IBERS Aberystwyth

An exposed slightly sloping site lapprox 2km from the coast with a West South Westly aspect. It is historically grazed grassland and sandy loam soil. Miscanthus and SRC Willow planting to occur in spring 2023 followed by SRC Poplar, SRF Poplar, SRF Eucalyptus.

Address

Fron Goch Farm, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DG.

Latitude, longitude

52°25’30.88N, 04°03’18.89W

Grid ref

SN6056882610

What 3 words ref for entrance

///withdrew.districts.profile

Site Plans

Aberystwyth Hub Site PlanAberystwyth Soil Sample Locations

Characteristics

Mean Annual Precipitation (mm)

858mm (3-year average)

Mean Annual Temperature (°C)

10.9 (3-year average)

Altitude 

130m

Exposure

The site is located in Mid wales approx. 2km from the coast. The site is positioned on top of a hill facing WSW. It therefore is exposed to the predominant weather patterns affecting the mid Wales coast.

Topography 

The site comprises of 3 fields totalling ~5ha. The site is slightly sloped with an elevation difference of 10m (125m-135m) across the site.

Aspect

West South Westerly Aspect.

Soil type

Sandy Loam (hand textured, using ADAS protocol).

Current vegetation coverage

Improved grassland.

Other relevant site info

 

Project plans/actions

Which biomass crops

Miscanthus, SRC Willow, SRC Poplar, SRF Poplar, SRF Eucalyptus.

Planting goals/aim

 

Agronomic dates (planting, harvesting schedule)

Site sprayed to remove existing Grass – 14/10/22.

Ploughing and cultivation – Oct 2022.

Miscanthus Trial establishment – April 2023.

Willow establishment – April 2023.

Miscanthus harvest – First harvest March 2025, harvest yearly from then onwards.

Management methodology (spray off, nutrient additions, ploughing, site prep, others)

Planting area was sprayed off in October prior to cultivation. 

Machinery to be used

 

General Info

Field management history

Long term grassland – Grazed by sheep and cattle.

Other site detail of note

 

Updates

Media from the IBERS Demo Event
22/03/2023
We’ve just published various items of media from the recent Biomass Connect Demo Event at the IBERS, Aberystwyth Hub Site. Here’s a quick round-up for those of you who couldn’t […]
Drone Flyover – IBERS Demo Event March 2023
21/03/2023
Relax with a drone flyover from our recent Biomass Connect Demo event at IBERS, Aberystwyth. The perfect opportunity to see what a trial site growing the biomass crops willow and […]
Planting SRC Willow
14/03/2023
At our recent IBERS Hub Site Demo Event William MacAlpine of Rothamsted Research explained why a mix of 6 different varieties is recommended when planting willow as a biomass crop.
IBERS Demo Event
08/03/2023
The recent Biomass Connect demo event at the IBERS hub site was well received. The weather put on quite a show with glorious sunshine and calm conditions that were perfect for the harvesting demos and informal discussions on one of our trial fields. The event was well attended and everyone seemed to have a good time and found it useful. We enjoyed connecting with interested parties from a wide range of backgrounds too.
Hub Site Updates – IBERS Aberystwyth – January 2023
02/03/2023
January 2023 Risk Assessments for grazing, browsing and crop damage threats were undertaken. Areas of the field that have been drilled with grass seed in field 1 are very wet. […]

Gallery

Videos

 

52.4328915 -4.017391 Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, UK