Farmers are invited to participate in pioneering demonstration trials of a range of Welsh-made, seaweed-derived biostimulants and fertilisers developed by a Pembrokeshire based regenerative ocean farm.

By taking part, they will help build on research into biostimulants and see for themselves how they could be a natural, locally grown, practical, cost-effective, and viable alternative to current best practice approaches.

Developed by Câr-y-Môr, Wales' first regenerative ocean farm, the range of foliar sprays and liquid fertilisers have been designed to help farmers reduce their reliance on artificial fertilisers, enhance root growth, improve yields and bolster plant resistance to weather and climate-related stresses such as floods, frosts and droughts.

The products help nurture soil health and support beneficial microbes such as nitrogen-fixing bacteria and phosphate-solubilising fungi, which reinvigorate nature’s natural nutrient cycling processes. They also improve soil structure and increase water infiltration rates.

Câr-y-Môr’s 100% natural solutions, whilst compatible for use with most current agrochemicals, provide farmers with an effective way to boost their businesses while helping to ‘wind the clock back’ by offering a nature-based alternative to many conventional artificial fertilisers.

First stage farmer-led field trials have delivered exciting results, indicating positive benefits for farming – such as an average 18% increase per hectare of silage dry matter yield and up to a 24% increase in yield for organic potatoes.

The St. Davids-based Community Benefit Society, has been inspired by innovative models in Canada, Alaska and New Zealand. By embracing a 'sea to soil to table' approach, the organisation aims to offer a uniquely Welsh solution to the financial and environmental pressures faced by farmers today.

Câr-y-Môr director, Dom Burbridge, who heads the farmer-led field trials, said “Whilst trying to keep our nation fed, farmers and growers are facing a barrage of challenges – both natural and human-made. The changing climate and unseasonal weather is having a tremendous impact on how and what we farm, while changes in direct payments and the economic pressures on the market place have impacted incomes and set farm business costs soaring.

“At Câr-y-Môr, as a Community Benefit Society, our aim is to improve the livelihoods of the local community, and fishermen and farmers are at the heart and soul of our communities. We are creating something which addresses many concerns faced by farmers in Wales. It is also a solution tailored to the Welsh landscape – for example what works in Wales is completely different to the needs of farmers in eastern England.”

Dom said: “Our initial trials have yielded some fantastic results, and now is the time to replicate these results on a much larger number of farms and really give everyone the confidence to trust what we've always known, that seaweed is good for land and the food, fodder and feed we grow.

“Therefore, we are asking for the help of farmers, growers and market gardeners who think there is potential in learning from our forebears, and using seaweed in agriculture again, to join us, and everyone who is a part of our growing Community Benefit Society, to reconnect our rich heritage of Welsh farming traditions, and the soil beneath our feet, to the coastal waters that surround us.

In so doing, we hope to tap into generations of farming knowledge, and expertise, to help steer the agriculture industry towards a sustainable and prosperous future both for everyone now and the future generations of Welsh family farmers.”

Ceredigion beef and sheep farmer Daniel Evans was among the initial farm trial group trialling, as part of a Farming Connect project, Evans used Câr-y-Môr’s biostimulant on three newly overseeded red clover pasture fields at Tan-y-Graig Farm near Lampeter in June 2024.

Daniel said: “We used the biostimulant on around 1.5 acres in total, with a portion of the fields left untreated to compare results.

“I was very pleasantly surprised by the results. Visually, there initially appeared to be no difference, but when grass was weighed, the area where we had used the biostimulant showed an 18% increase in yield – which is pretty concrete evidence.”

He said the results achieved at Tan-y-Graig Farm were promising, and he would be interested in taking part in further trials.

Daniel continued: “We are all looking to reduce input costs, so I'd encourage other farmers to participate in biostimulant trials, too.”

The trial’s results were assessed by independent grass and forage consultant Marc Jones, who was the British Grassland Society’s Grassland Farmer of the Year 2021.

He said: “The use of Câr-y-Môr’s seaweed biostimulant across the first cut silage ground showed an average increased yield of 615 kg of dry matter per ha across all of the plots. This showed a potential increased output of £92/hectare which would be very beneficial to the farmer.

“There is huge potential to replace the carbon intensive fertiliser generally used by farmers with a more sustainable alternative in Câr-y-Môr. This will help increase yield but also reduce the carbon footprint associated with fertiliser across farms.”

The results from Tan-y-Graig farm were presented at a recent Farming Connect open day.

Farming Connect’s sector officer for the farm, Lynwen Mathias, said: “Through the projects undertaken on Our Farms network, Farming Connect is always keen to trial new innovations and technologies which aim to improve and enhance the farms productivity and sustainability for the future.

“The seaweed biostimulant trialled at Tan-y-Graig has provided the farm with a valuable opportunity to try a new product which is produced here in Wales and has the potential to increase yields whilst lowering the need for artificial fertiliser inputs. Further details on this project can be found on the Farming Connect website.”

Farmers who are interested in participating in Câr-y-Môr’s biostimulant farm trials can find out more by emailing: [email protected]