research at iger bronydd mawr. less favoured areas (lfas) hill and upland farming: utilises 42% of...
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Research at IGER Bronydd Mawr
Less Favoured Areas (LFAs)
Hill and upland farming:
Utilises 42% of UK agricultural land
Carries >60% of UK breeding cattle and sheep
Upland systems:
Complex and diverse
Difficult to isolate components
Issues of scale
Multiple goals
P E
PE - Production-orientated goals
- Maximising profit while minimising environmental impact
- High level of sward management
- Integration improved pasture & SNRG- Improved nutrient use efficiency- Systems to develop biodiverse leys- Habitat restoration
The challenge
Improved pasture
Efficient use of improved pastures, Efficient use of improved pastures,
which account for 85% of output, which account for 85% of output,
is vital for sustaining upland agricultureis vital for sustaining upland agriculture
Semi-natural rough grazing
Accounts for 67 % of LFA landAccounts for 67 % of LFA land
Viable livestock farming holds the key to Viable livestock farming holds the key to the conservation of landscape and the conservation of landscape and wildlifewildlife
Need to exploit the dietary preferences Need to exploit the dietary preferences of different types of animalof different types of animal
Research for LFAs
Improved pasture
- specialist crops- legume breeding- extensification experiment
Semi-natural rough grazing (SNRG)
- Molinia-dominant grassland- heather moorland (BD1228)
Integration
- systems studies
Improved pasture SNRG
Integrated systems
• Management of upland sheep systems
• Genotype x pasture type interactions
• Mixed vs. sequential grazing
Previous work
Experimental systems testing:
Does co-species grazing of cattle and sheep lead to improved efficiency of production?
– complementary use of areas within pasture
– increased availability of preferred species
– reduced parasite burdens
Is the complementarity of cattle and sheep grazing reduced as the ratio of sheep:cattle is increased?
– grazing becomes competitive
Can cattle temporarily graze SNRG for environmental gain without compromising productivity?
– selective grazing
– interactions with improved pasture utilisation
Is the impact of grazing by ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ breeds different?
– body size and differences in productivity
– nutrient use efficiency
Experimental systems testing:
Production response
• Liveweight gain
• Finish and carcass quality
• Fertility
• Herbage mass & composition
• Silage yield and quality
• Inputs
Environmental impact
• Sward structure
• Botanical composition
• Butterflies
• Birds
• Parasites
• Pathogens
Opportunities
• Soil biodiversity & structure
• Water quality
• Nutrient flows
• Other biodiversity indicators
• Climate change
Knowledge transfer
• Farming Connect Demonstration Farm
• FWAG Demonstration Farm
• LEAF Innovation Centre
• Training site for CCW, Coleg Powys
The IGER Upland Research Centre works in partnership with: