Robert Craig and Mark Housby are GrassCheckGB farmers who have been nominated for the British Farming Awards Grassland Manager of the Year Award. We caught up with Robert to find out more.

Farm Facts:

County: Northumberland

Animal type & Numbers: Peepy farm currently carries 500 mainly Irish & NZ cows with some Kiwi cross but all from Grazing genetics. In addition to the milking herd we also have approx 200 dairy young-stock. Roughly 50% of the herd calves in February & March with the remainder calving in September and October

Land area: The main farm is just over 500 acres of grazable land with an additional 130 acres of grassland directly adjacent to the main holding.

How do you manage your grass?

We aim to graze for as many days of the year as we can. Turnout is early, from late January or early Feb with the spring calving cows grazing right through until they are dried off around mid to late December. The autumn block is grazed by day only from calving until late October or early November then fully housed until turnout in January.

How has GrassCheckGB helped you with your grassland management decisions?

Being involved in GrassCheckGB has helped us gauge our grass growth and soil moisture levels. Measuring and recording our rainfall gives us a useful indication into what we can expect from future growth rates meaning better planning for supplementary feeding. 

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to improve their grassland management?

If you’re serious about making better use of grazed grass it is essential measuring and allocating grass on a daily basis is part of your management routine. Getting a clear understanding of growth rates, pasture cover and grazing residuals will help fine tune management decisions and increase the efficient use of grass and fertiliser.

Take a look at the data on the farm: grasscheckgb.co.uk