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 quality across the GrasscheckGB project.

‘’Data is really useful and will help to target fields in need of improvement and to understand growth patterns across in the farm so we can manage grazing more efficiently through the year’’ Matching grass growth to demand is a balancing act on the farm there is a limited area which can be mown for winter forage so keeping winter demand low is essential.