Research at IGER Bronydd Mawr

Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) Hill and upland farming: Utilises 42% of UK agricultural land Carries >60% of UK breeding cattle and sheep Upland systems: Complex and diverse Difficult to isolate components Issues of scale Multiple goals

PE P E -Production-orientated goals -Maximising profit while minimising environmental impact -High level of sward management - Integration improved pasture & SNRG - Improved nutrient use efficiency - Systems to develop biodiverse leys - Habitat restoration The challenge

Improved pasture Efficient use of improved pastures, which account for 85% of output, is vital for sustaining upland agriculture

Semi-natural rough grazing Accounts for 67 % of LFA land Viable livestock farming holds the key to the conservation of landscape and wildlife Need to exploit the dietary preferences of different types of animal

Research for LFAs Improved pasture - specialist crops - legume breeding - extensification experiment Semi-natural rough grazing (SNRG) - Molinia-dominant grassland - heather moorland (BD1228) Integration - systems studies

Improved pastureSNRG Integrated systems

Management of upland sheep systems Genotype x pasture type interactions Mixed vs. sequential grazing Previous work

Experimental systems testing: Does co-species grazing of cattle and sheep lead to improved efficiency of production? – complementary use of areas within pasture – increased availability of preferred species – reduced parasite burdens Is the complementarity of cattle and sheep grazing reduced as the ratio of sheep:cattle is increased? – grazing becomes competitive

Can cattle temporarily graze SNRG for environmental gain without compromising productivity? – selective grazing – interactions with improved pasture utilisation Is the impact of grazing by ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ breeds different? – body size and differences in productivity – nutrient use efficiency Experimental systems testing:

Production response Liveweight gain Finish and carcass quality Fertility Herbage mass & composition Silage yield and quality Inputs

Environmental impact Sward structure Botanical composition Butterflies Birds Parasites Pathogens

Opportunities Soil biodiversity & structure Water quality Nutrient flows Other biodiversity indicators Climate change

Knowledge transfer Farming Connect Demonstration Farm FWAG Demonstration Farm LEAF Innovation Centre Training site for CCW, Coleg Powys

The IGER Upland Research Centre works in partnership with: