Agribusiness News September 2024 – Input Costs: Grazing Winter Cereals

Grazing winter cereals is not new but with a move towards greater consideration of soil health and reducing inputs, the practice is becoming more common on farms in Scotland.  The principle is simple.  In the winter when there can be limited forage, utilise early established autumn sown cereals to graze sheep.

SRUC over the last few years have looked at the crop benefits of grazing winter cereals and this year are undergoing a project to understand livestock growth when grazing these crops.

What is the nutritional value to livestock?

What are the effects on crops?

From the trials carried out the mains findings were:

• There was no clear difference in tillering, disease pressure, and weed numbers;
• Growth stages were similar between the grazed and ungrazed during the season;
• There was no statistically significant difference between the grain yield of grazed and ungrazed;
• There was a slight reduction in overall crop height in grazed relative to ungrazed.

On-farm experience has varied depending on winter weather, time of grazing, duration of grazing and grazing intensity.  However, observations have included an increase in yield, a reduction in disease pressure (no T0 fungicide required) and reduced weed pressure.

What impacts does this have on soil?

The benefits to the soil are less well defined, as in real terms the grazing periods are short and unlikely to have a benefit in the growing season (apart from some available nitrogen from the sheep urine).  In the medium to long term, the addition of organic matter and organic fertiliser through sheep faeces should stimulate soil biology and increase nutrient cycling in the soil and reduce the resilience in inorganic inputs.

Benefits for the arable farmer?

For the arable farmer there are a number of benefits: the crop can be sown earlier knowing that if it is strong going into the winter it can be controlled using grazing; an additional income can be earned through grazing a third parties’ livestock; potential reduction in fertiliser through the addition of inorganic fertiliser; reduction in fungicide spend through reduced need for a T0 spray. There is a need for fencing but in many cases, graziers are happy to erect temporary electric fencing and manage health and welfare of the livestock when they are grazing.

What are the benefits for the livestock farmer?

For the livestock there are also a number of benefits: availability of good quality grazing at a time of year when grass is less plentiful; clean grazing that is unlikely to have had stock on it for a number of years; reduce pressure on their own grazing.

david.ross@sac.co.uk