GC123 – Lisa & Stephen Hardwick Stephen Hardwick, Upper Talcoed, Llandrindod Wells, Powys. Stephen farms a total of 130 hectares, keeping 31 beef cows and 700 breeding ewes. Being a beef and sheep farmer grass has always been important to their system, but only after attending Farming Connect Grassmaster group did they realise quite how much could be achieved from forage. Since then, from grazing management and cutting younger better-quality silage, Stephen has managed to cut his concentrate feeding by around 60% for ewes at lambing and almost eliminated it for cattle, although finishing lambs still takes some concentrates. They have cut artificial fertiliser by around 50% whilst slightly increasing livestock numbers. Stephen believes with more information they can hopefully achieve their goal of being completely forage based.

GC124 David Thomas David Thomas, Penwern, Brecon, Powys. Penwern is 120 hectares in size and is home to 460 breeding ewes and 65 spring calving beef cows. David grows fodder beat, swedes, and cereals to finish his lambs and grazing for breeding stock through winter months. David has been developing a sheep system with low /zero concentrate inputs to ewes and the finishing of lambs from rotationally grazed clover lays. The suckler herd is spring calving to match stock demands with seasonal grass growth. David is keen to learn how he can continue to use and manage grass to reduce soil erosion risk to water courses and improve infiltration rates.

GC125 Gwion Parry Gwion Parry, Bodgaeaf Isaf, Pwllheli, Gwynedd. Alongside a role off Farm, Gwion works with his father, Trefor, on the home farm on the Llyn Peninsula. Together they farm 148 hectares, keeping 120 spring calving stabiliser cows and 450 breeding ewes. Farming on the Llyn Peninsula means they boast one of the best grass growing climates in the UK. Winter grass growth allows them to start lambing in January and the ewes being turned out to high protein, high sugar grasses contributing to their target of selling fat lambs at 40kgs+ from mid-April onwards to Pilgrims UK. They also run a Stabiliser beef herd which are notoriously effective in converting forage. As a result, they do not supplement feed the cattle, as the grass is sufficient to manage BCS, maintain fertility and support calf growth and development. 

GC126 Chris Morgan Chris Morgan and his family run an organic beef and sheep farm near Cwmbran in South Wales running from 400 to 900 feet overlooking the Bristol Channel Estuary. A flock of Easycare x Exlana sheep lamb indoors in March/April. The 30 Angus X shorthorn cows calve in spring and are very much work in progress’ with plans to increase to up to 50 cows until an optimum stocking rate is achieved. Although winter housed, the aim is to extend the grazing season including using bale grazing to manage forage supplies. The stock is mixed grazed for most of the season and moved in 2 or 3 day shifts using the many hedges and electric fences to create paddocks Other enterprises integrated into the beef and sheep include a 5MW solar array and food forest planted within the grassland on the contours of the fields. ‘’I want to improve performance and the quality of the soil and our produce and to manage my grazing better’’

GC127 Bryn and Sarah have recently taken on this 534 hectare hill and upland farm in North Wales which runs from 700 to 2000 feet having moved from a smaller lowland unit in Monmouth. An all enclosed hill, the farm has been managed under Agri environmental schemes including Glastir for a number of years. There is a flock of 1000 pure Welsh hill ewes are currently run alongside a flock of 150 lowland ewes. The aim is to finish lambs of grass where possible. Some stores are sold other lambs are finished indoors. The 30 cow suckler herd is made up of spring and autumn calving Welsh Black X Simmentals with youngstock sold as stores. The sheep and beef systems are under review to ensure the utilization of the grassland is optimized through grazing management, and through sward improvement as appropriate, across the in bye land. A combination of natural boundaries including a network of traditional stone walls and fencing where needed, will be used to manage grazing and record yield and…

GC121 Dewi and Ifan Davies, Penlan Llanrhystud. Alongside roles off farm, the brothers and their family run this coastal holding to produce quality finished lamb. The south facing land has shallow soils that can present challenges for grass growth in dry summer months. The grazing platform of 35ha is rotationally grazed with a flock of 250 mixed lowland crossbred ewes and lambs which are sold largely finished on deadweight basis from mid June.. .Maximising grass growth utilization is a key goal for the farm . They pay close attention to soil nutrients and to mixtures used for any reseeding of underperforming fields in order to take account of the soil type and grazing needs. Integrating grazed forage crops into their lamb production system is key to managing forage supply all year around on this farm.

GC120 Beef & Sheep, Leyburn, North Yorkshire

GC114 George Ellis, Middle Farm, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire A partnership with my mother on a mixed sheep, beef and arable farm of 300 acres near Cheltenham. Running 100 ewes and 200 ewe lambs rotationally grazed on 80 acres of grass. Currently expanding the flock, starting a dairy X rearing enterprise and putting more grassland into the arable rotation. Beef & Sheep, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire

GC109 Rhys Jones, Potterston farm, Dalrymple, Ayr, East Ayrshire The farm is 202ha owned. Rhys and his family run a herd of around 50 spring calving suckler cows alongside a 700 ewe flock of New Zealand Romney sheep. Very much a work in progress, the farm is building livestock numbers and developing a system and breedtypes to suit the land and labour available. Focussed on reducing costs and maintaining output, managing grazed grass efficiently is a key objective set by Rhys with an aim also to improve soil health and structure. Rhys Jones

GC103 Beef & Sheep, Hawick, Scottish Borders

GC102 Jonathan Chapman, Hele Barton farm near Bude, Cornwall. 200ha grass farm with 200 pedigree angus suckler cows. Taking all animals through to finish or selling bulls under the Atlantic Angus prefix. Rotationally grazing diverse swards on a heavy, clay farm in a good grass growing area. Jonathon Chapman

GC104 Jock Gibson, Edinvale Farms, Dallas, Moray Edinvale Farms is a partnership between Jock & Fiona Gibson. Together they farm a suckler herd of 80 Highland and Shorthorn Cross Cows with all offspring being finished for their Butchers Shop Macbeth. There is also a small flock of Herdwick sheep. This is on a 40ha block with another 70ha of seasonally let ground. They operate a paddock system and all stock are reared on grass and forage; no concentrate feed is used and the farm is Pasture for Life Certified.

GC110 Richard Rees, Penmaen Bach, Machynlleth, Powys Penmaen Bach covers 60ha with 30ha rough grazing. Huw Llyr and Richard Rees run a flying flock of 400 aberfield cross ewes to abermax rams. They are aiming to finish all lambs off grass on a rotational grazing system incorporating chicory and Lucerne. The farm is trying to keep costs as low as possible by emphasising grass production and root crop use for wintering.

GC105 Lyon, David and Liz Craigie, Whiteley, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire Lyon and Chris, David and Liz Craigie farm in partnership at Whiteley, Aberdeenshire. A 480 acre mixed farm supporting 90 Aberdeen Angus suckler cows and followers, and 300 Highlander breeding ewes with 330 acres of arable. Short term grass leys are incorporated as part of an 11 year rotation, these are managed on a paddock grazing system. Long term leys are more traditionally stocked and also used within some equine diversification.

GC107 Jason & Vic Ballantyne, Clynelish Farm, Brora, Sutherland Clynelish is a 125 ha tenanted cattle & sheep farm with 80 suckler cows calving over 8 weeks from late April, and 150 forward store calves. There are also 550 crossbred ewes lambing outdoors from late April. An additional 50 ha is contracted and runs 200 ewes. The farm has been operating a rotational grazing system for several years now, with the whole farm sub-divided with electric fencing. 

GC66 Duncan Nelless, Thistleyhaugh Farm, Northumberland Thistleyhaugh is a 540 ha organic family farm situated in the Coquet valley and has been in the family for over 100 years. The farm is now managed by Duncan Nelless and his brother Angus. They run a herd of 160 organic Aberdeen Angus and Hereford suckler cows along with a flock of 2000 lleyn ewes. Both are based on producing beef and lamb from pasture alone.

GC54, Jimi Collis Launceston Farm, Dorset A 325ha organic farm near Blanford Forum, Dorset with 50% of the farm dedicated to arable production. The farm hosts 180 spring block and 90 autumn block calving Aberdeen Angus cows crossed to Limousin and Simmental.

GC51 North Wyke Research Farm, Rothamsted Research, Devon The North Wyke site hosts a 350ha beef and sheep farm and is home to the North Wyke Farm Platform National Capability. The farm aims to demonstrate the true impact and value of ruminant livestock systems through improvement in efficiencies of pasture-fed livestock whilst reducing environmental impact.

GC75 Rhys Edwards, Hendre Ifan Goch Farm, A 250 acre hill farm in Bridgend, South Wales, running 600 mule ewes and finishing lambs on a rotational grazing system. The farm averages over 2m of rainfall annually, ranging from 600 to 1350 a.s.l. Rhys, who farms in partnership with his father Russell, uses EID recording with regular weight gains monitored throughout the year.

GC80 Sian and Llion Anwyl, Moelogan Fawr The family farm supports a herd of 120 stabiliser cows and 1200 ewes which are a mix of 400 mules and 800 crossbreds. All lambs are finished off grass and most male cattle finished as bull beef with the rest sold as breeding stock.

GC84 Matthew Venables, Bryn Celli Du, Anglesey The 270ha farm is home to 1000 NZ Friesian crossbred cows in a spring block calving system. The farm has a strong focus on maximising use of grazed forage and outwinters on forage crops during the dry period.

GC81 Aled Evans, Rest Farm, Carmarthen Rest Farm is a beef rearing and finishing unit with a key focus on production from pasture. The farm also runs a breeding lock with additional store lambs finished from grass.

GC76 Alwyn Phillips, Penygelli, Caernarfon A sandy-loam farm which is home to 200 purebred texels, 200 polled dorsets and a 20 cow suckler herd. Daily paddock grazing and mobile weighing apparatus are employed to maximise lamb live weight gain from pasture.

GC83 Marc Jones, Trefnant Hall Farm, Welshpool A 200ha beef and sheep farm on the Powis Estate, run by Marc in partnership with his parents David and Jane. The farm is south facing with shallow soils overlying shale rock. 500 Romney sheep lamb in April alongside 400 Angus dairy beef. Beef are purchased at 3 weeks of age and finished at 22 months. 20ha of fodder beet supports cattle and sheep during the winter months.

GC63, Sam Newington, Burgham Farm, East Sussex Sam farms 90ha of organic grassland near Etchingham, East Sussex. The farm hosts 200 beef cattle and operates a 70ha in a Higher Land Stewardship scheme.

GC94 Dane Davidson, Brogan Farms, Aberdeenshire Dane and Gail farm in partnership with Tanya and Raymond Davidson near Ellon, Scotland. The farm is home to 2800 NZ x Texel X Aberfield ewes and 1100 hoggets with 300 store cattle grazed over the summer months. The farm is located 200ft a.s.l. and has a mix of sandy and heavy clay soils.

GC89 Giles Henry, Oakwood Mill, Borders Giles and Alison run a 110 ha upland farm ranging from 450 – 800ft a.s.l. on free-draining, sandy-loam soils. The farms has 65 purebred Luing cows with steers taken to finishing. Heifers are kept for replacement or sold. The farm also has a joint venture finishing for another organic producer.

GC90 Michael Shannon, Thankerton Camp, Mid-Lothian Thankerton farm is a 100ha sheep and beef farm. The farm finishes mainly Aberdeen Angus beef using only forage on a rotational grazing system, no concentrate feeding is used. The farm sells its own beef and lamb through its own shop and online.

GC92 John Ritchie, Montalt Farm, Perthshire John, Alix and father, George, farm 250 hectares on an upland farm near Perth. The farm is located 1000ft a.s.l. with 75 Saler cows with stock sold as store or breeding heifers. The farm also lambs 750 ewes and run a rotational grazing system.

GC135 - Ian Farrant We farm around 500 acres as part of a larger family partnership. We rear, grow and finish around 600 dairy cross calves a year, on a grazing, high quality forage-based system. We rotationally graze youngstock in mobs of 100-150, on a range of perm pasture, herbal leys and clover/ryegrass mixes.

GC134 James Yeomans 270Ha grass farm milking 620 cows across two herds, block calving in spring and autumn. Youngstock are also reared on farm, and winter forage growing on local rented ground. The farm is contract managed, focusing on low input and high grass utilisation.

GC130 Tracey and Will Langton Tracey and Will Langton are mother and son, 3rd and 4th generation dairy farmers. The farm is situated in Derbyshire and consists of 70 hectares of grassland. This is home to the Locklan herd of pedigree Holstein Friesians which are milked twice a day and rotationally grazed. They also have a beef store enterprise running alongside the dairy herd with their own pedigree Aberdeen Angus bull. The herd is closed and all field work is done in house. They are in HLS, SFI pilot and SFI23.

GC129 Amy Eggleston Amy Eggleston, Bridge Farm, works alongside her brother and father on their family farm near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. The family run a NZ style grazing system, calving their 600-cow herd in the spring. The farmland is a medium loam over heavy clay which they aim to graze from late February to November. The cows predominantly run as one herd, only occasionally being split for grazing to suit different paddock sizes. 

GC128 Joey Malone Arbigland Farm comprises 260ha and is situated on the Soloway Coast south of Dumfries. It milks 700 Spring calving crossbred cows on a low input system while also rearing all its own youngstock in house. The farm is a recent conversion from mixed farming to rotationally grazed grass and has seen grass yields increase from 11T DM/ha to 13.3T DM/ha in three years. The farm is part of the Farming Partners network and focuses on Cows, Grass & People.

GC122 Dairy, Swindon, Wiltshire

GC119 Simon Leverett, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire Since 2021 Simon and his family have put a herd of 150 mainly jersey cross cows and followers on their newly acquired Sir Gar council holding, with approximately 150 acres in one block but limited cow accommodation and facilities. They started milking June 21 and in the autumn made the decision to move to just 3 milkings in 2 days. So far this has been successful and they are aiming to continue this strategy throughout the year. Currently calving from mid-April through to October with the plan to reduce this over the next few seasons. 

GC118 Dairy, Castle Cary, Somerset

GC98 Andrew and Kirstie Baird, Auchnotoch Farm, Mid-Lothian The father-daughter partnership manages a 190 cow, autumn calving herd near Lanark, Scotland. The farm take four cuts of silage and paddock graze throughout the summer to maximise output from home grown forage.

GC97 Robert Drummond, Osliebrae, Ayrshire Robert farms 70ha of grassland near Stewarton, Ayrshire. The organic farm is home to 60 mainly Ayrshire cows and followers.

GC73 David, Heulwen and Rhys Davies, Moor Farm, Flintshire David, Heulwen and son Rhys farm 65ha on clay and clay-loam soils near Holywell, Wales. The farm hosts 100 Holstein Friesian spring-calving cows, which start calving on the 1st March, and 60 followers. The farm has been measuring grass for over 15 years.

GC71 Gordon, Margaret and James Tweedie, South Dyke Farm, Cumbria Gordon, Margaret and son James Tweedie milk 330 spring block calving New Zealand bred pure Friesian and Jersey cows in Eden Valley, Penrith, Cumbria. The farm has a 120ha grazing platform with support ground for Youngstock. The farm is mainly free-draining sandy soils with approximately 900mm of rainfall annually. The farm also rears 60 bulls each year for breeding and 80 beef cattle, employing 2 full time staff.

GC70 Mark Housby and Robert Craig, Peepy Farm, Northumberland. Peepy farm is a 200ha farm based on good quality medium loam soil near Stocksfield, Northumberland. The farm is at the beginning of a 15 year tenancy and hosts a 450 split block calving herd, rotationally grazed in paddocks for 9 – 10 months each year. 

GC52 Tom Coast-Brown and Jim Waterhouse, Fourth Milestone Farm, Yorkshire. Tom Coast-Brown with Jim and Nicola Waterhouse near York. The farm operates a 380 cow spring calving herd with 200 followers. Located on sandy soils the farm has an extended grazing season and grazes fodder beet during the winter months.

GC62 Nick Hewens, Broomsgrowe Farm, Wiltshire. Nick and Catherine Hewens work in partnership with Terry and Sara Cooper (herd manager and assistant herd managers). The team run a herd of 120 Holstein Friesian cows on free-draining sandy soils.

GC86 Sion and John Hughes, Ynysgain Fawr, Gwynedd The father and son partnership run a 150 cow high yielding herd with followers. The herd is all year round calving with 70% of animals calving down in the autumn. Low yielding cows are rotationally grazed during the summer whilst high yielding cows are housed and supported by high quality silage.

GC59 Andrew Brewer, Ennis Barton, Cornwall The farm is home to a 650 autumn block calving herd based in mid Cornwall. The farm focus heavily on grazing and is based on silty clay loams overlying varying subsoils from shale to clay.

GC57 Lewis Kellaway, Middle Farm, Somerset Lewis farms in partnership with his father Greg, managing two organic dairy farms. Lewis farms 150 cows nears Sparkford in Somerset with a key focus on milk quality.

GC55 Jacqui Browne, Pomeroy Farm, Wiltshire Pomeroy Farm is a family farm with two milking units totalling 750 dairy cows. The herd is all year round calving with grazing Holstein cows on sandy loam soils.