Caring Pasture Based Dairy Farmers Encourage Biodiversity

Biodiversity on pasture based dairy farms is seriously important. If dairyfarmers are seen by the public to be caring for the environment & making a special effort to protect the biodiversity, this too is a major PR with our consumers. There are very strong arguments for farmers to protect biodiversity as well as enjoying it for its own sake. The farms are both our homes & our work places.

Ben & Jerry the ice cream makers have established the “Caring Dairy” Program with Sustainable Indicators. Most pasture based dairyfarmers would embrace this program & agree fully with the targets.
Sustainability Indicators: measuring sustainability performance

“Caring Dairy” has developed 11 sustainability indicators. For each indicator, measurement points or parameters have been defined that enable actual performance measurement. Each Caring Dairy farmer determines the focus of his improvement plan based on the farm situation – such as soil type, land division situation, farm strategy – and personal priorities. http://www.benjerry.co.uk/caringdairy/11indicators.php  
 Biodiversity
Agriculture has shaped most ecosystems in the world, and biodiversity can be improved or reduced by agricultural practices. Some biodiversity is highly beneficial for agriculture. Sustainable practices can improve biodiversity - by `greening the edges' of the field.
Examples of parameters:
1) Level of biodiversity on site: number of species (e.g., birds, butterflies) and varieties (e.g. grass); farm landscape; habitat for natural predator systems (e.g., hedgerows, ponds, non-cropped areas)
2) Level of biodiversity off-site: cross-boundary effects.

Apart from its intrinsic value, biodiversity has a function in a number of ecological processes highly relevant for food production. These `life support functions' of biodiversity include the soil nutrient cycles & regulation of pests by means of biological control. Agrotechnology has broadly increased the independence of these functions at the cost of high inputs of fossil fuel, artificial fertilisers and pesticides. The concept of `sustainable' agriculture aims to re-establish equilibrium: life support functions and technology should be farm attributes of equal importance. Here, the integration of farming and nature comes into play.
Australian studies in Gippsland, Victoria have shown that: - Sheltered pastures lose 12 mm of water less than open pastures during the spring growing season. Sheltered areas have increases up to 17% (estimated) in dairy milk production and 20% (estimated) in average annual pasture growth for meat producers.

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/wgregn.nsf/pages/wg_lwm_biodiversity_farms
As well as having a high-tech context, pasture based dairy farming needs to embrace a keen understanding and use of ecological patterns and processes and a tolerant attitude towards nature elements on the farm: managing biodiversity is the starting point for ecologising agriculture. The dairy farm at Wageningen University in The Netherlands has been a leader in this field of dairying being a holistic approach. http://www.carmelacanzonieri.com/6321/readings/agriculture/Smediing-landsc%20ecol%20farm%20planning.pdf

Sustainable dairy farming is protecting and improving the natural environment, animal welfare, and conditions of the local communities, while at the same time being productive and efficient.
http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/24234/1/cp05va03.pdf
• Producing milk with a high nutritional quality to meet existing and future needs, while keeping resource inputs as low as possible.
• Ensuring that any adverse effects on soil fertility, water and air quality, landscape and
biodiversity from dairy farming activities are minimised and positive contributions are made
where possible.
• Optimising the use of renewable resources while minimising the use of non-renewable
resources.
• Sustainable dairy farming should enable local communities to protect and improve
their well-being and environments.
• Sustainable dairy farming should ensure an optimal well-being of the animals (cows).

Profitable pasture based dairyfarmers need to show the world that they care for their environment & that they want to encourage biodiversity.
Unprofitable dairyfarmers are not in that position. Quote:- "If you are in the Red its very hard to be Green"
Current UK Pasture Measurements
Pasture growth still very variable dependant on rain. You have either had it or still waiting for it!
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
Scotland, South Ayrshire, Average Farm Cover 2420, Pasture growth rates this week 91kgsDM/ha/day
North Wales, 2220, gr 70.
North Wales, 2070, gr 70, just enough rain at right time
Cheshire org, 2000, gr 25, 42 day rotation, no rain, feeding silage & cake
Staffordshire, 2220, gr 10
Staffordshire, 2100, gr25 burning up fast need lots of rain
East Staffordshire, 2000, zero growth NO RAIN
Shropshire, AFC 1947, growth 15
Derbyshire, 2157, gr16 feeding cake & wholecrop, 5mm rain
Nottingham, 1800, zero growth, demand 69, going backwards soils very dry
Herefordshire org, 2000, gr 20 very dry missing rain
Herefordshire org, 2213, gr 37 demand 33, getting dry
Herefordshire org, 2090, gr39 demand 40
Gloucestershire, gr 42 down 25kgs on week very dry until 16mm rain
Oxfordshire, 2100, gr 29, de 25 15mm rain expecting lift in growth
Somerset org, 2470, growth 51 great growth plenty of rain
Dorset, 2000, gr 30, plenty of rain yesterday
SW Wales, 2170, growth 75
East Sussex, 2100, gr 30, cows dry, 25mm rain yesterday
Cornwall, 2610, gr58, taking silage out to lower AFC 2450
Northern Germany organic, AFC 2130, growth 49, 23 day rotation Wet & Warm!

Cidre Trees, Windbreaks & Landcare. We Need to Get Involved & Rethink

I don't think UK farmers are planting enough new trees on their farms. On a recent UK “Pasture to Profit” discussion group study tour of Brittany with a group of pasture based dairy farmers I could help but be impressed with the relatively new Tree rows or farm hedges that some of the pasture based dairy farmers in Brittany were planting. They are quite different from what is commonly seen on English farms. The hedges consist of a number of different trees but also included both flowering scrubs & even fruit trees. These new & very attractive farm hedges/windbreaks were taller & more open than most hedges in the UK.

They were more effective windbreaks, less annual work to manage & aesthetically very attractive.

Do we have enough trees on our UK pasture based dairy farms? Are our hedges very effective? Is there an opportunity here to add to the biodiversity on our farms?

The answer I think is NO, NO & YES.

I’m not suggesting the traditional hedges be ripped out as they are an important part of the UK agricultural landscape & this working industrial landscape is hugely important to our heritage & the tourism industry.

However compared to other agricultural nations the present farmers are planting very few new trees. I think this is both a problem & a lost opportunity. Take the Landcare movement in Australia for example. Most Australian farmers belong to their local Landcare group & most Australian farmers are actively planting thousands of trees. We should be doing this here in the UK. Why don’t we start a Landcare UK group in every rural district in the country? Pasture based dairy farmers could lead these groups to make sure they were effective & productive groups.  http://www.landcareonline.com.au/

On of the on farm features in Brittany are the trees & scrubs planted into an earthen wall called a "Talus".
The planted talus--a steep earth berm (an earthen mound often between a road/track & a drain), planted with beeches, oaks, or hornbeam--was traditionally created to delimit the boundaries of farms in both Brittany & Normandy.
http://www.frenchgardening.com/aujardin.html?pid=1213276841541215
That's why, if you drive the country roads of the region, you often find your path "sunken" between two steep berms crowned with magnificent beech trees and flanked with a thick tapestry of ferns, vines, and wildflowers. The durability and beauty of this peculiar landscape feature has prompted me to reflect on its use in the UK as a farm shelter hedge. In many ways it is very similar to the hedge rows of Devon & Cornwall that are built on top of an earth mound between the road/tracks & a drain on the farm side of the hedge. These farm hedges in Devon & Cornwall are not recent structures but have been built generations ago.
The talus consists of a packed earth berm say a 1-1.5metres high, half a metre wide at the top, and with sides sloping at a steep angle of 60 degrees. The top of the talus is planted with closely spaced trees in a single row or--more frequently--in an offset double row. The trees are set on approximately 4-foot centres. I know this may seem like impossibly close spacing, but such close planting is integral to the success of the talus, ensuring that a dense network of roots retains the soil of the berm. And believe me, it works. Many examples of talus hundreds of years old, crowned with magnificent towering beeches, bear testament to the validity of these living architectural farm structures & why there has been a recent surge in their use on dairy farms in Brittany. A new generation of pasture based dairy farmers who are not only very conscious of the beauty of their environment but who are keen to increase the biodiversity of their farms, are leading the charge.

The advantages of a talus are that it alone provides shelter for live stock especially calves, there is very good drainage for the trees & scrubs & the bulk of the talus is top soil so it’s an ideal medium to establish trees & a farm hedge.
Effectiveness of Windbreaks & Hedges.

Windbreaks are designed to break up the wind energy/power to provide a more pleasant environment for pastures & livestock on dairy farms. Historically hedges determined farm & field boundaries but today they provide shelter of a sort to livestock especially young calves & milking cows. Are they very effective at providing shelter….probably NOT. There are two major limitations, firstly height & secondly they tend to be near solid structures (density greater than 80%) so they change the dynamics of the wind but do little to provide shelter. In fact they probably increase the wind speed over and around the hedge.

As wind blows against a windbreak, air pressure builds up on the windward side (the side towards the wind), and large quantities of air move up and over the top or around the ends of the windbreak. Windbreak structure -- height, density, number of rows, species composition, length, orientation, and continuity -- determines the effectiveness of a windbreak in reducing wind speed and altering the microclimate. Windbreak structure -- height, density, number of rows, species composition, length, orientation, and continuity -- determines the effectiveness of a windbreak in reducing wind speed and altering the microclimate. Height is a very important factor in the effectiveness of a windbreak/hedge. On the windward side of a windbreak, wind speed reductions are measurable upwind for a distance of 2 to 5 times the height of the windbreak (2H to 5H). On the leeward side (the side away from the wind), wind speed reductions occur up to 30H downwind of the barrier. However this is influenced by the density. So a density of 40-60% is the most effective at providing downwind area of protection. A density under 20% is ineffective & as already discussed over 80% is a problem. The link between effective windbreaks & pasture growth is well established as it influences temperature. The calves do much better in a well protected environment.
 If you want to read an excellent guide to windbreak effectiveness I suggest you read this article from Penn State University http://extension.psu.edu/plasticulture/production-details/windbreaks  

The more species of trees & scrubs in a hedge/windbreak the better as it influences the height & the density. This allows you to add biodiversity to your farm & include flowering species to help our friends the honey bees. I was impressed in Brittany to see flowering scrubs like Hypericum (the yellow flowering scrub in the photos), Buddleja, Rhododendron, Ferns as well as Heritage apple trees.  Why not add apple trees for example that have flowers & fruit that can be harvested….cider is a very nice drop on a hot day & very traditional.

So our traditional hedges in the UK may not be very effective at either providing shelter, windbreaks or adding greatly to the biodiversity on our pasture based dairy farms. This in my view creates an opportunity & the French examples are excellent. Tree rows with many different species of both local trees & flowering scrubs. There is an opportunity begging to grow more cider apple trees as well.

I think the existing pasture groups should be initiating Landcare groups in their local community & taking a positive lead which could have massive genuine PR value in the rural & city population of the UK.
My thanks to my Breton friends Andre, Alain, Yvon & Jean Herve
Current UK Pasture Measurements
Pasture growth across the UK has generally improved if you have had rain but in the Midlands growth still very slow & soils still very dry. Experience suggests that growth takes sometime to get going after long dry spell but once soils are wet it all happens quickly!
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
Northern Ireland, Portaferry, AFC 2150, Growth 78, demand 53, cutting silage bales to improve quality. Lots of showers
Cumbria, 2650, growth 77, demand 50, still silage to cut
North Wales, 1963, gr 64, demand 53,
Cheshire organic, 2100, gr 25, dem 25, round 35 days, feeding to hold covers
Shropshire, 2150, gr 35 but expecting growth after rain this week
Shropshire, 1984, gr 32, dem 33, feeding to build covers
Staffordshire, 2232, growth 35
East Staffordshire, 2100, gr 50 demand 35, light rain but not enough yet
Oxfordshire, 1950, gr 20, rain 15mm so optimistic
Dorset organic, 2550, gr 70, cutting wholecrop today
Cornwall Average Farm Pasture Cover 2450, growth 85, demand 58, more silage not enough cows

My NBF (New Best Friend) Charles Darwin

I have a NBF & I've discovered Charles Darwin had a fascination with earthworms. What an extraordinary man & to my surprise what a relatively easy read. I found his words drew me into what is really a story of today about climate change, importance of soils to humanity, importance of pasture based farming. A great read & its online.....free! Charles Darwin was absolutely besotted & totally absorbed intellectually by earthworms. http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F1357&viewtype=side&pageseq=1
“It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as these lowly organised creatures “ & “Without the work of this humble creature, who knows nothing of the benefits he confers upon mankind, agriculture, as we know it, would be very difficult, if not wholly impossible”(Charles Darwin 1881)
Not only did Charles Darwin intensely study earthworms at Maer Hall in Staffordshire (home of his Uncle Josiah Wedgewood) & at his home in Down House in Downe Kent but his sons Francis & Horace were roped into counting & observing worms (for at least 15 years) ....imagine that today!http://www.maerestateholidaycottages.co.uk/cms.php?holiday=History http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/home-of-charles-darwin-down-house/garden/ I urge you to read some of this amazing (but easy to read) book….I suggest you try pages 129-137 for starters. http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F1357&viewtype=side&pageseq=1
Darwin outlines his trial where he spreads quick lime & then coal cinders onto the pasture at Maer Hall. He then observes for an amazing 21 years how earthworms cover up & eventually bury the two layers, which are to become his measuring markers. “The average annual increase of thickness for the whole period is 1·9 of an inch” (4.8cm/year). He was in effect growing top soil! Year on year the earthworms are growing the topsoil....in the book there is a diagram illustrating the new depth of topsoil after 21 yrs. This is incredible but so important to every pasture based dairy farmer....this is the engine room of your business.

Darwin estimated that a healthy English acre ought to have about 2,500,000 worms, turning out 18 tons of casts a year.There should as a rule of thumb be at least 25 earthworms per square spade full of top soil under pasture

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,765165,00.html#ixzz1Osjida2W

In a pasture based dairyfarm is it accepted that the quantity of “livestock” under ground in the soil needs to be the same as the kgs livestock above the ground.So if you want to increase the number of cows the implication is that you must increase the "soil livestock" too, otherwise it wont be in balance eg you wont produce the extra pasture either as a result of not looking after the soil. This is of massive importance. Fiona Hillman (Wyegraze DG) in her very good Nuffield study 2007 on earthworms emphasizes the need to provide this "soil livestock" with food, water & air in a healthy soil environment. http://www.nuffieldinternational.org/reports/report.php?y=2007 Fiona writes in her Nuffield report that :- “It has been estimated that with a healthy population of endogeic and anecic earthworms, 1100 miles of burrows could exist per acre, if undisturbed”

Hence her Darwin quote that :-“The plough is one of the most ancient and most valuable of man’s inventions; but long before he existed the land was ploughed, and still continues to be ploughed, by earthworms”.We've got to stop ploughing & look to alternative technology!
Pasture based dairyfarmers are really “carbon” farmers. The pastures capture the sun’s energy through photosynthesis. The target annual pasture production is in excess of 10TDM per hectare in the UK. Dairy cows efficiently harvest the pasture to produce high quality milk, but that’s only half the story. Approximately 30-40% of the plant energy (carbohydrates) is fed through to the massive root system (a huge store for carbon). Much of this root material eventually ends up feeding a diverse soil biology including our friends the earthworms. The term “Carbon Grazing” is a concept of a very observant farmer in Queensland Alan Lauder. www.carbongrazing.com.au. Alan in his book “Carbon Grazing” says that “Rural producers have to manage their pastures so that all life in the soil is fed”. This is a really interesting comment but directly associated with carbon & soil organic matter. Fundamentally we need to shift our focus from cows & pastures to our soil & once we get there we need to zoom in on carbon. We cant forget cows or pastures but our profits & long term sustainability will depend on how successfully we as pasture based dairy farmers manage carbon & the carbon cycle on our farms. In his conclusion Alan writes that “Changes in the way we farm must be linked to changes in the way we think”
Current UK Pasture Measurements Pasture growth still very variable dependant on rain. Becoming quite serious in souther England, Germany & Brittany France
Keep grazing rotations long....a NZ visitor this week said hang in there as NZ had a very similar spring early summer then it turned & they had a brilliant autumn.

TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

Northern Ireland, AFC 1987, Growth 65kgs, lots of rain & hail but cold

South Ayrshire, Scotland, 2269, gr 39 & demand 77, soil temp 14.3, expecting better growth

Cheshire organic, 2000, gr 20, demand30,feeding 3.6kg conc, mowing silage fields

Oxford, 2250, gr42, demand 38, rotation 32 days still very dry & grass heading

Gloucestershire, 2063, gr48, 12mm rain over week milk holding well

Somerset Organic, 1900, gr 25 currently raining heavily so growth should increase
Dorset, 2223, gr27, rotation 50 days pasture quality poor

Sussex organic, 1486, gr16. good rain this week....excitement!

Cornwall, 1930, gr43, demand 60, may go OAD early if no rain

South Kilkenny Ireland, 1969, gr35, demand 46

Northern Germany organic, 1970, gr45, demand 47, cows on OAD

Brittany, Finistere, France, AFC 1700, virtually NO growth, Looks like an Australian farm....what do you mean Erwan?

Summer of 2005 a distant memory in Brittany...did it really look like this????