How partial budgeting can help bale-grazing decisions

Livestock farmers considering a switch from winter housing to outwintering and bale grazing should ensure they factor in the costs of changing system when making their decision.

This is the advice of independent beef and sheep consultant Emily Grant of Forrit.

She carried out an economic evaluation of bale grazing, compared with winter housing for AHDB, including its Monitor Farm, Alnham Farm, in the Northumberland National Park.

Emily looked at seven farms using bale grazing, located from Aberdeenshire to Oxfordshire, and ranging in size from 44ha (109 acres) to 1,141ha (2,819 acres).

Speaking to Farmers Weekly at Groundswell, Emily said: “A lot of people say they’ve saved so much a day [by outwintering], but they’re not including the [capital] cost that comes with a change of system.

“There may still be an overall benefit – and with the straw price going up, they may find that benefit is increasing – but [doing that calculation] gives the confidence to make decisions.”

System assessment

The seven farms involved in the study were running herds of between 14 and 217 breeding females, and selling a mix of store and finished stock, with four selling direct to customers.