Shropshire Farming Talk: Celebrating the BGS Grassland Farmer of the Year
The British Grassland Society recently celebrated our annual Awards Evening.
Dylan and his father Wyn Jones were announced as the winners of the British Grassland Society Grassland Farmer of the Year competition for 2024.
The pair farm just over 330 hectares and finish 1500 beef steers per year.
Cattle are bought in at 16-24 months of age and are fed silage supplemented with home-grown barley and peas.
Carbon footprinting has been carried out on the beef production system on the farm and was shown to be very low.
Dylan is active in promoting farming on social media.
Head judge Hugh McClymont said that the beef unit was very well managed with a tight handle on the costs of production and that Dylan knew the cost per kg weight gain down to the penny.
The competition is always hotly contested, and this year was no exception. The judging panel commented that all the farms were at the top their game and were worthy of being in the final three.
The runners-up were Philip and David Clarke and Peter Don.
Father and son Philip and David Clarke run a herd of 80 spring calving cows. The utilisation of forage and the financial figures impressed Hugh, and he also commented on how the Clarke’s have achieved a good work-life balance.
Peter farms at Larkton House, Malpas and runs a herd of 180 Friesian-type cows, calving all year round. Hugh was particularly impressed by the enthusiasm of the team who work on the farm, with Peter being joined by manager Dan Minshall at the event.
The competition and the Awards Evening are kindly sponsored by Germinal, Nufarm and Yara.
by Tom Goatman, British Grassland Society
