Farmers can receive one-to-one guidance to improve their grazing strategy as part of a new mentorship initiative delivered by the British Grassland Society and AHDB.
Farmers will receive guidance and support about their grassland management from an experienced grazing mentor as part of the new initiative.
The mentors, who are livestock producers and grassland managers, have undergone training to help farmers set goals and improve grassland efficiency.
Eight new mentors have joined the project this year, consisting of a mixture of dairy, beef and sheep farmers from across the country.
Farmers will receive two visits from their mentor, alongside conversations to help with problems and update on progress.
As part of the initiative, farmers can also visit their mentor's farm if they need to.
Siwan Howatson, AHDB animal health scientist said: “The BGS Grazing Mentors can help farmers unlock the potential of their pasture, the one-to-one guidance on their grazing strategy is specifically tailored to each farm.
“Better production and utilisation of grass and forage provides an opportunity to reduce costs and optimise profits on any livestock farm.
"The key to success is to learn from other farmers’ experiences and expertise," she said.
Kenton Bennett, a dairy farmer from Dorset, has had a British Grassland Society grazing mentor since May 2021 to help him get more from his grass.
He said: “We’ve learnt a lot from our grazing mentor. Although we’ve had a tough year it’s taught me to plan better for next year.
"You can take a lot of knowledge from someone that’s already been through it.”
Farmers who are interested in receiving mentoring from autumn to 2021 to 2022 can find more information online.
