Integrating livestock into arable rotations: Unlocking soil and system resilience
As part of an AHDB-funded initiative, ADAS led a pioneering project investigating the integration of livestock into arable rotations, focusing on the practical, economic, environmental, and agronomic outcomes of this approach.
Background
Against the backdrop of growing interest in regenerative farming practices, the project sought to provide robust, real-world evidence on how reintroducing grass and herbal leys alongside grazing livestock can benefit both soil health and farm profitability.
The study was centred at Norwood Farm in Somerset, where six long-term arable fields—with over a decade of continuous cropping—were converted to grass/clover and herbal ley mixtures in autumn 2017.
Actions taken
Over the following three years, these leys were grazed with beef cattle, enabling the ADAS team to monitor a wide range of soil and system indicators in a controlled but practical farm setting.
From the outset, ADAS took a comprehensive approach, conducting detailed baseline assessments of soil physical, chemical, and biological quality before the ley establishment. These assessments were repeated three years later and revealed marked improvements across the board.
Results
Soil organic matter
Notably, topsoil organic matter increased by an average of 0.3 percentage points—equivalent to an additional 6 tonnes of organic matter per hectare in the top 15cm of soil. Earthworm numbers, a key biological indicator of soil health, rose by 60%, and their biomass more than tripled. These findings offered tangible proof of the benefits that integrating livestock and diverse leys can bring to soil structure and fertility.
Crop performance
Importantly, the agronomic advantages were also reflected in crop performance. When the fields returned to spring barley production following the ley phase, yields increased by 0.7 tonnes per hectare compared to continuous arable rotations. This result demonstrated the rotational value of leys not only for soil restoration but also for delivering measurable crop responses.
Financial returns
Beyond the environmental and agronomic gains, the project also addressed the financial realities of mixed enterprise systems. A cost-benefit analysis carried out by the ADAS team showed that integrating beef cattle into arable systems could achieve a net margin of around £250 per hectare (before rent and finance), highlighting the potential for financial as well as ecological resilience.
Other benefits
To help farmers apply the lessons from this research, ADAS developed an Excel-based decision support tool. This practical resource allows users to model different ley establishment options, cattle systems, and infrastructure setups to evaluate the economics of grazing livestock on arable land.
This project has demonstrated how well-designed, evidence-based research can provide real-world insight into regenerative farming transitions. This project not only highlighted the potential of integrating livestock into arable systems but also delivered the tools and data to support informed decision-making across the farming community..
