GrassCheckGB enhances regenerative dairy practices at Crowfields Farm

Will Langton, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, manages Crowfields Farm in Derbyshire alongside his mother. The farm spans 150 acres, with some fields bordering Nottinghamshire.

Crowfields Farm comprises three distinct land blocks, with 120 acres under a Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreement and the remaining 30 acres in Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) and Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) schemes.

The farm plans to transition these 30 acres to SFI and Countryside Stewardship (CS) Plus schemes.

The farmyard sits at an elevation of 83 metres, with similar altitudes across the land parcels.

The farm's soil, a clay-loam mix, is challenging due to its previous use as opencast mining land.

Heavy rainfall worsens these challenges, leading to waterlogging and poaching during the grazing season.

Recent winters have been particularly wet, submerging low-lying areas near the River Erewash.

While the farm is entirely owned, it also has a grazing license to conservation graze some land bordering the farm, which is owned and managed by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

Crowfields Farm operates a closed dairy herd with 50 cows, mainly pedigree Holstein Friesians and recent additions of Jersey and Norwegian Red breeds.

The farm also raises beef youngstock from a pedigree Aberdeen Angus bull, selling them at the local market.

A key goal is to produce milk from forage and reduce input costs per litre of milk produced.

The farm operates both spring and autumn block calving, focusing on improving genetics through genomic testing.

Traditionally the farm has been a fully grass-based system and only recently started to enhance the grazing system with herbs and legumes.

The reseeding programme aims to increase grassland yield per hectare, incorporating red and white clover to reduce nitrate fertiliser use while maintaining higher tonnage.

Grazing is challenging during the late autumn and early spring months due to the soil type.

This spring, cattle tracks and permanent electric fencing have allowed rotational grazing of paddocks, extending the grazing season.

Additional work is scheduled throughout the year, funded by the Countryside Stewardship capital grant with support from the Catchment Sensitive Farming Team.

Grazing is also challenging during summer when extended dry periods stunt grass growth and reduce quality.

The introduction of herbal leys has built resilience against dry weather and reduced the need to buffer feed cattle with winter forage.

The introduction of a paddock grazing system was driven by the farm's milk buyer, First Milk, which advocates for regenerative farming.

This system increases the grazing season, improves soil health and optimises grass utilisation.

The opportunity to join GrassCheckGB came at the perfect time, aligning with their plans for better grazing management.

Incorporating grass sampling and measuring into our farming system was easy, as it coincides with fetching the cows.

Rotational grazing benefits the soil by allowing roots to grow deeper, which is especially important with herbal leys that benefit from longer rest periods.

As cows rotationally graze, they spread manure across the whole field and improve the nutrient cycling on the farm.

The information from grass sampling has been beneficial, directing us to which paddocks to graze next and which to shut off and mow for extra winter forage.

This increased knowledge has guided better management decisions. Grass sampling has provided insights into the quality of different swards, helping us determine what works best for our system.

Comparing grass quality through different growth stages and between paddocks has allowed us to target grazing more effectively and identify fields needing reseeding or added nutrients.

Having the weather station on the farm has been a huge bonus.

We know exactly what rainfall we have had and the soil temperature and moisture levels, which has been beneficial for guiding land management decisions, such as reseeding timings.

Will and his team are keen to continue with GrassCheckGB, seeking further training to maximise the benefits of Agrinet software and the data collected.

This continued partnership aims to refine their grazing management and enhance overall farm performance.