Getting evidence on mob
AN exciting UK-wide research project looking into the economic and environmental benefits of grazing systems has begun.
Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) is supporting a new research project with Bangor University that will investigate the impact of mob grazing on animal performance, costs of production, soil properties and greenhouse gas emissions. The work is carried out at Glynllifon farm, complemening a Defra funded project that is being delivered by ADAS in England.
Effective grassland management is at the heart of improving the overall resilience of Welsh beef and sheep farms. Mob grazing is a form of grazing management system where specific numbers of animals graze an area of land for a short period of time and are then rotated throughout a number of paddocks. This allows for a ‘recovery period’ for pastures to regrow as opposed to being continuously grazed under conventional setstocked approaches.
An increased number of farmers in Wales have turned to mob grazing
systems due to reported productivity benefits, but the wider economic and environmental cost-benefits are largely unknown, hence the current research.
Rhodri Manod Owen, Farm and Forest Manager at Glynllifon explains, “The project will be able to identify whether a greater uptake of mob grazing practices is practical and economically beneficial compared to set-stocking.”
The UK wide project started in May 2021 and will run for three years across nine farm sites.