Three rounds for the 3 ideas

• Segments: Beef, sheep, dairy, and mixed enterprises looking to improve forage productivity, reduce reliance on bought-in feed, build resilience to climate change, and enhance soil health. 

• Volume & Reach: AHDB directly engages with over 40,000 levy-paying beef and sheep farmers and over 10,000 dairy farmers through its various programmes.

• Target Impact: Farmers will gain the confidence and knowledge to make informed decisions about incorporating herbal leys, clover swards, and multispecies pastures into their farm systems—tailored to their specific soil, climate, and business needs. 

• Segments: Independent agronomists, farm advisors, consultants, vets, and extension officers who provide technical guidance to farmers. 

• Volume & Reach: Over 2,000 farm advisors engage with AHDB resources and events. Collaborations with stakeholders with ensure we have reach and engagement.

• Target Impact: Equip advisors with trusted, research-backed technical content and materials to support farmers in decision-making and best practice management of sustainable forage systems. 

Segments: Retailers and processors interested in supporting sustainable supply chains. 

• Industry organisations such as BGS, NSA, NIAB, The Soil Association, and more. 

• Agri-businesses, including feed and seed merchants, looking for independent guidance for their customers. 

• Volume & Reach: Engagement through AHDB’s partnerships and an estimated 5,000+ industry stakeholders through events, publications, and targeted communications. 

• Target Impact: Standardise best practice guidance across the industry and influence supply chain decisions to encourage the greater uptake of resilient, forage-based systems.

The audience spans all UK regions, with different forage management priorities based on climate, soil types, and farming systems: 

• South & East England – More arable-integrated livestock farms, interest in herbal leys for drought resilience, and rotational grazing systems. 

• Midlands & Wales – Grass-based systems, focus on improving pasture quality, extending the grazing season, and reducing input costs. 

• Northern England & Scotland – More upland and marginal land farmers, with an emphasis on forage resilience, outwintering, and multispecies swards for productivity on challenging soils. 

• Early Adopters & Innovators (15–20%) – Actively seeking new knowledge, often engaged in monitor farms, trials, and discussion groups. 

• Practical Implementers (50–60%) – Farmers who need guidance to refine existing practices, improve grassland productivity, and reduce costs. 

• Late Adopters & Traditionalists (20–30%) – More cautious about change, require strong evidence, peer validation, and financial incentives to adopt new systems. 

Peak District Herbal Silage Trial Overview.docx

• Farmers feel confident in making informed choices about herbal leys, multi-species swards, and sustainable forage management. 

• AHDB to become the go-to reference for sustainable forage systems across sectors. 

• AHDB is recognised as the leading provider of unbiased technical information in this area. 

• Alignment with BASIS training ensures consistent industry messaging and application. 

• Farmers see measurable improvements in forage resilience, soil health, livestock nutrition, and business profitability. 

• Systems are more adaptable to climate challenges, supporting long-term sustainability. 

• For this to act as a starting point for deeper engagement through engagement activities

• These companies often produce technical brochures, guides, and online content related to seed varieties, but the focus is typically on product promotion rather than offering impartial advice. 

• Their content might not address broader system-level considerations like soil health, system integration, or long-term sustainability. 

• Institutions like NIAB, Reading University, and ADAS conduct in-depth research on forage systems, but their publications are often technical and harder for farmers to digest without expert guidance. These resources are useful for academics and advisors but are not always aimed at farmers making on-the-ground decisions. 

• There is also a growing trend of academic papers and literature reviews being published around topics like herbal leys and multi-species swards, but these can lack the practical implementation aspect that farmers need. 

• These organisations provide some educational content, but their resources are more generalised or focus on specific sectors (e.g., organic farming). While they support sustainable practices, there is limited comprehensive guidance that integrates the broad, technical aspects of forage management (such as species selection, soil health, and cutting/grazing management). 

• Agronomists, consultants, and independent advisers can offer tailored advice to individual farmers. However, the high cost of private consultancy means that these services are not accessible to all farmers, especially smaller-scale or less established enterprises. 

• Comprehensive, actionable information for farmers about how to incorporate herbal leys and multi-species swards into existing systems. 

• Clear guidance on managing grazing, cutting, and seasonal shifts in a way that optimises both productivity and sustainability. 

• Cross-sector collaboration to address the broader challenges of soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience. 

Key messages from EGFC conference - targeted at more progressive farmers

Managing forages effectively can increase farm sustainability when compared to just growing ryegrass

Forages need to be managed differently to grassland

Different forages can be grown in upland areas and how to manage them

Insights and evidence

1. Virtual roadshow of herbal ley & diverse sward establishments - ask same X amount of questions to each farmer. This way we can visually see different types/levels/successes/failures across the country and perhaps all have something to resonate with.

2. 'Ask the expert' - subsidised £ Online forum with a flow chart - rather than just asking questions you would work through the flow chart to get to your issue. LP would upload their pictures at start of issue and then have to update their progress whilst working through their advice.

   
   

1. Expand with subsidised 'ask the expert' forum

2. Grass/forage calendar remodelled just for herbal ley etc - include social media reminders (instagram) for each week/relevant milestones

3. F2F Open farm ley days

4. Facetime a farmer - mentor scheme

5. Big campaign around all the new publications - Forage February

   
   

1. Build a portfolio of 'what good looks like' a bank of resources - video, case studies etc from farmers around the country. Have an interactive map that you can click on to see their journey.

2. Section in ask the expert forum

3. Bring it back to basics guide

4. Example stock plan resources in publications

5. F2F open farm ley days