QMS Better Grazing South West - Get Set for Spring – Winter Grazing Strategies

QMS is the public body responsible for promoting the Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb brands in the UK and GI labelled Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb branded products abroad, and for promoting Scottish pork products under the Specially Selected Pork logo.

Quality Meat Scotland

Get Set for Spring – Winter Grazing Strategies
Winter grazing management is about balancing feeding stock sufficiently whilst setting up pastures for spring. With forage stocks low moving into this winter, planning to maximise spring 2019 pasture whilst also looking to extend the grazing season is going to be hugely valuable to cattle and sheep producers. 
Your winter stocking rate and how you manage your pasture and crops through the autumn and into winter will dictate that early season spring grass growth. Like doing a cashflow, planning now by banking grass in the autumn and controlling ‘spend’ when there is little, or no growth can ensure there are sufficient reserves until spring brings new growth. Planning will also allow you to identify early enough if need an ‘overdraft’ of supplementary feed.
Our expert speaker is Rhidian Jones of RJ Livestock Systems Ltd. At the meeting he’ll cover:
-          Feed planning &amp; budgeting 
-          Assessing and allocating pasture/forage crops
-          Target grass height and rest periods
-          Dealing with wet weather 
-          All grass wintering
-          Use of forage crops for both cattle &amp; sheep
We’ll also visit Stuart Annand at East Kirkcarswell Farm in the afternoon to look at forage crop and some of the practicalities of managing grazing as effectively as possible over the winter.
Please remember clean kit and disinfectable footwear for the farm visit.