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Farming Today: Farming Today This Week: Grass

Farming Today This Week

03/05/2014

Farming Today This Week: Grass

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Farming Today This Week: Grass

It covers 60% of agricultural land in the UK, but how important is grass for farmers?

From wildlife-rich meadows to highly productive grasslands, Charlotte Smith explores the importance of grass for UK farmers.

To unearth the importance of grass for UK farmers, Charlotte Smith visits a beef farmer in Gloucestershire who feeds his livestock purely on grass and hay. Ian Boyd grazes his Hereford cows on permanent grassland during the summer months and on wildflower meadows over the winter. Farming Today This Week also speaks to the Pasture Fed Livestock Association about why they believe grass-fed livestock helps enrich both UK grasslands and the end product.

Farming Today This Week also hears from the British Grassland Society and why the Wildlife Trusts will present a petition to the Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, asking for more protection of our meadows. Marie Lennon meets a farmer on the Somerset Levels who is restoring his grassland after the floods and Caz Graham speaks to a dairy farmer in Cumbria who is fanatical about grassland management.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Lucy Bickerton.

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