Beef producers invited to make better use of grass

Beef producers could learn a lot from their dairy counterparts by making better use of grass.

That is the view of Matt House, one of the speakers at next month’s Grassland and Muck event at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire.

Visitors to the two-day show will be able find out how to make the most of grass and substantially improve profitability as a result.

According to figures from the levy body, AHDB, grazed grass costs just £57/t of dry matter compared with up to £140/t for a 16% protein cattle ration.

Mr House now uses a rotational grazing system for the beef herd on his Somerset farm.

“Dairy farmers have been utilising grass to the maximum for years, but the beef industry has been slower to take this up,” he said.

“There are low returns in the beef sector, so we need to do something different to cut our costs.”

He is taking part in AHDB Beef and Lamb’s ‘beef from grass’ project, which has involved soil sampling and setting up a nutrient management plan on the farm.

He has switched to year-round rotational grazing, moving the cows every 24-48 hours.

He monitors grass growth on a weekly basis, using the data to generate a growth and demand profile.

“This allows us to make the best use of the grass,” he said.