16 Welsh farm companies will explore new technologies and techniques on the farm thanks to new funding from Farming Connect.
From using drones to monitor pasture quality, to fitting sheep to digital tracking devices to combat theft, the selected projects aim to strengthen individual companies and bring wide benefits to Welsh agriculture.
In previous rounds of Farming Connect’s popular “Try Out Fund,” farmers experiment with everything from growing tea and producing commercial walnut to bikelop corn with sunflowers.
This latest phase continues that trend, helping farmers try out fresh approaches to tackling modern agriculture’s challenges.
The successful applicant represents a broad section of the agricultural sector spanning dairy products, arable land, beef, sheep, poultry and horticulture.
At Meirionnydd, dairy farmers use three different sowing techniques to try out Sainfoin, a protein-rich legume.
The project is trying to identify two contrasting speech types to use to alternate five years of LEY to enhance sustainable feed production.
In Northern Keredijon, another dairy farm aims to use drone technology to improve pasture quality assessments and increase grassland productivity through precise data.
In the poultry sector, producers of Radnoshire broilers are working on Enterococcus la bullets, a disease that affects bird joints.
The project monitors bird health, mortality, feed conversion rates and antibiotic use to assess whether the approach can reduce infections and drug reliance on.
Anglesey barley growers are experimenting with compound fertilizers containing protected phosphoric acid applied along with farm fertilizers.
The aim is to improve phosphate uptake in both spring and winter crops, thereby increasing yields and improving the profits of fertilizer investments.
Further testing in Montgomeryshire focuses on the production of corn and the use of variable nitrogen applications for the rape of winter wheat and oil seeds to improve nutritional efficiency.
In light of growing concern over the theft of the Welsh livestock, one lean project is to try out sheep GPS tracking techniques.
The trial will install a variety of digital devices in cluster farms, allowing farmers to monitor the movement of animals within the farm’s boundaries or geofiquence areas.
At Brecknock, native cattle involved in conservation grazing projects will be equipped with a “no-fence” wireless collar to test whether target grazing can improve biodiversity.
This approach is designed to improve habitat quality by allowing controlled grazing of invasive plants such as Bracken, especially in common lands.
A similar system has been tried throughout Monmouthshire, Tohfan and Brenau Gwent. Researchers hope to find welfare and environmental benefits in areas where traditional fencing is unrealistic.
Soil health and livestock welfare are key focuses in several lean meat department exams. Brecknock has established herb raises in the UK that feature new species.
Lamb’s health is being scrutinized at multiple sites. South Montgomeryshire farms compare two vitamin B12 injections from 600 lambs to tackle cobalt deficiency and measure weight gain and physical condition to assess the value of money.
Other projects include livestock trampling oversight in North Montgomeryshire and seaweed biostimulants to improve the quality of Seward in North Keradigijo.
