Farmers Weekly: Benefits of bokashi for welsh beef producer

In 1st November’s edition of Farmers Weekly the team interviewed a Welsh beef producer.

Farmyard manure is a valuable resource in any grassland system. For an organic farm whose only other input sources are magnesium lime and granular calcium lime, it is even more important, as it must be the sole nutrient supply for growing all grass and crops on the farm.

At Penrhiw Farm, near Llandysul, Phil Cowcher turns his farmyard manure (FYM) into bokashi, a fermented material produced by adding microbes to digest the manure. This coming winter will be the third that he has made bokashi, and he is convinced it offers a good return on investment from a process that costs him about £500 a year.

Phil produces bokashi by applying a product containing a broad spectrum of bacteria, yeast and fungi twice weekly to bedding using a knapsack sprayer. He does this when cattle are housed, adding fresh straw after each of those applications. "It's an anaerobic process because the cattle trample it down and that

PHOTOGRAPHY: DEBBIE JAMES CHARLOTTE CUNNINGHAM

Phil Cowcher finds Bokashi to be far more manageable than traditional farmyard manure, as it breaks up easily, making cleaning out the sheds simpler. The key, he explains, is in the anaerobic fermentation process which seals out air, enabling microbes to proliferate. These microbes interact with nitrogen proteins in the bedding and manure, raising its nitrogen content.

Handling and application

After the young stock are released in March and the cows in April, the bedding stays in place for about six weeks, allowing the composting process to advance. This delay also reduces labor by eliminating the need to handle bedding twice. "We clean out the sheds and fill the Rotaspreader simultaneously," Phil says.

Bokashi is applied to fields after grazing or silage harvesting, providing nutrients that are immediately accessible to the soil due to pre-fermentation. Its consistency also allows it to be easily removed with a loader bucket, and unlike untreated manure, there is no unpleasant odour—microbes in the bedding prevent odour-causing organisms from forming. Phil mentions that he learned of Bokashi's benefits from a pig farmer who used it to eliminate bad smells.

Animal Health

Phil notes that using Bokashi likely reduced sickness among his calves last spring when wet weather forced him to bring them back into the sheds. Despite damp conditions, he saw no issues with calf health, no scours, and attributes this in part to the Bokashi process, which emits fewer harmful gases.

Soil Benefits

Phil’s primary motivation for switching to Bokashi is the advantage it offers to soil health. While field-stacked manure can lose up to 60% of its carbon in 12 months, and turn compost as much as 75% in eight weeks, Bokashi retains 97-99% of its carbon, depending on conditions. This allows for a richer carbon supply when the material is eventually spread on the fields.

Enhanced Nutrient Cycling

While Bokashi doesn’t necessarily increase crop yields, it offers cost savings through reduced reliance on other fertilizers, especially for non-organic farms, by providing nutrients in a form that’s easy to collect and spread.

Farm Overview: Penrhiw Farm, Llandysul

• 208 ha of owned and rented land

• Annual rainfall averages 1,200mm

• 200 Stabiliser cows and youngstock, turned out in April

• Lambing flock of 940 Highlander ewes, with 300 ewe lambs, lambing in April

After spreading Bokashi, Phil observes that it decomposes much faster than untreated manure, indicating that earthworms are breaking it down quickly, which helps to recycle nutrients and carbon back into the soil. The lower emissions of methane and carbon dioxide contribute to these benefits, offsetting input costs by reducing the need for additional fertilizers.

Soil conditions vary across his land, with a pH range of 5.8 to 6.2, and phosphate and potash mostly at index 2. Bokashi is applied lightly one or two times per year at about 5-7.5t/ha.

Grazing and Rotational Management

The Bokashi-enhanced grass supports a rotational grazing system for both cattle and sheep. In 2023, Phil experimented with "total grazing," moving cattle four times daily to graze residuals as low as 1,400kg of dry matter per hectare. To manage the soil impact from the clay loam and heavy rains, he decided to house cattle in late October, protecting the soil and spring grass while allowing him to produce more Bokashi.

Phil uses a leader-follower grazing approach, with cows and calves grazing after lambs to improve lamb performance. Phil, who farms with his parents, Tom and Eva, remains committed to experimenting with practices that could improve soil health. "You have to try different methods to see what works best for your climate and soil," he advises.

Before adopting Bokashi, Phil had been turning farmyard manure into aerobic compost by maintaining the compost within specific temperature ranges. Once matured, it was spread on fields after grazing or silage. He also experimented with vermicomposting, adding earthworms to composted manure to create a nutrient-rich soil conditioner. However, aerobic composting requires significant labour and resources, which is one reason he finds Bokashi to be a more efficient solution. "With Bokashi, we’re not turning it, which keeps the nutrients locked in," he says.

As he becomes more proficient with the Bokashi process, Phil aims to start producing his own supply for bedding, further lowering costs.