Key opportunities highlighted in our Farming in Protected Landscapes project, 2024-25
As part of our Farming in Protected Landscapes project kindly supported by the Cotswolds National Landscape, we created an 'Ecological Vision Plan' for each field on the Kemerton Estate where we have a Contract Farming Agreement.
We know that regenerative grazing is a powerful tool for improving soil health, increasing biodiversity, and creating more resilient pastures. What we have found over the last 10 years of grazing regeneratively is that one of the most promising opportunities for enhancing these systems is the expansion of Tall Fescue, a deep-rooting grass that plays a critical role in improving drainage, strengthening soil structure, and providing high-quality forage throughout the year.
The Importance of Tall Fescue in Regenerative Grazing
Tall Fescue is particularly valuable in diverse, well-managed grazing systems because of its ability to:
Enhance water infiltration and reduce soil compaction, making fields more resilient to both drought and heavy rainfall.
Suppress invasive weeds such as thistle and ragwort by outcompeting them in the root zone.
Maintain nutritious forage longer into the season, thanks to its high silica content, which helps the leaves retain moisture and essential minerals.
Unlike other grasses, Tall Fescue stays green and retains its nutritional value well into late summer and autumn, making it a valuable resource for extending the grazing season. Although slightly less palatable than other grasses, it provides essential nutrients when other forages begin to decline, supporting livestock health and reducing reliance on supplementary feed.
Expanding Tall Fescue Across Pastures
Many grazing areas have already begun to benefit from deep-rooting grasses, but further opportunities exist to introduce and strengthen Tall Fescue populations. We are focusing on:
Integrating Tall Fescue into areas with compacted or waterlogged soils, where its deep roots will improve infiltration and aeration.
Using rotational rest periods to allow Tall Fescue to fully establish, ensuring long-term pasture resilience.
Seeding new areas with Tall Fescue to accelerate pasture recovery, particularly in regions where other deep-rooting species like Cocksfoot are already taking hold.
Encouraging natural reseeding by allowing mature plants to drop seed, further strengthening the grassland ecosystem.
By prioritizing these approaches, grazing areas will become more self-sustaining and better equipped to handle variable weather conditions.
Bale Grazing as a Tool for Tall Fescue Expansion
Bale grazing presents an excellent opportunity to introduce and encourage Tall Fescue growth in regenerative systems. By strategically placing species-rich hay bales in targeted areas, we can:
Improve seed distribution, helping Tall Fescue establish naturally across diverse pasture landscapes.
Increase organic matter in the soil, which enhances fertility and microbial activity.
Provide winter forage, reducing the need for external feed sources and supporting a more cost-effective grazing strategy.
Rolling out bales in selected areas not only enhances plant diversity but also improves soil structure by encouraging livestock to trample organic material into the ground, further accelerating pasture regeneration.
Closing thoughts
By integrating careful grazing management, strategic overseeding, and bale grazing, we can significantly enhance the long-term productivity and sustainability of our grazing systems. We believe that Tall Fescue, with its deep-rooting structure and resilience, is set to play a vital role in shaping the future of regenerative grazing.
Any questions? Please get in touch.
Our cows
Fertile
Maternal
Long lived
Large rumen capacity – excellent forage converters
Perfect udders
Strong feet and legs
Good temperament
PROFITABLE
Our bulls
Fertile
Long lived
Moderate frame size of high quality
Excellent forage converters
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Testimonials
“After visiting Rob and seeing how he manages his grass and testing his genetics, I was very keen to purchase some of his cattle. I didn’t need to see them, I just put an order in of what I wanted, and Rob did the rest. It’s very reassuring when you find a breeder who really knows his cattle and can be trusted to send you exactly what you want. We will be purchasing more in the future.”
Geraint Powell
Nuffield Scholar
“We bought a bull from Phepson Angus as we wanted to shift our maternal line to a smaller more efficient cow, high fertility and easy calving. The bull we bought has delivered on everything we wanted. We will certainly be a repeat customer.”
Silas Hedley-Lawrence
FAI Farms
We bought 2 bulls from Rob because we wanted easy calving, fertile, hardy bulls. Very happy with initial results on 62 heifers with 100% in calf, 73% bred in the 1st cycle. Bulls didn't go lame or lose condition while working
Oliver Chedgey
2022 Organic Dairy Farmer of the Year
We have PHEPSON ANGUS bulls available from January 2025
Please get in touch if you would like more information about available bulls. We have sold out for the last 3 years so please get in touch early to secure your breeding bull.
Free Consultancy
We often get requests for consultancy on both grassland and cattle management in holistic management systems. While we do take on some advisory work in limited situations we do tend to try and sign-post to other advisers in the regenerative agriculture sector. However, ALL PHEPSON ANGUS CUSTOMERS receive a FREE consultation with their purchase and for our customers we are always available on the phone. So if you are interested in saving money through your grazing systems and would like to add some proven fertility genetics to your herd then get in touch.
Kaiser, Senior Herd Sire
Semen straws available for UK and International export.
Your opportunity to buy into our programme
Excellent producer of easy-calving, fertile, moderate females for grass production
Will reduce frame size while still maintaining commercial scale.
Extremely fertile Bull - producing over 1000 straws per jump on collection on several occasions (bulls usually produce 150 - 350 straw per jump)
Line bred 4 times to Champion Bull "Evesund of Dupplin" who was known as the "Great Fixer of Udders"
We find Kaiser will correct poor udder structure in the 1st cross/generation
Huge rumen capacity - weighs 1000kg in working clothes - 53 inches at the hip
Kaiser is the foundation of our maternal bull lines, and is now available to you
Semen straws and genetics available for UK and
International export.
Contact Rob or Lizzie for an order form.
Rob - 07973771832
Lizzie - 07799127066
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