NFU highlights benefits of Shropshire grassland

Grass creates a versatile habitat for bees and insects, helps farmers combat climate change by capturing carbon in the soil and helps rear high quality, high welfare, pasture-fed beef and sheep.

Thousands attended the two-day horticultural spectacle in The Quarry, Shrewsbury, last weekend and the NFU had its regional farming discovery trailer at the event alongside grass trial plots in one of the main floral marquees.

NFU Shropshire chairman Graham Price, vice chair Kate Mayne who farms at Ruyton XI Towns and Worthen farmer John Morris joined Calverhall farmer and Shrewsbury NFU group secretary Simon Latter on a stand.

Kate said: “The flower show is an excellent event showcasing the best of plant and flower production. The NFU is proud of all of its growers, be they producing flowers, shrubs and grass for our gardens, or great tasting, climate friendly fruit and vegetables for our tables.

“This year, alongside showcasing county food and flowers grown by Shropshire farmers, we decided to bring along three grassland trial plots or lays, to show the many benefits of grass.

“We had three grassland plots and these featured different grass seed mixes that all serve a different but important purpose on farm.

“Grass captures carbon and locks it in the soil reducing our on-farm footprint benefitting the environment.

“Our pastures reduce our use of fertiliser, encourage pollinators and the grass grown on it acts as an excellent, natural, sustainable food for our county’s beef and sheep herds and flocks.”

NFU members’ produce from Battlefield 1403, Rowton Vineyard Wine, Shropshire Petals and other businesses were on display including beer from the Salopian Brewery.

Horizon Seeds provided the seed mixes for the grass plots and cereal samples including wheat, barley and other crops for people to see and JC and MW Suckley put on a display showing different potato and carrot varieties.

Mr Latter grew the grass on pallets at his North Shropshire farm and then transported them to the show site, while JP&AL Morris, who are county agents for Horizon, provided the seed samples.

One of the trial plots was for a grass mix that contained an abundance of plants attractive to bees and bugs like bird’s-foot trefoil, cocksfoot, yarrow, plantain, sheep’s parsley and at least three types of clover, among others.

The other grass plots featured a seed mix good for growing and harvesting for animal feed and a further robust variety that could be grazed more rigorously by livestock but also cut for animal feed at the same time, both also had environmental benefits.

Mr Latter said the farming industry was working towards net zero carbon ambitions and pastures were part of the solution while allowing farmers to continue to produce ‘fantastic, affordable, climate-friendly food for people at home and abroad’.

Mr Latter added: “The Shropshire countryside is a multifunctional, dynamic space. As farmers and growers, we’re all in the same important game; to produce food from the land, whether that is grass for our animals, root vegetables, soft fruit or cereal crops.

“We are growing and rearing this food while protecting our soil and environment and doing it in the most sustainable way possible.

“Many people have grass in their lawn at home; we are just growing grass on a much larger scale and for different purposes, whether that’s as a carbon sink, or to produce climate friendly beef and lamb.

"Our fields are our workplace and provide an important home for wildlife. I think it would be great if the next time someone took a drive out into the countryside, they looked out of the window and saw grassland in a completely different way.”