Investing £15,000 in grazing infrastructure halves beef farmer’s winter housing period/Buddsoddi £15,000 mewn seilwaith pori yn haneru cyfnod cadw gwartheg dan do ffermwr bîff

Welsh suckler beef producers could halve their winter housing period and associated costs by establishing a rotational system of grazing.

James Evans has proven this is possible since putting the grazing system in place for the herd of 300 Stabiliser cattle he runs on a contract farming agreement.

He has shortened the housing period from six months to just three and reduced silage usage by 50%.

During a Farming Connect Knowledge Transfer Event in Ceredigion, Mr Evans admitted that a decision to switch to organic production by the farm owners changed his attitude to grazed grass.

“Rather than accepting reduced profits and production by keeping things as they were, we decided to focus more on grass,’’ said Mr Evans, who farms at Partridge Farm, Bishop’s Castle.

He employed a grazing consultant as “a fresh pair of eyes’’. “He made me realise that we weren’t utilising grass in the way we should be,’’ Mr Evans told farmers attending the event at Penrallt Farm, Llantood, kindly hosted by Geraint Evans.

A series of 1 hectare (ha) paddocks was created by establishing a semi-permanent electric fence around the perimeter of the area earmarked for grazing and further dividing these with electric fencing.

Each paddock is grazed for two or three days by 40-50 cows and their calves.

“Rotational grazing has allowed us to extend our grazing period. Some cattle aren’t housed at all, they are either wintered on deferred grazing or on forage crops such as rape and kale undersown with Italian ryegrass,’’ said Mr Evans.

Water is supplied to each paddock via a portable trough connected to above ground water pipes.

This system has helped overcome the challenge of supplying drinking water to each paddock. “We have all seen rotational grazing working in dairy systems but suckler farmers think it might not work for them because they mostly have smaller mobs for grazing and believe there will be an issue with water supply.

“We have put pipework on top of the land and that allows us to have a portable water trough which we can move around every paddock.’’

All the breeding bulls are grass-fed when they are sold at 18 months and this creates additional interest among buyers, Mr Evans said. “There is a demand for bulls that have been raised on grass and perform well on it. Farmers want genetics that have been proven off grass.’’

Mr Evans will be speaking at further Farming Connect events at Raglan and Ruthin in June. For further information visit https://businesswales.gov.wales/farmingconnect/events

Sarah Hughes, Farming Connect Red Meat Technical Officer (South West Wales), who organised the event at Penrallt Farm, said Mr Evans had demonstrated that by focusing on grassland management it is possible for farmers to reduce their costs.

“In a recent benchmarking survey, the top 25% of farmers were monitoring their overheads, focusing on details and understanding their markets. Better utilisation of grazed grass is part of that,’’ she said.

The Farming Connect event was also an opportunity for farmers to learn more about BeefQ, a project supported by the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 which aims to validate an eating quality assessment system in Wales. 

 The project is coordinated by the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, and is a collaboration between key academic and industry organisations including HCC, Menter a Busnes, Celtica Foods Ltd, Queens University Belfast, Birkenwood Pty Ltd from Australia and several meat processors in Wales.

 Dr Eleri Price, of Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales, said the BeefQ project offered exciting opportunities for Welsh beef producers.

 “The carcass assessment, along with information on animal production system and carcass processing, will be inputted to a model which will predict the eating quality of carcass cuts,’’ she said.

 “This will be verified using consumer taste-testing. Producers of PGI Welsh Beef will be able to see data on the ‘eating quality’ of the beef they produce, helping to provide beef of higher and more consistent quality to the consumer.’’

Visit http://www.beefq.wales for further information.

James Evans’ tips for converting to a rotational grazing system:

Get expert help. “Getting another pair of eyes on the farm is invaluable, often we can’t see what needs to be done because we are too close to our own businesses.’’

Get used to spending money in different ways. Mr Evans invested £15,000 to establish a rotational grazing system but this was a one-off payment. “It seemed a lot of money at the time even though we wouldn’t have thought twice about spending £15,000 on buying a few loads of feed or replacing a machine under the old system.’’

Graze a paddock for up to three days then rest it. “When you turn a lot of cattle into a paddock they just want to want to eat the most palatable bits but this takes the energy source away from the roots and you are left with tussocks that have to be topped. Make them eat everything and in time you will improve permanent pasture that would have previously been deemed to be unpalatable.’’

Good infrastructure will ease management.

Farming Connect is delivered by Menter a Busnes and Lantra on behalf of Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

The Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.

Buddsoddi £15,000 mewn seilwaith pori yn haneru cyfnod cadw gwartheg dan do ffermwr bîff

Gallai cynhyrchwyr gwartheg sugno bîff haneru’r cyfnod y cedwir gwartheg dan do a chostau cysylltiedig trwy sefydlu system pori mewn cylchdro.

Mae James Evans wedi profi bod hyn yn bosibl ers iddo sefydlu’r system pori ar gyfer y fuches o 300 o wartheg Stabiliser y mae’n eu cadw o dan gytundeb ffermio contract.

Mae wedi cwtogi’r cyfnod cadw gwartheg dan do o chwe mis i ddim ond tri ac wedi sicrhau gostyngiad o 50% yn y defnydd o silwair.

Yn ystod Digwyddiad Trosglwyddo Gwybodaeth yng Ngheredigion, cyfaddefodd Mr Evans bod penerfyniad i droi at gynhyrchu organig gan berchnogion y fferm wedi newid ei agwedd at laswellt a borir.

“Yn hytrach na derbyn llai o elw a chynhyrchiant trwy gadw pethau fel yr oeddent, fe wnaethom ni benderfynu canolbwyntio ar ragor o laswellt,” meddai Mr Evans, sy’n ffermio yn Fferm Partridge, Trefesgob.

Fe wnaeth gyflogi ymgynghorydd pori fel “pâr ffres o lygaid”.

“Fe wnaeth i mi sylweddoli nad oeddem ni’n defnyddio glaswellt fel y dylem ni,” meddai Mr Evans wrth ffermwyr oedd yn mynychu’r digwyddiad yn Fferm Penrallt, Llantwyd, a gynhaliwyd yno trwy garedigrwydd Geraint Evans.

Crëwyd nifer o leiniau 1 hectar (ha) trwy osod ffens drydan led-barhaol o amgylch perimedr y llecyn a gafodd ei glustnodi i’w bori, a rhannwyd y lleiniau hyn ymhellach â ffensys trydan.

Caiff pob llain ei bori am ddau neu dri diwrnod gan 40-50 buwch a’u lloi.

“Mae pori mewn cylchdro wedi caniatáu i ni gynyddu ein cyfnod pori. Ni chaiff rhai gwartheg eu cadw dan do o gwbl; byddant yn treulio’r gaeaf ar borfa ohiriedig neu ar gnydau porthi megis rêp a chêl wedi’u tanhadu â rhygwellt Eidalaidd,” meddai Mr Evans.

Cyflenwir dŵr i bob llain trwy gyfrwng cafn cludadwy sydd wedi’i gysylltu â phibellau dŵr uwchlaw’r ddaear.

Mae’r system wedi cynorthwyo i oresgyn yr her o gyflenwi dŵr yfed i bob llain. “Rydym ni oll wedi gweld pori mewn cylchdro yn cael ei ddefnyddio mewn systemau cynhyrchu llaeth, ond nid yw ffermwyr sy’n cadw buchesi sugno yn credu y gallai lwyddo iddynt hwy oherwydd maent yn pori grwpiau llai o wartheg ar y cyfan ac maent yn credu y byddai cyflenwad dŵr yn broblem.

“Rydym ni wedi gosod y pibellau dŵr ar y tir ac mae hynny’n caniatáu i ni ddefnyddio cafn dŵr cludadwy y gallwn ni ei symud o amgylch bob llain.”

Caiff yr holl deirw bridio eu porthi â glaswellt pan gânt eu gwerthu yn 18 mis oed, ac mae hynny’n creu rhagor o ddiddordeb ymhlith prynwyr, yn ôl Mr Evans. “Mae galw am deirw sydd wedi cael eu magu ar borfa ac sy’n perfformio’n dda ar borfa. Mae ffermwyr yn dymuno defnyddio geneteg anifeiliaid sydd wedi profi y gallant ffynnu ar borfa.”

Bydd Mr Evans yn sgwrsio mewn rhagor o ddigwyddiadau gan Cyswllt Ffermio yn Rhaglan ac yn Rhuthun ym mis Mehefin. I gael rhagor o wybodaeth, trowch at https:// businesswales.gov.wales/farmingconnect/cy/digwyddiadau

Yn ôl Sarah Hughes, Swyddog Technegol Cig Coch Cyswllt Ffermio (De Orllewin Cymru) a threfnydd y digwyddiad yn Fferm Penrallt, roedd Mr Evans wedi profi y gall ffermwyr leihau eu costau trwy roi sylw i reoli tir glas.

“Mewn arolwg meincnodi diweddar, roedd y 25% uchaf o’r ffermwyr yn monitro eu hargostau, yn canolbwyntio ar fanylion ac yn deall eu marchnadoedd. Mae gwneud defnydd gwell o laswellt a borir yn rhan o hynny,” meddai.

Roedd digwyddiad Cyswllt Ffermio yn gyfle hefyd i ffermwyr gael rhagor o wybodaeth am BeefQ, prosiect a gefnogir gan Gymunedau Gwledig Llywodraeth Cymru – Rhaglen Datblygu Gwledig 2014-2020. Nod prosiect BeefQ yw dilysu system asesu ansawdd bwyta yng Nghymru.    

 Cydlynir y prosiect gan Athrofa Gwyddorau Biolegol, Amgylcheddol a Gwledig (IBERS) Prifysgol Aberystwyth, ac mae’n gydweithrediad rhwng sefydliadau allweddol o’r byd academaidd a’r diwydiant amaethyddol, yn cynnwys HCC, Menter a Busnes, Celtica Foods Ltd, Prifysgol Queens Belfast, Birkenwood Pty Ltd o Awstralia a nifer o gwmnïau prosesu cig yng Nghymru.

 Dywedodd Dr Eleri Price o Hybu Cig Cymru bod y prosiect BeefQ yn cynnig cyfleoedd cyffrous i gynhyrchwyr cig eidion Cymru.

  “Caiff yr asesiad o’r carcas, ynghyd â gwybodaeth am system cynhyrchu’r anifail a’r dull o brosesu’r carcas, eu mewnbynnu i fodel a wnaiff ragweld ansawdd bwyta toriadau o’r carcas,” meddai.

 “Caiff hynny ei wirio gan ddefnyddio system o brofi blas gan ddefnyddwyr. Bydd cynhyrchwyr Cig Eidion Cymru sydd â Dynodiad Daearyddol Gwarchodedig yn gallu gweld data ynghylch ansawdd bwyta’r cig eidion a gynhyrchir ganddynt, a bydd hynny’n helpu i ddarparu cig eidion o ansawdd gwell a mwy cyson ar gyfer defnyddwyr.

Trowch at http://www.beefq.wales i gael rhagor o wybodaeth am hyn.

Dyma gynghorion James Evans ynghylch sefydlu system pori mewn cylchdro:

Mynnwch gymorth gan arbenigwr. “Mae cael pâr arall o lygaid ar y fferm yn amhrisiadwy. Yn aml iawn, ni allwn ni weld beth sydd angen ei wneud oherwydd rydym ni’n rhy agos at ein busnesau ein hunain.”

Dewch yn gyfarwydd â gwario arian trwy ffyrdd gwahanol. Buddsoddodd Mr Evans £15,000 i sefydlu system pori cylchdro, ond roedd hwn yn daliad untro. “Roedd yn ymddangos yn swm sylweddol ar y pryd, er na fyddem ni wedi meddwl ddwywaith am wario £15,000 i brynu ychydig o lwythi o borthiant neu brynu peiriant newydd o dan yr hen system.”

Porwch lain am hyd at dri diwrnod, yna gadewch iddo orffwys. “Pan fyddwch chi’n troi nifer fawr o wartheg i lain, byddant yn dymuno bwyta’r rhannau mwyaf blasus yn unig, ond bydd hyn yn diddymu ffynhonnell egni’r gwreiddiau, gan adael twmpathau glaswellt y bydd yn rhaid eu tocio. Gwnewch iddynt fwyta popeth, ac ymhen amser, fe wnewch chi wella porfa barhaol a fyddai fel arall wedi cael ei hystyried yn anflasus.”

Fe wnaiff seilwaith da hwylsuo’r gwaith o reoli.

Mae Cyswllt Ffermio yn cael ei ddarparu gan Menter a Busnes a Lantra ar ran Llywodraeth Cymru a Chronfa Amaethyddol Ewrop ar gyfer Datblygu Gwledig.

Mae’r Cymunedau Gwledig Llywodraeth Cymru – Rhaglen Datblygu Gwledig 2014-2020 yn cael ei ariannu gan Gronfa Amaethyddol Ewrop ar gyfer Datblygu Gwledig a Llywodraeth Cymru.