The British Grassland Society (BGS) and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) are offering farmers the opportunity to receive one-to-one guidance to improve their grazing strategy.
Farmers will receive impartial guidance and ongoing support about their grassland management from an experienced grazing mentor.
The mentors are livestock producers and grassland managers who have undergone training to help farmers set goals, plan and overcome any weaknesses to improve grassland efficiency.
Siwan Howatson, AHDB animal health and welfare senior scientist, said:
The BGS Grazing Mentors can help farmers unlock the potential of their pasture. The one-to-one guidance on their grazing strategy is specifically tailored to each farm.
“Better production and utilisation of grass and forage provides an opportunity to reduce costs and optimise profits on any livestock farm, and the key to success is to learn from other farmers’ experiences and expertise.”
New mentors
Eight new mentors joined the project this year, with a mixture of dairy, beef and sheep farmers across Britain, from Cornwall to Perthshire.
Farmers will receive two visits from their mentor, alongside conversations to help with problems and update on progress. They may also visit their mentor’s farm if appropriate.
Kenton Bennett, dairy farmer from Dorset, has had a BGS grazing mentor since May 2021 to help him get more from his grass.
He said:
We’ve learnt a lot from our grazing mentor. Although we’ve had a tough year it’s taught me to plan better for next year.
“You can take a lot of knowledge from someone that’s already been through it.”
