Bill Grayson

4 May 2010

About the farm
1000 hectares
Conservation grazing
Completely soy-free

Cows and conservation

Over the last 15 years, Bill Grayson has successfully integrated his commercial livestock farm into a conservation grazing scheme in the Morecambe Bay area.

The Morecambe Bay Local Grazing Scheme evolved out of a small, organically certified, livestock business.

The business has adapted its way of operating to meet conservation needs whilst continuing to generate income from livestock production.

Grazing as an ecological service

The scheme successfully avoids the use of imported soy feed by grazing animals.

Bill says that there is a "minimum need for protein supplements because of the extensive low-input system".

Great importance is placed on herb-rich pastures as the best way to achieve a healthy diet for the animals.

Bill Grayson

The prototype grazing system covers over 1000 hectares of land, and includes 8 hectares of meadows that are cut for hay or silage for the young calves.

The cattle grow slowly as their diet is provided by the course herbage that is to be found on the grazing land.

Bill finishes his calves for beef when they are between 3 and 5 years old, however. "Mature beef - over 30 months old - is a rare and specialist product, arguably a premium quality meat" he says.

Keeping it local

The beef is sold through specialist local outlets and a box scheme to local people who value both the quality of the produce and the farm's conservation benefits.

The main output from the scheme, however, is conservation.

Grazing is provided as a service to many conservation organizations

Bill Grayson

Roaming ruminants

Bill's cattle provide the basis of this conservation service. He moves his 160 herd around a network of 30 grazing sites across 3 counties.

They're moved according to the specific grazing regimes requested by the site managers, to match the conditions and seasonal requirements.

Government research

Some of the cattle in the present herd are subjects for DEFRA-funded research into the health qualities of beef produced entirely from animals grazing herb-rich unimproved pastures.

Bill has also been in discussion with the South Lakes Transition Town about local food issues and they are jointly holding a 'meet the cows' walk on one of the reserves, where they will be discussing meat and climate change.

"Without direct action at a local level nothing is ever going to change," says Bill.

[local action] is the only alternative to the industrialized globalized model that dominates every aspect of our lives these days

Bill Grayson