he explains.
“We need to make sure that we continue to offer suitable information to continue the learning progression. Master Grass offers a higher level training so that continued progression is available to specialist grassland farmers.’’
This project has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities - Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.
For further information and an application form click here.