Farming beef for the next generation: The Underley farm tour

Join Ian Farrant at Underley on the Herefordshire–Worcestershire border for the closing Monitor Farm event, showcasing lessons learned from a progressive, forage‑led beef system focused on sustainability, profitability and resilience.

Underley is a 600‑acre beef finishing farm, finishing 600 cattle a year. During the event, we'll explore system change, practical trials and honest reflections from Ian’s Monitor Farm journey.

Agenda

• 10:00am–10:30am Arrival, welcome, registration, tea and coffee
• 10:30am–11:00am Introductions and farm overview
  • Ian Farrant will introduce Underley, outlining the system, challenges and motivations for joining the Monitor Farm programme
  • Reflections on business resilience and system changes
• 11:00am Farm walk
• Station 1: Defra NUE-Leg trial – clovers and legumes
  • Germinal and Ian will give an overview of the NUE-Leg project and Underley’s involvement
  • Open discussion on the challenges of these trials and the opportunity to reduce fertiliser use and improve nitrogen efficiency
• Station 2: Establishing and growing lucerne
  • Why Ian chose to trial home‑grown lucerne in a beef system
  • Honest discussion on establishment challenges – including why Ian nearly gave up on the crop and the benefits seen for cattle performance and feed self‑sufficiency
• 12:45pm–1:30pm Lunch and networking 
• 1:30pm–2:30pm Station 3: Calf rearing and home-grown feeding systems 
  • Ian will explain why he made the switch from British Blues to Aberdeen Angus‑sired dairy‑beef calves and how this fits better within his forage‑based finishing system where he has transitioned to a home‑grown TMR leading to positive financial and practical impacts
• 2:30pm–3:00pm Discussion and Q&A
• 3:00pm Close 

BASIS and NRoSO CPD points will be available.