A Welsh farmer cut fertiliser and pesticide use by 25%, boosted yields and reduced labour with a new approach to grassland and arable farming.
Arfon Evans grows 12 hectares of spring barley within a rotation that includes grass, red clover and diverse herbal leys.
He also runs 140 beef suckler cows and 550 breeding ewes on 132 hectares at Bugeilus Fawr on the Lleyn peninsula.
Keen to improve sustainability alongside productivity, Arfon joined a Farming Connect Our Farms project, working closely with agronomist Gareth Mitchell from ProCam.
The barley was sown in ploughed fields using combination seeding, integrating fertiliser application into one pass.
Fertiliser use was tailored using soil sampling and AHDB RB209 guidelines, while direct drilling ryegrass-red clover reduced soil disturbance and improved moisture retention.
Herbicides were applied before drilling to control perennial weeds such as dock and chickweed.
Slug traps monitored pest numbers, and insecticides were only used when aphid populations exceeded thresholds for barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV).
Arfon’s pesticide applications were guided by BASIS and FACTS-qualified experts, including Gareth.
Despite hopes for modest improvements, Arfon saw his results exceed expectations, growing 0.5 tonnes more barley per acre than previous years.
“It was a good growing year in 2024 which helped, but we grew 0.5t an acre more barley than in previous years,” he said.
Slug traps and molluscicides prevented significant crop damage, while aphid monitoring minimised BYDV risks, resulting in a clean barley crop.
Reducing fertiliser and pesticide use also benefits soil health and limits environmental runoff.
Even with a 25% cut in chemical inputs, weed infestations of dock, chickweed and charlock were well controlled, improving plant establishment.
Labour savings were also significant, with Arfon estimating at least a 30% reduction due to more efficient seeding and drilling methods.
“I didn’t have to replough or spread fertiliser separately, everything was done in one pass so there was a big time saving there,” he explained.
Gareth Mitchell emphasises that all farmers can benefit by adopting some or all of these methods.
He recommends soil sampling before drilling and using RB209 fertiliser plans tailored to specific crops.
Gareth supports conventional ploughing and combination seeding for barley, alongside direct drilling for ryegrass-red clover mixes to improve moisture retention and seedling establishment.
Chemical pest controls can also be reduced through targeted herbicide use and slug monitoring.
“Use of targeted herbicides and slug traps will effectively manage weed and pest pressures,” he said.
Arfon highlights the value of expert advice: "I would advise all farmers to use an agronomist, they know so much more than we do."
