By kind permission of Sam & Charlotte Clarke of Manor Farm
Join AHDB and Germinal to discuss lamb production from grass leys within an arable rotation. Two different mixtures (ryegrass and clover mix and herbal ley mix) were sown in autumn 2016 in arable fields and are being grazed by ewes and lambs. Performance of the leys and the grazing stock is being monitored to enable a comparison of the mixtures.
Sam and Charlotte Clarke lamb a mix of Suffolk x mules, Texel x mules and NC mules ewes and ewe lambs. They also run a flock of dry ewe lambs on a contract for a large sheep producer as replacements. All sheep are currently lambed indoors between February and April. Sam and Charlotte take advantage of having arable farms with spring cropping nearby who grow a variety of cover crops in the autumn and winter which are grown specifically for their sheep as winter grazing. Throughout the year their sheep graze a mixture of permanent pasture (some with environmental restrictions), short term high protein leys, stubble turnips, kale and mustard/oats cover crops.
Programme
10.30 am Arrival, tea and coffee
11.00 am Introductions and plan for the day – Nerys Wright (AHDB Beef & Lamb)
11.10 am Background to the demonstrations – Sam Clarke and Helen Mathieu (Germinal)
12.00 pm Farm walk
12.45 pm Lunch
1.30 pm Why use leys in arable rotations? – Paul Hill (AHDB), Sam Clarke and Helen Mathieu
2.15 pm What we have learnt from this winter and spring – Sam Clarke and Nerys Wright
3.00 pm End
To book your FREE place please call the events hub at AHDB Beef and Lamb on 01904 771212 or email [email protected]
Venue: South Side, Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire, OX25 4RT
