Participants in the Northern Ireland Sheep Programme recently undertook a study visit to Wales as part of the CAFRE Farm Innovation scheme. The trip included visits to two sheep flocks and Dunbia’s large-scale lamb processing plant.

One of the farm visits was to Llandre Farm which is located in southwest Wales and run by Huw and Sheila Davies. The 113ha (280ac) farm comprises 89ha (220ac) of grassland with the remainder in natural woodland. It is one of eight farms in an estate and Huw and Sheila are the third generation of the Davies family to farm it in a tenancy agreement.

The Davies are the third generation of the family to farm in a tenancy agreement.

Land type in the area can be described as productive rolling hills that rise from 500ft at the farmyard to over 1,000ft above sea level with quite steep inclines in places that are challenging to work. The farm has traditionally run a sizeable sheep flock of 500 to 600 ewes but it was also home to a herd of 30 dairy cows when Huw and Sheila took over more than 30 years ago.

There was a marked change in the farming system in 2002, with the dairy herd sold at a time of high demand in the aftermath of foot-and-mouth disease. This facilitated a switch to off-farm employment, with Huw initially teaching computers to farmers and developing consultancy opportunities which also led him to start working with Agrisgop, a Welsh government action learning initiative and the development of a number of lamb producer groups with retail buy-in.

Huw also sits as an adviser on many government agricultural committees, while more recently he started working with Agriwebb and its online farm management software program. Closer to home, he and Sheila also operate a holiday cottage for a 32-week period.

Efficiency focus

With such a level of off-farm activities it is not surprising that the focus on the farm is very much on production efficiency and balancing labour input. “I am now trying to find a system that fits into everything I’m doing. There may be areas where I am losing some production efficiencies such as set-stocking and no longer putting the ewe lambs to the ram but I weigh up these decisions on what will deliver the greatest benefit – investing more time into the farm or off-farm activities”.

The farm possesses a Huntaway dog called Bella. Huntaway's have a loud deep bark and excel in handling sheep.

The breed of ewe historically on the farm was a native Welsh breed called the Beulah Speckle, a medium-sized hill ewe weighing 65kg to 75kg with a distinctive black and white head. This was crossed with the Highlander, a New Zealand composite breed, and this has been the mainstay of the flock.

Two of the farm's Aberfield rams can be seen in the right of the picture. The Aberfield is a cross between a Bluefaced Leicester and Texel and has been trademarked by Innovis.

Huw explains: “The Highlander ewe was sold to me as a ewe capable of weaning her own weight and possessing excellent maternal characteristics. The breed has certainly delivered but I am now looking at adding a source of hybrid vigour again and this year am running Aberfield tups (Bluefaced Leicester x Texel rams trademarked by Innovis).”

Flock output

Huw and Sheila are big believers that if you look after the condition of ewes it will go a long way to minimising issues. The flock’s scanning rate generally averages 180%, with mortality of 5% at lambing and typically 5% from lambing to sale.

As mentioned already, set stocking is utilised but this should not give an impression of ewes or lambs spending weeks in one paddock. Large fields are utilised to run big groups and, while still set-stocked, sheep are offered fresh grass regularly.

Claire Windrum, Dunbia pictured with Shelia Davies and the farm's Huntaway sheepdog Bella.

For example, at the time of the visit the flock of 500 ewes and six Aberfield rams were being run in one group and used to clean off paddocks. They have since been switched to 24.3ha (60ac) of deferred grazing which is used to carry ewes in mid-pregnancy. Significant emphasis is placed on having a supply of grass available post lambing as feeding soaks up time which is at a premium in spring.

Return on investment

The farm has always been willing to invest in areas where they can see a return in productivity or a reduction in labour. Winter accommodation was built in three stages in the early 1980s, 1990s and 2000s with costs of £1,800 (€2,168), £10,000 (€12,048) for sheep sheds and £50,000 (€60,240) for a silage pit, showing how input costs have increased.

Sheep were being used to clean off paddocks at the time of the visit and have since been moved to deferred grazing.

After the first shed was built, priority was focused on building a sheep-handling unit in 1984 which was improved over time by roofing and additional penning in collecting and sorting yards. One thousand sheep can now be comfortably handled, meaning most major tasks can be completed in one day.

The ewe breed was historically Beulah Speckle with Highlander genetics now the dominant breed of ewe.

“We invested a little every year when we could and gradually got to the position where we are today. The handling unit was roofed a couple of bays at a time but we can work on days when we have some time or plan ahead without weather affecting it. If we didn’t have a good yard we would be a lot less inclined to handle sheep and that is when problems start to get the better of you.”

Saving time

Good sheepdogs are listed as core to reducing labour with the Davies lucky to possess Bella, a Huntaway breed of sheep dog that has a characteristic deep loud bark and excels in handling sheep. Huw also highlights two pieces of farmyard equipment which he says are central to reducing labour input. In 1985, a Bobcat skidsteer was purchased and Huw says that is as good as having another person around the yard. The farm purchased a Tomahawk straw chopper/blower over 15 years ago and this has more than covered its cost in time spent bedding and lower straw usage.

The farm is still home to cows but in a different capacity. It provides winter accommodation to 35 suckler cows and followers with silage cutting helping grassland management at a lower stocking rate.

The farm is one of eight farms in an estate. Huw and Shelia are the third generation of Davies to farm in this agreement.

Feeding is also carried out with a feeder. Enough silage can be fed out to 500 ewes for two days in 20 to 30 minutes. An 18% concentrate is fed in the final weeks of pregnancy at a flat rate of 0.5kg to twin-bearing ewes, 0.23kg to singles and 0.7kg to triplets with silage typically testing 68 DMD to 70 DMD.

The farm rises to over 1,000ft at its highest point but the terrain can be described as productive land.

Huw advises farmers to prioritise investment in time or money in the areas that will reap the best reward for the farm.

“EID and performance-recording has a big place on farms but it needs to suit. We were spending a huge amount of time tagging lambs at birth and recording everything you could think of but then not using the information enough to get a reward for the time. I still see a big role but now we record what makes sense for us with the time available”.