Goitre

John Parry and Family

Goitre Farm, Kerry, Newtown, SY16 4NA

Farm size

93ha  owned

172ha  rented under range of tenures from summer and winter  keep, short term tenancies and ongoing agreements

Land ranges from 160m (500feet) to   500m (1500ft) above sea level

 

Livestock

Cattle

60 British Blue cross dairy put to the Limousin, mainly spring calving. All heifers purchased as bulling to calve at 2.5 years.

 All cattle are sold finished. Bull beef  13-14 months and heifers at 24 months.

 

Main aims for cattle

To improve the fertility, output and longevity  of the herd and get back to a tight spring calving pattern

To reduce feet problems in the cows.

To improve cattle handling system to make monitoring and herd health safer, easier and require less labour

To investigate whether it's worthwhile keeping the heifers as replacements

Projects

  • Carry out a time and motion study of the existing handling system. Design a new handling system to make monitoring easier.
  • To carry out an a benchmarking exercise to see if store cattle a better option
  • To assess the level and type of lameness in the suckler herd
  • To look at using AI to help tighten up the calving pattern and to use semen testing to check bull fertility.

 

Open day activities

The first open day in September took the form of a cattle handling workshop. The community group around the farm took part in a planning exercise led by Miriam Parker MBE,  farmers  learnt about the cattle behaviour before assessing the current system and then planned and presented  ideas on  new systems based the location, budget and requirements  of the farm.  Watch this space for developments on the new system

Sheep

750 ewes, 650 Welsh Mule and 100 welsh.

The flock has its own stratification system currently hill ewes crossed with Blue Faced Leicester to produce Mules. All Mules tupped with a Charolais and all finished sold to Vion at Welsh Country Food (farm is also a collection centre for WCF.)

450 lambed end of February and lambs are creep fed and sold early. The remainder lambed March and April- lambs sold of grass and kept as replacements

 

Main aims for sheep

To breed the required number of quality replacements, with only older Welsh ewes bought in from Sennybridge.  To look at lambing management to help ease labour

 

 

Projects

  • To assess the value of rented land to help determine if is the limiting factor with the current breed and performance levels and to simplify flock structure
  • Currently part of a SCOPs study looking into improving the efficiency of Anthelmintic use
  • To carry out a genetic profile of the ram flock to help identify areas for improved lamb output and production of replacement ewes

 

 

Grassland

The farm has wide range of grass swards from reseeds to mountain pasture an unimproved rented land.   Grass reseeds follow the 6-7 year rotation of maize- and winter cereals based on approximately 6ha (15acres) each year. No root crops are grown.   Generally the ground at home is heavily stocked at turnout in the spring, which is an issue to be addressed. Fertilizer is based on purchased bags and, FYM and Chicken manure

 

Mains aims

To improve the output from grass and home grown fodder and reduce spring stocking density

 

Projects 

  • The farm is completing a nutrient management plan, the outcome of this will be discussed at the next open day 13th January
  • To assess the value of rented land

 

Labour

John full time, 1 worker averaging 4/5ths plus John's wife Kate part  time

 

Summary

The farm has carried out a Whole Farm Plan (WFP) through Farming connect to help identify where best practice can be demonstrated and to identify opportunities areas for development.  The Farm Business Unit at IBERs has also compiled a set of management accounts that include gross margins and cost of production figures for the enterprises on the farm.  This process has highlighted a number of options which include reducing costs and improving output to reach the desired level of profit requirement of the business.