The results are in – There will be sheep everywhere!! – Steph Emmerson (Chippenham)

Last month you may recall I wrote an article about a trial being run on a friends’ farm in the Cotswolds. The trial looked at two almost identical fields growing Winter Triticale. One field was farmed conventionally, the other field had sheep grazing triticale over the winter months. The aim of this trial was to see if by grazing the early growth would help remove disease and regulate growth patterns to reduce using artificial chemicals.

The Winter Triticale was successfully harvested on the 4^th August and I can confirm that Ed was very pleased with the final results. There was an increase in yield and a reduction of herbicide use and growth regulator increasing his gross margin overall. When I asked Ed if he will be doing it again, he said ‘Yes, there will be sheep everywhere!’

So, what can we learn from this?

 (1) Sheep can help arable farmers improve soil structure and fertility as well as reduce weed burden without excessive chemical use.

(2) The manure improves the soil health and nutrient status meaning less need for artificial fertiliser.

(3) The following crop can be planted earlier which reduces the workload across the season.

Are there opportunities for you to work with your local sheep farmer to optimise your arable crop yields with less inputs?  For more information on improving your soil health and business profitability contact Steph at stephemmerson@fcgagric.com or your local FCG Office.