Diverse range of crops and herbal leys make for happier cows

A DORSET beef farmer has embraced the use of innovative techniques as part of his efforts to encourage more diversity, benefiting both animal and soil health, writes Charlotte Penketh-King.

George Hosford started introducing herbal leys onto his farm near Blandford Forum five years ago, giving his 70-head of cattle greater variety on what they could graze and improving the health of his soil.

Most of the sowing on the 800 hectares of farmland is till sowing so that the soil is disturbed as little as possible, and George covers bare land with crops to protect his soil from harsh weather conditions.

George’s ‘cover crop’ mix features at least 10 species from different plants which all have different growth habits, rooting mechanisms and nutrients they can scavenge from the soil.

“The plants all have a different microbiology in and amongst their roots in the soil,” he explains. “You’re bringing diversity into the soil rather than, for instance, if it’s been a single wheat crop all season.

“Nature prefers diversity so we’re bringing a diverse collection of species into the soil to encourage a more diverse biology which is good for the soil and helps it to be healthier and grow better crops in the future.

“We try to keep the soil covered and protect it from harsh rainfall and baking sunshine so that’s why we have crops in the ground for as much of the year as we can, either crops that we’re going to harvest or cover crops.

“We have managed to grow a good cover crop this year because we’ve had a good moist autumn and now we are using some it to feed our animals during the winter.”

These elements of regenerative farming don’t just benefit the health of the soil on George’s farm but also enrich the lives of his cows who graze on the different species in the cover crops and the herbal leys.

In winter, the cows are moved to a different section of the cover crop every day where they graze a third, trample a third - encouraging it to rot down and feed the bacteria in the soil - and leave a third which will continue to grow for the rest of the winter.

In summer they do the same routine but in the 20 hectares of herbal leys on a 40-day rotation, and George believes the diversity of their eating habits makes the cows healthier and happier.

He says: “With the cover crop, the animals make it a bit muddy when they are outside on a very wet day, but because we move them on every day, they’re not treading the same bit of ground for more than a day at a time and it can recover quite quickly.

“The cows don’t tread the herbal leys too badly if it’s wet weather and the action of the grazing encourages the plants to grow more.

“Some of the plants that we are growing in the herbal leys, like the sandpoint and the chicory, have got properties that can help the animals to fight off parasitic worms as well.

“The cows get much more variety and can choose what they want to eat as there are lots of species for them to choose from rather than just getting boring old grass from hedge to hedge. If one cow likes eating the sandpoint flowers, she can, and if another likes eating clover leaves, she can.”

He added: “Hopefully, that means the cows are happier and they thrive and produce more milk for their calves who will then feed better and grow faster.”