Pencwm

Investigating the potential of a diverse forage mix for winter feeding

Pencwm is farmed by Berwyn and Hedydd Lloyd along with their son Gruff where they run a closed herd of 155 suckler cows (mainly Stabiliser Cattle with some continental crosses: Shorthorn, Limousin, Salers). The coastal farm is predominantly grass based with an 80ha arable crop rotation which is used to grow Barley, Kale and Forage Rape. 

The farm currently operates an efficient beef system that thrives on homegrown forage and crops with the stock staying outside for all but six weeks of the year, cows are out-wintered from November until they are housed at the end of January before calving. All calves are finished from forage and home-grown barley and are usually sold between 13 – 15 months. 

Over the years, they have experimented with numerous winter-feeding options such as Fodder Beet and Kale. In some instances, grazing monoculture winter brassicas can have an impact on soil health due to leaving the soil bare after grazing; increasing the risk of runoff and leaching. 

Therefore, the family now wishes to investigate a fairly new approach to winter feeding which will have more consideration towards soil health, biodiversity, animal welfare and economic stability. In order to address some of these challenges the project will aim to investigate the potential of a diverse forage mix as a new approach to winter-feeding rotation and enhancing soil health. 

The project will also contribute to the Sustainable Land Management outcomes including:

• high animal health and welfare
• resource efficiency
• resilient ecosystems