Rhys Williams _____________

Coed Coch Farms Ltd _____________

A Different Approach to

Sheep Production in Wales

Objectives of the Presentation

To inspire…….

Collaboration

Innovation

Grass Utilisation

Positivity

Coed Coch Joint Venture Model

Coed Coch

Home

Farm

Harry

Coed Coch

Land

Coed Coch

Farms Ltd

Harry

Emyr

Rhys

Sheep

Utility Vehicle

Mobile Yard

Electric Fences

Silage Troughs

Meistri

Williams

Rhys

Management

Fee

Profit Share

Emyr

Jones

Emyr

Shepherd Fee

Profit Share

Basic Return

Profit Share

Collaboration and the Benefits

•Skin in the game

•Flying in a ‘V’

•Greed is the greatest sin

•Don’t run away with the prize

The Challenge........

“To develop a lamb production business that

is resilient and sustainable without

dependency on subsidies”

The Need to be Innovative

• If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll

always get what you’ve always had

•Don’t cling to the tree trunk

•You only loose if you don’t learn

•Solutions move people towards change

The Three Main Principles of the System

1. KISS ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’ - One enterprise and one system and work to a plan

- Breed for easy care genetics

- An emphasis on fertility

2. We are ‘Price takers’ but costs are within our circle of influence

- Minimise labour, machinery, buildings and purchased feed costs

- Outdoor lambing

- Utilisation of grass

3. ‘You can’t manage what you don’t measure’ - Measure for KPI’s

- Monitor budgets

- Measure grass supply and demand

Key Performance Indicators

• Lambs reared % per ewe mated

• Kg lamb reared per ewe mated

• Kg lamb reared per Ha

• Average lamb Kg daily live weight gain to weaning

• Ewe body condition score at mating, scanning and weaning

• Kg lambs reared as % of Kg ewes mated

Factors Affecting Production

Genetics Management

Within

management -

Nutrition

contributes

80% 90%

10%

“We are grassland farmers who produce

lamb, not sheep farmers who grow grass”

A Change in Mind-set is Needed…..

4 Key Steps Towards Grass Utilisation

Grazing Infrastructure

Soil Fertility (Lime, P and K)

Grass Measuring and Budgeting

Reseeding

The Three Golden Rules of Effective Grazing

1. Grass grows grass and grass feeds soil

2. Grazing ‘on time’ – 1 to 7 days

3. Appropriate rest period– 16 to 120 days

• Surplus - harvest grass

• Deficit - buffer feed

• Need to be nimble – have multiple risk management options

The General Rule: Grow in 3 weeks – Graze in 3 days

The Choice of Grazing System……

System Annual Production

(Kg DM Ha)

Utilisation

(%)

Total Utilised DM

(Kg DM Ha)

Set Stocking

Rotational Grazing

Techno Grazing

6000

9000

12000

4500

80

82

75

9800

7200