Dylan Jones: Beefing up sustainability with red clover

What if you could double your beef output and cut your fertiliser bill by producing more homegrown feed? For beef finisher Dylan Jones, red clover played a key role in achieving this.

Dylan has created a 100% self-sufficient feeding system by growing barley as a break crop and using red clover to fix natural nitrogen in soil. This also boosts forage protein and reduces input costs while doubling cattle throughput.

At Castlellior Farm near Menai Bridge, Anglesey, he runs a 340-hectare lowland beef enterprise alongside his father, Wyn, and wife, Siwan. They finish 1,600 steers annually with no reliance on purchased protein and a much lower fertiliser bill.

Rethinking the system  

The change began in 2016, when a fellow farmer made Dylan question the environmental sustainability of his previous setup. 
 
“A farmer asked me how I could ever hit environmental targets. At the time, I was using far too much fertiliser and buying soya. It struck a chord with me.” Dylan explains. 

As a third-generation farmer, Dylan’s key motivation was to futureproof the farm for his sons if they decide to take over.   

A system transformed  

Fast-forward eight years, the farm has phased out sheep entirely to expand the beef enterprise.  

To feed the growing herd, Dylan tripled the area of homegrown barley to 149 hectares and built a forage system based on short-term leys of Aber High Sugar Grass (HSG) and red clover. The cattle diet is now built around crimped barley and high-quality silage made on-farm.  

Red clover is central to his approach: 
“I’ve been growing red clover for 25 years,” he says. “If the house were on fire, of course I’d grab my wife and kids, but I’d also grab that bag of red clover.” 

Smarter rotation and better soil health  

Grass leys are now rotated every three years instead of seven to maximise feed quality. Around 30-35 hectares of grass are reseeded annually to keep forage productivity high.  

After harvesting winter barley, often as early as 1 July, fields are quickly replanted with summer barley, fast-growing ryegrass, and red clover. 

2025: The system in action 

• Winter barley was harvested on 1 July.
• Summer barley, ryegrass, and red clover sown on 10 July.
• Forage crop harvested by 15 September, with no synthetic nitrogen applied. Around 12-15 tonnes per ha of organic manure incorporated at ploughing.  

Barley is crimped at 27-30% moisture, yielding 8.6-9.8 tonnes per hectare, and provides both starch and protein for the ration. 

“Double cropping maximises land use and keeps our soils covered,” says Dylan. “We’re also sinking more carbon this way.” 

A natural protein source 

Red clover isn’t just about nitrogen fixing, it plays a key role in the cattle’s diet. The farm dedicates 12 hectares to silage production and it’s also sown in grazing lays.  

“I need protein for the cattle, and red clover gives me the cheapest, most sustainable source.” 

Germinal’s AberClaret is Dylan’s preferred red clover variety, mixed in at 1.5kg/acre. It’s yielding consistently, lasting up to four years, and performing well even in dry conditions thanks to its deep taproots. 

Beef performance and efficiency  

Holstein and dairy cross steers are bought in at 18-24 months of age. Lighter cattle (400-450kg) graze on leys rich in AberSpey and AberZeus ryegrasses and AberSwan white clover from March to October. 

“We keep going back to Aber High Sugar Grass varieties,” says Dylan. “They thrive on our soil, and we see average daily liveweight gains of 1.1-1.2kg.” 

Aber HSG varieties are award-winning perennial ryegrasses bred to contain higher levels of water-soluble carbohydrates than standard varieties. Using Aber HSG can increase liveweight gain by up to 20%, supporting both productivity and environmental sustainability. 

Heavier cattle (450kg+) are housed and fed a total mixed ration of: 

• 10kg red clover grass silage
• 3kg baled red clover
• 7kg crimped barley
• 1.5kg peas
• 1.5kg haylage

This intensive but efficient system sees steers finished in 127 days on average, sometimes as few as 92, and sold deadweight at 330-350kg (52% kill-out), achieving O and R grades. 

Sustainable and profitable  

With fertiliser use halved and soya eliminated, Dylan’s carbon footprint is now just 3.9kg CO₂ per kg of liveweight, a quarter of the Welsh beef average of 11-16kg. 

“I’ve kept the system intensive, but it now gives me more output from fewer inputs. I’m hitting my environmental targets, and I’m making a healthy profit.” 

Thinking of integrating red clover into your system?  

Our brand-new Climate Smart Capture range has clover-rich mixtures optimised for nutrient efficiency – explore your options now.