Finding the sustainable path to a profitable dairy system 

In the heart of Cumbria, James Tweedie’s innovative approach to dairy farming earned him the prestigious title of Germinal’s Grassland Manager of the Year at the 2024 Farmers Weekly Awards. Find out how James is setting high standards in sustainable dairy production.  

Farm facts: South Dyke Farm, Penrith, Cumbria 

• Light, free-draining soil.
• 250ha – half on an Agricultural Holdings Act (AHA) tenancy. 
• 400 spring-calving, crossbred cows (NZ Friesian and Jersey).
• Yielding 4,700 litres annually at 5.3% butterfat and 4% protein. 

Forage production starts with soil 

James’ success story begins from the ground up. Working with parents Gordon and Margaret, James has transformed South Dyke Farm’s productivity by focusing on soil health first. 

By raising the farm’s average soil pH from 5.6 to an optimal 6.5 with calcium lime, this is right where it needs to be to produce high-performing forage.  

This focus on soil health has allowed James to reseed the entire farm over 7-8 years, with an ongoing commitment to improve 10% of the lowest-performing fields annually. 

Measuring grassland production comes naturally for James, who actively shares data with the GrassCheck GB monitoring network. This methodical approach is delivering results, with forage production reaching 13t dry matter (DM)/ha. In turn, James has minimised supplementary feed, with each cow averaging just 0.5t of concentrate annually. 

Expansion has also supported growth, with South Dyke Farm now covering 250ha. Cow numbers have risen from 270 to 400 and the profitable dairy system is now producing nearly 1,346kg of milk solids per hectare each year. Meanwhile, each cow produces around 460kg of solids annually. 

Clover is a game-changer for James 

Clover’s ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen doesn’t just cut input costs, it also improves soil health, protects water courses, and supports biodiversity. 

For James, white clover has become a game-changer, boosting dairy production while significantly reducing artificial nitrogen applications from around 180-190kg N/ha to 135kg last season.  

“We have found most reseeds need spray, so clover isn’t always viable at the initial reseeding process because it tends to get sprayed out,” James explains.  

James describes his clover overseeding process as “rustic” but effective: 

1. Broadcast 1.5-2kg of clover seed per acre using a fertiliser spinner. 
2. Introduce cows 2-3 days later to tread in the seeds. Clover is a smaller seed with less energy than grass and needs to be sown closer to the surface. 
3. Control grass covers in the first year (target: no more than 2,500kg DM). This is to avoid smothering the clover. 
4. Apply slurry at 2,500 gallons/acre after silage cuts or on grazing fields that have low P and K indices.  

“It has germinated every time. Getting it growing above grass seems to be the most crucial,” adds James. 

James uses Germinal seed and selects medium-leaf clover varieties with good volume and ground cover. He has also used Germinal’s DoubleRoot hybrid clover – a world-first cross of white and Caucasian clover which can withstand extremes of cold and drought.

“We have been really impressed with how the DoubleRoot clover has performed under rigorous grazing (1,400-1,500kg DM/ha residuals) and 10 grazing rounds per year.

“Clover percentages are high across the farm, and where we thought we would need to reincorporate white clover every four to five years, we haven’t had to in any paddock yet. It is now seven to eight years since we introduced DoubleRoot, and we still have a high percentage of it within swards.”

Herbal leys provide persistent forage  

Beyond clover, James is also producing sustainable forage from herbal leys, having entered the entire farm into SAM3 under SFI. Now, about 25% of the grazing platform contains plantain, chicory, and red clover. 

To establish herbal leys, James follows a step-by-step approach:  

1. Grass is sprayed off in April and left for 10-14 days before ploughing, cultivation, and rolling.  

2. A two-week stale seedbed is created. 

3. Seed is broadcast and rolled. 

On more productive grassland, James has direct-drilled seed or broadcast plantain to avoid disturbing established leys. James believes direct drilling has been more effective because it achieves better seed-to-soil contact. 

While herbal leys produce less grass earlier in the season when cows are at peak milk production, their diverse species support forage production during drier periods, persisting when grass-only leys struggle to grow. 

Grazing management 

Managing herbal leys, James follows a longer recovery time than pure perennial ryegrass. “We leave them 25 days and aim for a pre-grazing cover of 3,500kg of dry matter.” 

James runs a rotational grazing system, targeting ten rounds of grazing from February until October/November and produced 13.6t DM/ha in 2023. 

Cows are stocked at 7.4/ha on a 120ha grazing platform, with two silage cuts usually taken in June and August during surplus growth. A further 80ha of support ground is used for heifers. 

The road ahead 

James isn’t resting on his laurels. His ambitious goal? Further reduce chemical nitrogen applications from 135kg N/ha to just 50kg while maintaining high forage production. He believes clover and herbal leys will continue to play a pivotal role in achieving this while making the farm’s lighter soils more resilient to drought. 

Visiting South Dyke Farm, grassland expert William Fleming was impressed by what he saw:  

“James and his family have developed a low-cost system with the ’right type of cow’ in the right place to maximise the farm’s grazing potential and create a resilient system. I think there’s every chance that James achieves his goal.” 

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