Sicrhau bod digon o fwyd ar gael yn allweddol er mwyn gwneud penderfyniadau yn gynnar ar ffermydd yng Nghymru / Establishing feed availability key to early decision making on Welsh farms

Establishing feed availability key to early decision making on Welsh farms

 

A Welsh livestock farmer has eased potential feed shortages with a policy of regularly measuring grass growth and analysing the figures with farm software to make informed decisions.

Rhidian Glyn runs a sheep and dairy heifer rearing enterprise on a rotational grazing system at Rhiwgriafol, a Farming Connect Demonstration Farm near Machynlleth.

 

During a Farming Connect Open Day at Rhiwgriafol, farmers heard how a combination of rotational grazing, measuring grass with a plate meter and using Farmax software to compare supply and demand has enabled the business to plan ahead, minimising the cost of nitrogen fertiliser and supplements.

 

Farm consultant James Daniel of Precision Grazing Ltd, who has been working with Mr Glyn to develop the business, said knowing the availability of feed on a farm allows farmers to make decisions early.

 

“By measuring his average farm cover, Rhidian had an early warning that he was going to run out of pasture and it gave him the opportunity to look at his options,’’ said Mr Daniel, a speaker at today’s event.

 

The options that Mr Glyn took were to wean early and put ewes on maintenance feed, graze a proportion of the area set aside for second cut silage, reduce target lamb sales weights and supplement heifers.

 

Now that pasture covers have recovered at Rhiwgriafol supplementary feeding has stopped and he will capitalise on the surplus grass by making a third cut of silage this week.

 

“Regular measuring of pasture covers will not change the weather but detecting a potential feed deficit early provides farmers with many more options on how to deal with it,’’ says Mr Daniel.

 

“For example, had Rhidian taken his second cut of silage as planned he would have worsened the feed deficit and needed to feed that dry matter back to the farm as bales or concentrates at twice to four times the cost.’’

 

Mr Glyn had planted 18 acres of swedes as winter feed for his ewes but this crop failed because of an absence of rain. To bridge the feed gap he replanted the field with a rape and ryegrass mix.

 

However the potential yield of this is estimated to be 50-60% lower than the planned swede crop so silage bales will be grazed in situ with the crop during the winter.

 

Rotational grazing, where a group of animals regularly move through a number of different fields in a planned order, is a simple way of increasing pasture growth and utilisation.

 

This approach can help to improve the quality of the pasture and is a far more profitable method of increasing production compared to renting more land, says Mr Daniel.

 

As a guide if the group of animals cannot graze a field within five to seven days, the field should be split in half or into smaller sections, normally using electric fencing, he advises.

 

Rhidian rears dairy heifers on contract, taking them as weaned calves in July and returning them 16 months later in calf.

 

In the spring these heifers compete with the ewes and lambs for pasture so setting up a rotational grazing system provided Rhidian with the opportunity to increase pasture growth and minimise the area the heifers required.

 

Two fields totaling 32 acres were split into 16 paddocks with heifers spending 1.5-3 days in each paddock, depending on pasture growth rates.

 

Mr Glyn had been consistently grazing pasture down to 1400kg dry matter (DM)/ha but at that residual the grass plant was slow to recover and heifer growth rates reduced.

 

In May and June, when there was a surplus of pasture, he increased the target to 1700kgDM/ha.

 

“The pasture was far quicker to recover as there is enough leaf left to capture the sunlight and trigger photosynthesis,’’ said Mr Glyn.

 

Heifer intakes also increased resulting in average daily liveweight gains of 1.2kg over an eight-week period.

 

Following a poor start to the spring, maximising the heifers’ compensatory growth potential was essential to ensure they reached their target bulling weight.

 

The rotational grazing system has dramatically improved leys and Mr Glyn is planning to roll it out on another 32 acres for ewes and lambs next summer – he will tup 980 improved Welsh Mountain ewes and ewe lambs this autumn.

 

In reaction to this year’s difficult growing conditions, he is measuring grass more frequently. “I was not going out with the plate meter often enough, I now measure twice a month instead of once.

 

“Establishing what the farm position will be in a month’s time is important, measuring isn’t just about what the growth rates are at the time of measuring but about knowing what covers there are ahead.’’

 

The farm is currently facing an estimated shortage of 20 tonnes DM therefore the farm cover will be measured more regularly to determine if an application of nitrogen at 20-25kg/ha needs to be applied to third cut silage fields.

 

Ewe body condition score (BCS) at this stage in the year is critical as this will determine next year’s success, ewes should be 3-3.5 at tupping, requiring six weeks on good quality pasture to gain 1 BCS.

 

Mr Glyn’s ewes need to improve their condition by 0.5 BCS so he has split the flock in two, running a leader-follower system with the thinner ewes grazing one field ahead of the fit ewes.

 

“If the ewes are not going to achieve the target minimum of BCS 3 at tupping then delay tupping by a couple weeks, it is far easier for a ewe to gain weight now than it will be for it to do so in late pregnancy,’’ Mr Daniel recommends.

 

Lamb finishing on many farms has been made difficult by the dry conditions because it reduced feed quality and quantity, resulting in more lambs on farms at lighter weights.

 

Mr Daniel says farmers need to be careful that by aiming to finish the remaining lambs they are not compromising increasing their ewes BCS and building their farm cover for the winter.

 

“Regularly monitor lamb growth, consider sale options or use supplementary feed to ensure lambs leave the farm by early October and meet the required specification,’’ he says.

 

Putting in effort now to increase ewe condition, measure pasture and budget feed will pay off, he insisted.

 

“It is often difficult to get farmers to commit to measuring pasture and splitting fields to increase utilisation at this point in the year but in reality this is easier, cheaper and less stressful then carrying feed to ewes in February and March.’’

Sicrhau bod digon o fwyd ar gael yn allweddol er mwyn gwneud penderfyniadau yn gynnar ar ffermydd yng Nghymru

Mae ffermwr da byw yng Nghymru wedi lleddfu unrhyw brinder bwyd posibl drwy ddefnyddio polisi o fesur twf glaswellt yn rheolaidd a dadansoddi’r ffigyrau gyda meddalwedd fferm i wneud penderfyniadau deallus.

 

Mae Rhidian Glyn yn cadw menter ddefaid a magu heffrod llaeth ar system bori cylchdro ar fferm Rhiwgriafol, un o Ffermydd Arddangos Cyswllt Ffermio ger Machynlleth.

 

Yn ystod Diwrnod Agored Cyswllt Ffermio ar fferm Rhiwgriafol, clywodd ffermwyr sut mae cyfuniad o bori cylchdro, mesur porfeydd gyda mesurydd plât a defnyddio meddalwedd Farmax i gymharu cyflenwad a galw wedi galluogi’r busnes i gynllunio ymlaen llaw, gan leihau costau gwrtaith nitrogen ac ychwanegion.

 

Dywedodd yr ymgynghorydd fferm, James Daniel, Precision Grazing Ltd, sydd wedi bod yn gweithio gyda Mr Glyn i ddatblygu’r busnes, bod argaeledd bwyd ar fferm yn galluogi ffermwyr i wneud penderfyniadau’n gynnar.

 

“Trwy fesur ei orchudd fferm cyfartalog, cafodd Rhidian rybudd cynnar ei fod mewn perygl o redeg allan o borfa a rhoddodd hynny gyfle iddo edrych ar ei opsiynau,” meddai Mr Daniel, un o’r siaradwyr yn y digwyddiad heddiw.

 

Dewisodd Mr Glyn ddiddyfnu’n gynnar a rhoi mamogiaid ar borthiant cynhaliaeth, pori cyfran o’r ardal a oedd wedi’i neilltuo ar gyfer ail doriad silwair, lleihau pwysau targed ar gyfer gwerthu ŵyn a rhoi dwysfwyd ychwanegol i heffrod.

 

Nawr fod y borfa wedi adfer ar fferm Rhiwgriafol, mae’r bwydo dwysfwyd wedi dod i ben a bydd yn gwneud y gorau o’r borfa sydd dros ben drwy gymryd trydydd toriad silwair yr wythnos hon.

 

“Ni fydd mesur y borfa’n rheolaidd yn newid y tywydd, ond bydd canfod diffygion posibl yn y porthiant yn rhoi mwy o opsiynau i’r ffermwr allu ymdrin â hynny,” meddai Mr Daniel.

 

“Er enghraifft, pe byddai Rhidian wedi cwblhau’r ail doriad silwair fel yr oedd wedi ei gynllunio, byddai wedi gwneud y diffyg porthiant yn waeth a byddai wedi gorfod bwydo’r deunydd sych hwnnw yn ôl i’r fferm ar ffurf byrnau neu ddwysfwyd am ddwywaith neu deirgwaith y gost.”

 

Roedd Mr Glyn wedi plannu 18 erw o swêj fel porthiant i’w famogiaid dros y gaeaf, ond methodd y cnwd oherwydd prinder glaw. Er mwyn cau’r bwlch porthiant, ail-blannodd y cae gyda chymysgedd rêp a rhygwellt.

 

Fodd bynnag, amcangyfrifir fod y cynnyrch posibl yn 50-60% yn is na’r cnwd swêj a gynlluniwyd felly bydd byrnau silwair yn cael eu pori yn y cae gyda’r cnwd dros y gaeaf.

 

Mae pori cylchdro, ble mae grŵp o anifeiliaid yn symud yn rheolaidd drwy nifer o gaeau gwahanol mewn trefn wedi’i gynllunio ymlaen llaw, yn ffordd syml o gynyddu twf a defnydd o’r borfa.

 

Gall y dull hwn helpu i wella ansawdd y borfa ac mae’n ffordd llawer mwy proffidiol o gynyddu cynhyrchiant o’i gymharu â rhentu mwy o dir, meddai Mr Daniel.

 

Fel canllaw, os nad oes modd i grŵp o anifeiliaid bori cae o fewn pump i saith diwrnod, dylid rhannu’r cae yn hanner neu i ddarnau llai, gan ddefnyddio ffensys trydan fel arfer, meddai.

 

Mae Rhidian yn magu heffrod llaeth ar gontract, gan eu cymryd fel lloi wedi’u diddyfnu ym mis Gorffennaf a’u dychwelyd 16 mis yn ddiweddarach yn gyflo.

 

Yn y gwanwyn, bydd yr heffrod hyn yn cystadlu gyda’r mamogiaid a’r ŵyn am y borfa felly mae sefydlu system bori cylchdro wedi rhoi cyfle i Rhidian gynyddu twf y borfa a lleihau’r ardal y mae’r heffrod ei angen.

 

Rhannwyd dau gae gyda chyfanswm o 32 erw yn 16 padog gyda’r heffrod yn treulio 1.5-3 diwrnod ym mhob padog, gan ddibynnu ar gyfraddau twf y padog.

 

Roedd Mr Glyn yn sicrhau bod y borfa’n cael ei phori hyd at 1400kgDM/ha ond gydag adlodd ar y lefel hon, roedd y planhigyn glaswellt yn arafach yn adfer a gwelwyd lleihad yng nghyfradd twf yr heffrod.

 

Ym mis Mai a Mehefin, pan oedd gormodedd o borfa, cynyddodd y targed i 1700kgDM/ha.

 

“Roedd y borfa wedi adfer yn llawer cynt ac mae digon o’r ddeilen ar ôl i ddal goleuni’r haul a sbarduno ffotosynthesis.” meddai Mr Glyn.

 

Gwelwyd cynnydd hefyd yng nghymeriant bwyd yr heffrod gan arwain at gynnydd pwysau byw o 1.2kg dros gyfnod o wyth wythnos.

 

Ar ôl dechrau gwael i’r gwanwyn, roedd sicrhau bod potensial twf heffrod yn cael ei gyflawni’n llawn yn hanfodol er mwyn sicrhau eu bod yn cyrraedd eu pwysau targed cyn cael eu troi at y tarw.

 

Mae’r system bori cylchdro wedi gwella gwyndonnydd yn sylweddol ac mae Mr Glyn yn bwriadu efelychu hyn ar 32 erw ychwanegol ar gyfer mamogiaid ac ŵyn ar gyfer yr haf nesaf – bydd yn troi 980 o famogiaid Mynydd Cymreig ac ŵyn benyw at yr hwrdd yr hydref hwn.

 

Mewn ymateb i amodau twf anodd eleni, mae’n mesur ei laswellt yn fwy rheolaidd. “Doeddwn i ddim yn mynd allan gyda’r mesurydd plât yn ddigon aml. Rwyf bellach yn mesur ddwywaith y mis yn hytrach nag unwaith.

 

“Mae gweld beth fydd sefyllfa’r fferm ymhen mis yn bwysig. Mae mesur yn ymwneud â mwy na chyfraddau twf ar adeg  mesur yn unig- mae hefyd yn ymwneud â gwybod faint o orchudd fydd yn y dyfodol.”

 

Mae’r fferm ar hyn o bryd yn wynebu prinder o oddeutu 20 tunnell DM felly bydd gorchudd y fferm yn cael ei fesur yn fwy rheolaidd i weld a oes angen ychwanegu nitrogen ar lefel o 20-25kg/ha ar gaeau silwair trydydd toriad.

 

Mae sgôr cyflwr corff (BCS) mamogiaid ar yr adeg hon o’r flwyddyn yn hanfodol gan y bydd yn pennu llwyddiant y flwyddyn nesaf. Dylai mamogiaid fod ar sgôr o 3-3.5 erbyn y cyfnod hyrdda, gan fod angen chwech wythnos ar borfa o ansawdd uchel i ennill 1 BCS.

 

Mae angen i famogiaid Mr Glyn sicrhau cynnydd o 0.5 BCS felly mae wedi rhannu’r ddiadell yn ei hanner, gan gadw system arweinydd-dilynydd, gyda’r mamogiaid teneuach yn pori un cae cyn y mamogiaid mwy ffit.

 

“Os nad yw’r ŵyn am gyrraedd y targed isaf o BCS 3 erbyn y cyfnod hyrdda, gallwch ddal yn ôl am ychydig wythnosau. Mae’n llawer haws i famog fagu pwysau nawr na thua diwedd beichiogrwydd,” meddai Mr Daniel.

 

Mae pesgi ŵyn wedi bod yn anodd ar nifer o ffermydd y tywydd sych gan ei fod wedi lleihau ansawdd a chyfaint y bwyd sydd ar gael, gan olygu bod mwy o ŵyn ar ffermydd ar bwysau is.

 

Dywed Mr Daniel fod angen i ffermwyr fod yn ofalus nad ydynt yn cyfaddawdu ar godi sgôr cyflwr corff y mamogiaid a chynyddu gorchudd eu fferm ar gyfer y gaeaf drwy anelu at besgi’r ŵyn sy’n weddill.

 

“Monitrwch dwf ŵyn yn rheolaidd, ystyriwch opsiynau gwerthu neu defnyddiwch fwyd ychwanegol i sicrhau bod yr ŵyn yn gadael y fferm erbyn dechrau mis Hydref ac yn cyrraedd y safon ofynnol,” meddai.

 

Bydd rhoi ymdrech nawr i wella cyflwr mamogiaid, mesur y borfa a chyllideb porthiant yn talu ar ei ganfed, meddai.

 

“Mae’n aml yn anodd cael ffermwyr i ymrwymo i fesur y borfa a rhannu caeau i gynyddu defnydd ar yr adeg yma o’r flwyddyn, ond mewn gwirionedd, mae hyn yn haws, yn rhatach ac yn achosi llai o straen na chario porthiant i’r mamogiaid ym mis Chwefror a Mawrth.”