When we first started our White Peak herbal leys series, we introduced the project and heard from dairy farmer Rusty Mycock about his experience of integrating herbal leys into his farming system.
We're now publishing the next film in the series, featuring beef farmer James Frost.
A herbal ley is a pasture planted with multiple species, including grasses, legumes and deep-rooting herbs, instead of a single grass variety.
Working with Catchment Sensitive Farming adviser Ben Rodgers, James explains how herbal leys fit into his rotation, from establishment and weed control through to forage quality, soil health and biodiversity.
A herbal ley is a pasture planted with multiple species, including grasses, legumes and deep-rooting herbs, instead of a single grass variety.
When implemented successfully, herbal leys can be a major tool in enhancing farm resilience to weather extremes. Like the rest of the series, the film focusses on practical experience and in this case, lessons learned from over 10 years of management within a commercial beef system.
Case study: James Frost
James farms 220 acres in the Derbyshire White Peak, rearing and finishing beef cattle.
In this film he explains his move from dairy to beef production and how a resilient, low input but productive system has evolved around the large-scale use of herbal leys.
James discusses:
- getting the rotation right
- establishing herbal leys using min-till and direct drilling
- overseeding compared with full reseeding
- forage productivity, quality and livestock performance
- improving soil health
- increasing biodiversity through more diverse swards
Throughout the film, James shares what has worked on his farm, the challenges he has encountered and the practical decisions behind his approach.
Watch the James Frost case study
Catch up on the series
If you're new to the series, you can also watch:
Overview: lessons from the White Peak
Ben Rodgers introduces the project and summarises what farmers across the White Peak have learned from several years of growing herbal leys.
Case study: Rusty Mycock
Rusty explains how herbal leys have helped support his dairy system, including reducing nitrogen inputs and improving resilience.
Watch the Rusty Mycock case study.
Coming up
We'll continue sharing films from farmers taking part in the White Peak project, covering different livestock systems and practical approaches to integrating herbal leys into commercial farming.
Each film focuses on farmers' own experiences and the lessons they've learned in practice.
Learn more
Catchment Sensitive Farming
Catchment Sensitive Farming is led by Natural England in partnership with Defra, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission.
It supports farmers to produce food in a way that protects their local water, air and soil and deliver more environmentally sustainable farm businesses
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