Summary
The North Wyke Farm Platform is a nationally instrumented capability for investigating how grassland farming systems for beef and sheep production affect environmental outcomes. Using sensor technologies and field surveys, the study quantifies the effects of pasture renewal strategies and farm management practices on soil moisture, runoff, and nutrient water quality dynamics. The research demonstrates the potential of intensive multi-technology monitoring platforms to assess whether productive meat systems can be developed with minimised environmental losses.
UK applicability
The findings are directly applicable to UK lowland grassland farming conditions, as the research was conducted within the United Kingdom using locally relevant beef and sheep production systems. The study provides evidence-based guidance for designing management practices and pasture types that could reduce nutrient losses whilst maintaining productivity in UK temperate grasslands.
Key measures
Soil moisture levels, surface runoff volumes, nutrient loss concentrations in runoff water, nutrient cycling flows, nutrient transformations in soil, losses to water and air, effects of weather and field topography on pollutant loss
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil moisture contents, surface runoff, and associated nutrient losses from three 21-hectare farmlets under different grassland management systems using instrumented sensor technologies. The research evaluated how pasture renewal strategies (enhanced sugar-content grasses, deep-rooting traits, and grass-legume mixtures) affected hydrology and nutrient cycling dynamics.
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