The SIP study farm network tested and demonstrated a range of farm management practices with the potential to improve the economic, environmental or social performance of farming systems.

The five farms covered a range of farming types and regions, focusing on those that represent significant areas of land use across England and Wales:

  • North Wyke (Rothamsted Research) and Future Farm (Duchy College)
  • Henfaes Research Centre (Bangor University)
  • The Allerton Project (Loddington - GWCT)
  • Morley (NIAB)
  • Nafferton (Newcastle University Farm)

The SIP work at the Study Farms built on existing research activities relevant to SI through: additional interventions, new measurements and analyses, and/or scaling-up evaluation. Each farm has established a baseline from ongoing or new data, enabling the actual or potential economic and environmental impacts and benefits of the alternative practices to be assessed.

Related and wider work continues at each of the Study Farms, beyond the end of the SIP. Please click on individual study farm links to find out more.

The final report for this work will be published soon. Science, Policy and Practice notes on the Role of cover crops within sustainable soils manangement and Sustainaing trace elements in grazing sheep are available:

The data generated by the SIP is freely available via Defra for future use.

During the SIP, the study farms were centres for knowledge exchange with farmers, advisers and other stakeholders. If you are interested in finding out more about future open days, please follow the individual study farm links.

 

SIP study farms and areas

North Wyke/Taw and Duchy Future Farm

Background

At Rothamsted Research the North Wyke Farm Platform (NWFP) is running lowland beef and sheep systems on a total of 64 ha where livestock productivity and farm-gate balances are measured in three farmlets, each with 30 rearing and finishing cattle and 75 lambing ewes. Duchy College Future Farm is building a 300 cow unit with four parallel mini-herds in which inputs and outputs will be measured.

SIP research at North Wyke and Duchy Future Farm

Since April 2013 two of the NWFP farmlets have been progressively resown, either with (a) High Sugar Grass (HSG) as part of a regular reseeding plan (Planned Reseeding) or (b) with longer-term HSG and clover swards (Legume). This reseeding was completed by August 2015. The third farmlet is continuing with (c) the existing Permanent Pasture as a control. All three farmlets are grazed by beef cattle and sheep.

At Future Farm HSG was sown in 2015 so comparisons can be made with the existing grassland when grazed by two separate herds of dairy cows in 2016.

A herbage analysis laboratory is being developed at Rothamsted Research, North Wyke to measure aspects of pasture quality (e.g. fibre analyses) and the impacts on meat quality at NWFP and milk quality at Future Farm.

Demonstrations

Duchy farm

Duchy farm

North Wyke cows

North Wyke cows

Henfaes/Conwy

Background

Henfaes Research Centre is Bangor University's main field facility. It is located at Abergwyngregyn - about 7 miles from Bangor and totals an area of 252 hectares.

Henfaes offers opportunities to study diverse environments from sea-level to amongst the highest land in Snowdonia.

A 49 hectare lowland area provides facilities for research and teaching in lowland agriculture (including arable crops and livestock grazing), forestry, hydrology, environmental science and conservation.

Henfaes is the location for the Centre for Hill and Upland Management (CHUM), which is managed as a commercial sheep unit (currently managed under the Glastir agri-environment scheme).

SIP Research at Henfaes

Henfaes are using a 'Farmlet' approach to testing different grazing intensities at different altitudes, looking at how to improve the use of grass as the basis for sheep production systems. It is known that much of the UK has favourable climatic conditions to grow large quantities of grass. However, although grass can be a highly nutritious feed and is much cheaper than bought-in feeds, a significant proportion of grass grown is believed to be wasted. There is considerable potential to make better use of grass if soils and grazing are managed to their optimum. As well as being of economic value, this could have environmental benefits through reducing the need to import soya, for instance.

The project will look at low-cost and higher-cost options to increase grass production and utilisation by sheep on both the upland and lowland part of Henfaes. This will involve rotational grazing, making better use of nutrients, and re-seeding with new grass varieties; all of which will be compared against the conventional management.

Demonstrations

Henfaes farm
Henfaes farm

GWCT Allerton Project and Upper Welland

Background

Established in 1992, the Allerton Project runs a 333 ha research and demonstration farm at Loddington (Leicestershire) and represents mixed arable and livestock farming.

Research includes farmland ecology and the development of agri-environment scheme options, the relationship between land use and water, catchment management and soil management practices.

SIP research at Allerton

Within the SIP, cover crops and crop establishment through reduced tillage intensity are intended to improve food production while having environmental benefits such as better water quality, reduced flood risk, a better carbon balance, as well as benefits to wildlife.

We are collaborating closely with NIAB, linked to their research at Morley. On the livestock side, we are working with Nottingham University to improve our understanding of sheep performance in relation to sward minerals, with a view to improving the economic and environmental efficiency with which both grass and livestock are managed.

Research results are shared with farmers, advisors and others from across the country through an ongoing programme of events at Loddington.

Demonstrations

Allerton project
Allerton project

Morley/Wensum

Background

Morley (Attleborough, Norfolk) is a c.800 ha arable farm owned by The Morley Agricultural Foundation (TMAF) and farmed commercially by Morley Farms. Soils are sandy loam or sandy clay loam and rotations involve wheat, barley, oilseed rape, sugar beet and pulses. The site has hosted field experiments and knowledge exchange activities with the farming community for c.50 years and also has strong links to the local Wensum Demonstration Test Catchment (DTC) project. A key challenge for East Anglian arable farms is how to modify systems to improve productivity/profitability and reduce consumption (energy and inputs). Soil management and fertility are critical, and are key components of the Morley based New Farming Systems (NFS) project (supported by TMAF and the JC Mann Trust).

SIP research at Morley

The SIP platform will work closely with NFS research, Wensum DTC and local farms to evaluate arable interventions around three systems (as follows) and assess their impact sustainable intensification:

  • System A:
    Deep non-inversion cultivation with cover crops, plus other modified management practices as necessary.
  • System B:
    Low intensity soil disturbance with cover crops, plus other modified management practices as necessary.
  • Conventional (C):
    'standard' (typically plough-based) cultivation and management practices, with no cover crops.

Farm walks and discussions are scheduled at Morley Farms throughout the year. View our calender to see upcoming events.

Demonstrations

Morley farm
Morley farm

Nafferton Farm

Background

Nafferton farm lies in the Tyne Valley, in Northumberland, between Newcastle upon Tyne and Hexham. It has been managed as 2 separate units of 150 ha comparing conventional and organic farming since 2005, covering both arable and dairy production.  In addition, the farm hosts various plot scale studies on aspects of crop production (e.g. 2 Factorial Systems Comparison trial; ADAS soil compaction plots) and controlled studies relating to dairy cow health and nutrition.  Farm scale surveys of insects and birds population have been carried out, as well as interventions to intercept nutrient runoff and improve water quality. 

SIP research at Nafferton

As part of SIP, Nafferton is monitoring the impact of a range of waste material (green waste compost, residues from bio-gas production, cattle slurry and composted manure) and mineral fertiliser on crop growth, health and grain quality in spelt (a primitive wheat) and rye.  We are also considering the impact of a range of dairy diets on the vitamin and antioxidant content of milk - adding to previous data collected to assess if feeding oilseed rape and/or oats to cows produces milk fat or butter that is better for our health.

Demonstrations

Cows eating