Whitriggs harnesses nature in grass
WITH the recent spell of sunshine creating warmer and drier conditions, grass growth has increased and with that, The Scottish Farmer has spoken to the Mitchell family of Whitriggs Farm, Hawick, about their ‘get back to nature’ approach to grazing.
Stuart Mitchell and his wife Kate, farm a 1086-acre ‘Pasture for Life’ and organic certified farm ranging from 500-1400 above sea level, alongside his parents Robert and Lesley.
They grow 125 acres of cereals including winter oats and spring barley for three years with the ground then being disked and combi-drilled for herbal leys.
The oats are sold to John Hogarth’s in Kelso, barley is sold to local farmers for feed and the straw is made into round bales and kept for roughage feed and bedding for the winter.
Cattle
The holding is home to 140 head of mostly Shorthorn cross Angus suckler cattle, although they are moving more to a Hereford cross Angus based herd, calving the heifers at two years of
age
“The longevity of our Shorthorn cattle was reducing with our new system so we started looking into other options. Herefords utilise the forage around them well whilst still producing quality
nd ospring,” said Stuart.
The family also run 330 red deer hinds which were introduced in July 2018 following an outbreak of maedi visna in the 1000 Lleyn ewe flock which were subsequently culled. But, far from being discouraged, with Stuart taking on more responsibilities from his parents, the farm underwent a major overhaul.
Stuart’s decision making was also influenced through increased access to online webinars research into other farming set ups during covid. Following the introduction of deer, the family looked to become organic in the summer of 2020 which proved to be a seamless transition as they were never hugely reliant on artificial fertilisers or wormers.
Up until this time, the farm was deemed ‘traditional’ with a highintensity workload that included set stocked grazing with up to five bulling
groups. Now, the cattle are divided into just two groups – cows with calves and young stock, in a mob grazing system over tall covers.
The new system means the cattle reach the peak of Rubers Law hill which faces north-east at a range of 1000-1400 above sea level. As a result, the cattle graze that top third of the hill twice a year both in summer and winter, with an adjoining wood for shelter. Grazing during the summer eliminates brash and encourages fresher grass to grow in time for winter again.
Herbal leys
In the summer, cows mostly graze lowground pastures comprising Hurrells Seeds herbal ley which features no fewer than 20 varieties of seed including chicory,
burnet, sheep’s parsley, timothy, festulolium, and 20% red and white clover.
Every day, a group which can contain up to 90 head are moved across pastures approximately two acres, with shied placement of a single mains powered electric wire. Water outlets are trailed behind the quad bike using drag troughs supplied through a gravity system using various tanks arranged on the hill amounting to a capacity of 100,000 litres.
The organic multi-species herbal ley composition has
a lifespan of approximately eight years which is influenced by the actual grazing system and continuous movement of stock to reduce poaching and a blanket covering of dung as opposed to concentrated areas.
Thistles and docks are no longer regarded as weeds as their long roots help to aerate the soils and above the ground, the plant is trampled by cattle. Herbal leys are grazed four times a year with three-month intervals between each session, allowing the leys to
recover and regenerate.
“Moving the cattle between the pastures every three months drastically reduces worm burdens on the pasture and has eliminated our reliance on worming treatments for the cattle,” Stuart said.
Additional hay, straw and silage is fed to the cattle during the winter. Such bales – from a single cut in June – are transported out onto the hill and fields. Most years, 450 round 5 hay bales, and 600 tonnes of pit silage is made for feeding young stock during the winter.
Calves are weaned in December, housed in strawbedded courts and fed pit silage until spring.
Hay bales are placed straight from the field into positions in winter grazing fields and on the hill to tie in so that one bale is available for each day the electric fencing is moved. Leaving the bales on the hill means any remaining hay will break down among the manure from the cattle to help nourish the higher ground which means the whole farm is gradually improving over the years.
Stuart added: “My dad and I construct bale unroller trailers for the quad that roll out bales, so all the cattle have the opportunity of grazing the bale and in turn reducing waste. It is a simple lightweight trailer that can transport the bale and unwind it aer the netting has been cut.”
The Whitriggs bale unroller won a Silver Technical Innovation Award at the Royal Highland Show last year and they have sold 28 to date.
Robert added: “The advantages of the mob grazing system highlight the time saved from the previous labour-intensive winter housing method, which saw feeding and bedding taking up to four hours each day. In comparison to 30 minutes to move the electric fences and roll a bale out.”
Stores are sold at a year old in April through a sealed bid auction organised by Farm Stock Scotland. They do however remain on farm till mid-May when they are loaded into a lorry which is weighed on a weighbridge to determine the kg of stock. Cattle are sold with an organic premium and certified Pasture for Life – meaning these animals have been raised solely o grass.
Red deer
Up to 280 acres of deer pastures are enclosed within 8 Clipex fencing which has been installed gradually over the years and includes a drive lane joining each field to the hill and handling system. They require little intervention with the young stock coming in for a single worm dose while the hinds are scanned in December.
The 330 deer are divided into two groups during calving and the rut season with groups running together as one during the rest of the year. In the winter, the deer follow a similar mob grazing policy to the cows with a strip grazing system topped with additional hay bales.
Hinds calve in June and are untouched until weaning. In winter, weaned calves have access to a shed where they are provided with pit silage fed via a mixer wagon.
Stags and hinds are out wintered on herbal leys with access to hay bales the same way the cattle are. Young calves are finished on a clover mix during summer before being sold direct to the abattoir.