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Sustainability
 Maintaining ground cover, to protect soil and water quality, is becoming a key feature on a number of outdoor units and those that have introduced grassland management into their production strategies are finding that growing the green stuff offers measurable benefits to swine and the arable acres they occupy. A thriving sward helps minimise pig production impacts and protect the biodiversity that exists both above and below the ground. A number of pig businesses are now working more closely with landowners to establish herbage leys on stubble before the pigs arrive, while others are devising strategies that allow them to set up on stewardship cover as land moves back into food production. These outdoor herds are also learning to 'manage the meadows' the pigs' are living on, and have found that retaining grass cover offers significant potential to better manage rain water run-off, prevent erosion and improve the health, structure and ecology of the subterranean environment. LSB Pigs in North Norfolk has prioritised paddock management for three years. It operates two outdoor breeding herds, a 900-sow unit at Coxford and another 550-sow unit a few miles away. Both sites are part of a productive arable rotation, growing cereals, oil seed rape and sugar beet which also includes a well-established countryside stewardship programme. There is a firm commitment here to improve biodiversity, protect soil health/water quality and minimise any environmental impacts that food production has on the landscape. Pig production usually has a two-year occupancy and is a vital part of the estate's integrated, forward-thinking farming strategy. In 2020 LSB embarked on a two-and-half-year grassland trial with the Norfolk Rivers Trust, Anglian Water, seeds specialist Kings Crops and AHDB. The objective was to compare the performance and environmental value of paddocks sown with a pig specific seed mix along with those seeded with a more traditional legume/ryegrass sward, but the project has uncovered so much more and proved grass offers more than just green credentials. Both pig units are visually pastoral; they take advantage of natural topographies, such as natural woodland, shelter belts, hedge lines and sloped areas. In recent years unit layout has become more extensive with site moves timed to ensure pigs move onto established grassland rather than stubble. Unit manager Rob McGregor says stocking rate, which around 10-11 sows per acre, is now a key consideration and a 'pasture management' protocol, the product of numerous farm trials carried out during the past five years, is followed to optimise grass growth. "The current project certainly suggests green cover benefits soil health and can control erosion and nutrient leaching. We've also found we can sustain grass growth on a commercial pig operation if we use specific seed mixes and management techniques. But we've discovered other benefits too, linked to pig welfare, productivity and our everyday management and that's a real bonus," says Rob. Having 'fodder-under-foot' has also changed sow behaviour, as the motivation to graze keeps the herd occupied and noticeably mobile. "The sows enjoy grazing; they're calmer and more compliant when we work with them, and the chap who does our pregnancy scanning says there's less stress in the herd now it's on grass, which makes his job much easier," Rob explains. The sows eagerly feed at the trough once a day, but the grass provides constant gut fill, and unit staff report less straw usage as huts don't need bedding up as often as they did when the herd was on stubble. The grass paddocks are also 'more comfortable' during summer months as the sward is cooler to lie on than bare soil. Rob says the herd is also in better shape physically, as grazing keeps sows moving. They are in good condition across all parities and definitely fitter throughout pregnancy, which he believes is helping reduce the length of time taken to farrow and speed up post-partum recovery. Paddock brief The original leys have now been through two winters and last year's prolonged drought, when temperatures exceeded 35 degrees C. The ground, viewed during autumn 2022, remains in good condition with 80-90% grass covering the service radial and gestation paddocks. There are only a few bare patches, mainly around feed troughs and water stations, and there is little evidence of poaching and rooting. Maintaining the sward, particularly in the dry sow area, has also altered dunging patterns. Manure deposits are now widespread, and that's helping distribute nutrients more evenly across the whole acreage. The flip-grazing system Rob uses with dry sows allows the sward to rest and recover while still in production. The sows are penned in large paddocks, separated into three equal-sized sections, with huts and water drinkers located in the central area, and two additional pens fenced off on either side. They are initially given the middle section and one side paddock, and once the area is grazed off the side paddock is closed off to recuperate and sows are given the fresh paddock on the other side. "Our sows generally live in two out of three paddocks. The central paddock is in continual use and we just flip the additional grazing area from one side to the other as the grass gets grazed. This means we can rest part of the sward and give it time to recover, and it does quite quickly once the sows move off. It's simple, your guide is the grass growth and the sows tend to follow it as it grows," he explains. Currently the site is sown with two seed mixtures. One half has Kings' specific pig blend containing a high percentage of creeping red fescue, an intermediate perennial ryegrass, and late perennial ryegrass species at a rate of 35kg per ha. The rest is down to a two-year fallow mix originally designed to use on Ecological Focus Areas (EFA). It includes Italian ryegrass and legumes like vetch, Birdsfoot trefoil and Red Clover, sown at 20kg per ha. The pig mix has provided better cover, which Jim Egan, technical advisor with Kings, says is due to the red fescue content. "The paddocks sown with our pig-specific blend are more robust than the ryegrass/legume leys; they recover well, and are very productive. This trial shows us there is a strong case for including creeping red fescue in grass cover that's going to be followed by pigs and a typical AB15 two-year stewardship mix and/or longer term GS4 legume and herb-rich blend could benefit from the fescue element. It would promote a more resilient root network that can bind the soil together and improve structure, and it responds well to organic nutrients, with good tillering and root development - characteristics that do reduce erosion and improve the ground's water and nutrient holding capacity, which is what we want," he explains. Kings is keen to test red fescue with stewardship swards and is now working with outdoor herds and landowners in East Anglia to develop seed mixes and management plans and fit within scheme remits. These blends will be more robust and some of the longer-term leys might also have opportunity to add value by taking a forage crop before the pigs move in. "There are definitely opportunities for livestock breaks within UK crop rotations and what we've learned at LSB is how seed mixes can be adjusted to comply with various environmental requirements while benefitting to both pig farming and arable production,” says Jim. However, success relies on all partners having a fundamental understanding of the management/business objectives of each enterprise. Timing is vital and Jim says getting this right for all parties, relies on good communication. "Good grass cover takes time to get established and some landowners often underestimate how long it takes to produce a robust, pig-resilient sward. A suitable ley will take at least thee to four months to establish, but the longer it can be left to mature before pigs are introduced, the better. The longer the grass is on top, the deeper the roots are underneath, which makes for a strong sward," he explains. But fitting grass establishment and then pig production within a farms arable programme takes planning and Jim says the overall farming strategy must be flexible enough to enable the pig enterprise to manage their grass cover effectively, too. LSB took the decision to drill its own grass leys into stubble post-harvest as accessing arable labour during the very busy cultivation/drilling period was a challenge. Choosing to do it themselves meant they could follow the combine, take advantage of decent conditions and give the new ley plenty of time get established before the pigs moved on to it in February 2021. "This worked well for us and proved cost effective. Our landlord supports what we're doing, we are working together and our pigs are now able to move onto established grassland. When move on after two years, we're leaving green cover behind us, which is helping the arable operation as green manure, providing valuable organic nutrition for subsequent crops,"says Rob.  |
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The Pig Guide, 4 Barleythorpe Mews, Main Road, Barleythorpe, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 7UZ Tel: 01572 757600. ~ email: bc@pig-guide.com |