Elin Thomas (Agriculture and Conservation Officer), Lee Oliver (Director for Wales) and Sue Evans from GWCT Cymru attended this Event at Coed Coch Farm, Denbighshire.
Elin tells us more about this successful Event:
A great day at the 2024 livestock event. A day that placed great emphasis on people, profit and the planet. This was the focus of all the discussions that took place, with regenerative agriculture successfully addressing all of them.
The day began with an interesting talk by Siobhan Griffin who discussed Next Level Grazing, her experiences and shared advice on how to go about it and what different aspects are. Following her was John Gilliand, who gave an insight into the work he has carried out and what he has achieved, which includes measuring carbon. The important take home message from John Gilliand’s talk is his words that “measuring and getting figures is the important thing to do”, this is a key drive to the future of agriculture.
In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to walk around 4 different stations, with sessions held by Rhys Owen, Rhys Williams, James Daniel, and Joel Williams. Rhys Owen explained different crops, the properties of the crops and which crops are suitable for forming herbal leys. Rhys Williams went on to discuss stockpiling and bale grazing, how he has approached to it, and the results he has seen so far. James Daniel of precision grazing set out to demonstrate the different options available for electric fencing, which are useful for different and effective grazing methods. To conclude this session, Joel Williams discussed soil health and demonstrated a simple way on how to take a soil sample and test its health through visual observation.
To end the day, there was a panel discussion led by Amber Rudd. This was an opportunity for the audience to question the panel members, and the questions sparked discussion from floor to stage. A day full of information and an eye-opener to new approaches to use within agriculture.