![]() There was an increase in ewe numbers carried, being 99, 139, 42 and 3% greater for Sourhope, Redesdale, Kirkton and Pwllpeiran, respectively. Supplementary feed inputs per ewe during late pregnancy increased significantly on all farms. In all cases, the improved pasture was used to provide ewe and lamb grazing during lactation and ewe grazing around mating and lambing. ![]() At Pwllpeiran, most of the improvement involved surface treatment but of a fairly costly nature almost equal to that of reseeding. In the case of Kirkton and Sourhope, 9% of the resource was reseeded, whilst at Redesdale the corresponding figure was 17%. In all cases, however, between 20-30% of the total resource was subjected to some degree of pasture improvement over the course of the development. The four farms differ considerably in climate, topography, soil type, vegetation and size. The paper describes the developments at Sourhope, Redesdale, Kirkton and Pwllpeiran from the mid/late 1960's until the present time (1980 for Kirkton). ![]() At the time, the ADAS Pwllpeiran EHF in mid-Wales was engaged in an exercise based on the traditional Welsh management system in which ewes are kept on enclosed better grazings from tupping until after lambing and then ewes and lambs are summered on the hill. Following the evolution of the “Two Pasture System” of hill sheep management by the Hill Farming Research Organisation (HFRO) at their Sourhope and Lephinmore stations, the model was adopted by the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service at Redesdale experimental husbandry farm (EHF) and by the Scottish Agricultural Colleges at the West College Hill Farm of Kirkton in West Perthshire. ![]()
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