Pencwm Project final update: October 2025

Key results:

• Mix 2 was the highest yielding out of the three mixes, giving a yield of 20.5 tonnes per hectare.
• Mix 1 was the lowest yielding crop, with a yield of 9.5 tonnes per ha, producing less than half the tonnage compared to mix 2.
• There was no obvious wastage in any of the mixes following grazing with the cattle and no preferential grazing observed.

Background: 

Pencwm is farmed by Berwyn, Hedydd and Gruff, running a herd of 155 suckler cows. The costal farm is predominantly grass based with 80hectares of arable crop rotation, growing Barley, Kale and Forage rape.

Their efficient beef system relies on homegrown forage with the cows out-wintered until late January. All calves are finished from forage and home-grown barley and are usually sold between 13 – 15 months.

The family have trialled various winter-feeding options such as fodder beet and kale but are keen to investigate a fairly new approach to winter feeding which will have more consideration towards soil health, biodiversity, animal welfare and economic stability.  

Purpose of the work

Develop a cost effective and productive winter feeding mix to maintain suckler cow nutrition over the winter from home-grown forage. 
Reduce the need to introduce additional silage bales onto winter feeding crop
Evaluate impact of a diverse winter forage crop on soil health

What we did: 

The plots were established as follows:- 

• Previous crop-grass sprayed off with glyphosate (23 May)
• Subsoiled
• Direct drilled with disc drill (mid-June)
• Fertiliser – 390kg/ha 14-14-21+s
• Slug pellets 7kg/ha (10 July)  
• Foliar spray – insecticide (cabbage whites), Foliar N+S and Boron.
• Slug pellets 7kg/ha (second application 20 August) 

The mixtures sown in each plot are listed below and their key benefits. 

Mix 1 (Sowing rate 12kg/acre)
60% Tetraploid Italian ryegrass – grazing quality and ground cover
16% Spitfire Hybrid Brassica - grazing quality and ability to regrow
16% Crimson Clover – high protein feed that will fix nitrogen
8% Plantain – high protein feed that will regrow & improve soil condition

Mix 2 (Sowing rate 50kg/acre) 
80% Forage Rye - grazing quality, ground cover, nitrogen scavenger & soil improver
14% Winter Vetch - high protein feed that will fix nitrogen
2% Stubble Turnip – high protein feed with rapid establishment
2% Plantain - high protein feed that will regrow & improve soil condition
2% Tillage Radish – soil improver, deep tap root that will break up compaction, tops will provide a fairly high protein feed

Control crop (Sowing rate 3kg/acre)

Kale (Gruner Angeliter Kale) - high yielding tall variety of kale, used in New Zealand for a good number of years. Taller and higher yielding than more traditional varieties.

Soil structure assessment (VESS) and soil samples were taken at the beginning of the project, with the analysis showing a pH of 6.2 and a soil organic matter of 7.1%. Yields were calculated using the cut and weigh methodology, which involved measuring an area of 1m x 1m, cut/pulled then weighed.

Figure 1- Pencwm Farm map.  

The cattle were introduced to graze the mixes in October and were strip grazed along the field, giving them access to all three mixes, with the electric fence moved daily. The cleanliness of cattle and clearance of crops were observed during the grazing period. 

Figure 2. Cattle grazing field with the three different mixes (November 2024) 

Figure 3.  Cattle grazing the field with the three different mixes (November 2024).  

Outcomes:

Soil health

Each location for the VESS assessment provided the same outcome:-

• 0-10cm. Score 4 = poor. Little structure and very porous, this will hinder rooting, likely to be from cattle traffic.
• 10-15cm. Score 2. Good = well-structured soil with many pores and large round aggregates.
• 15-30cm. Score 1. Very good = Excellent structure, highly porous, good rooting conditions.

Although no soil health improvement was found within the timescale of this project, mix 2 has the greatest potential for improving soil health due to the diversity and synergistic effects compared to mix 1 and the control. The various species within mix 1 and their key benefits includes:

• Forage rye serves as a carbon-sequestering cover and a nitrogen scavenger, reducing nitrate leaching. 

• Winter vetch is a nitrogen-fixing legume, enriching the soil with available nitrogen.

• Tillage radish, acts as a biological subsoiler with a robust taproot that breaks up compacted layers, creating pores to enhance water infiltration and root penetration. The decay of the radish root leaves behind channels that improve soil structure and microbial habitat.

Crop yield

The highest yielding out of the three mixes, as seen in Table 1 below, giving a yield of 20.5 tonnes per hectare was mix 2 (80% forage rye, 14% winter vetch, 2% stubble turnip, 2% plantain and 2% tillage radish). Mix 1 (60% tetraploid italian ryegrass, 16% spitfire hybrid brassica, 16% crimson clover and 8% plantain) was the lowest yielding crop, with a yield of 9.5 tonnes per ha, producing less than half the tonnage compared to mix 2
 

Table 1. Yield results in tonnes per hectares and acres

The 16 cattle grazed the field from 28 October 2024 to 26 January 2025 (just shy of 13 weeks). 10 hay bales were also placed at the side of the field for the cattle to help prolong the grazing period. The cleanliness of the cattle was monitored throughout with the cattle remaining very clean during the grazing period. It was noted that it was a dry winter. There was no obvious wastage in any of the mixes following grazing with the cattle and no preferential grazing observed.

Future cropping

The following crop in the field was barley. An observation made in the following crop was that the weed pressure in the barley where mix 1 and mix 2 were located was higher, with more weeds coming through in the barley, with these weeds needing to be sprayed twice. 

How to apply on your farm:

• When picking fields, consider factors such as shelter for animals, access to bales, run off, soil conditions etc.
• Consider what you aim to achieve from your winter crop and select species mix carefully to complement your aims.
• Carefully calculate the feed requirement of the livestock and allocate grazing area accordingly based on yields. It is better to move fences often through the winter to avoid poaching and wastage.