Sustainable Agriculture & Reduced inputs

Doc

Member
Livestock Farmer
I too listened whilst driving home. Thank you for the presentation.
The standout point I hadn’t considered was basically that mowing stymies photosynthesis potential of a sward at the very time you want to maximise it. I will be setting the mower higher this year to leave aftermath greener with hopefully better growth for the second cut. I’ll also put some herbal ley (3kg/Ac) in with NPK to spread after a bit of a Harrow scratch as soon as it’s dry enough and see what takes as we’ve bugger all to crowd it here.
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
I too listened whilst driving home. Thank you for the presentation.
The standout point I hadn’t considered was basically that mowing stymies photosynthesis potential of a sward at the very time you want to maximise it. I will be setting the mower higher this year to leave aftermath greener with hopefully better growth for the second cut. I’ll also put some herbal ley (3kg/Ac) in with NPK to spread after a bit of a Harrow scratch as soon as it’s dry enough and see what takes as we’ve bugger all to crowd it here.
I was thinking similarly. Having moved to a 3M front mower last year it would be quite easy to cut at 200mm instead of 40mm and get less soil contamination as a result.

I can hear dad now: "Look at all that grass you've wasted" :rolleyes:
 

Kevtherev

Member
Location
Welshpool Powys
IMG_8461.JPG


IMG_8456.JPG

Couple of pics from the Lucerne workshop I was at on Wednesday.
An overlooked forage imo
 

Barleycorn

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Hampshire
I was very surprised when she said that she did not worry about seed mixtures, and 'the right grasses grow'. I think that the right seed mix is fundamental in this sort of farming.
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
I was very surprised when she said that she did not worry about seed mixtures, and 'the right grasses grow'. I think that the right seed mix is fundamental in this sort of farming.
I suppose it depends how much hurry you're in. The diversity will come in time but it might take 10 years. Judicious overseeding could achieve the plant diversity in 2.

That's what I'm hoping anyway. I'm only looking at 4 to 5 years before we sell up to head for New Zealand.
 

Agrispeed

Member
Location
Cornwall
I suppose it depends how much hurry you're in. The diversity will come in time but it might take 10 years. Judicious overseeding could achieve the plant diversity in 2.

That's what I'm hoping anyway. I'm only looking at 4 to 5 years before we sell up to head for New Zealand.

I have two thoughts on this - The natural plants growing do tend to be naturally selected to perform well in that area, but with common sense you can hurry it along have a much more productive, if less naturally well suited ley. It depends on how important production is; I have a friend who barely does any reseeding, pointing out that its just throwing money at grasses which are eventually out competed. His stocking rate is very low (although he does get very good growth in both very dry and wet/cold periods) but his costs are also low (although I suspect they are not comparatively lower).

I find the main thing in getting a mix that suits the particular area, especially in diverse mixes is that you can cut out a lot of the ones that are less competitive, and perversely usually the most expensive seeds - 0.5kg of the expensive seeds (which if they don't grow supply no benefit) can easy add 20% to the overall cost.

Couple of pics from the Lucerne workshop I was at on Wednesday.
An overlooked forage imo

Looking better than mine! Its growing but it doesn't look happy. I'm hoping it sorts itself out as it is fantastic feed and the cows do very well on it (and go mad for it too), there seems to be more and more trying it, many aren't organic either.
 

Blaithin

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Alberta
View attachment 658530

View attachment 658532
Couple of pics from the Lucerne workshop I was at on Wednesday.
An overlooked forage imo
You live in the wrong country then. Alfalfa is probably the single most responsible plant for why native pasture has been cultivated up and seeded to tame hay here.

It’s growing voluntarily in my front yard and ditch :ROFLMAO:
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
I suspect I already know the answer :whistle: but what are your views on flat rolling of pasture (to smooth for mowing and push stones down out of the way)?

I'm intending to mow much higher this year so don't see much point but dad's always had a thing about doing it, even on land only ever grazed.
 

hendrebc

Member
Livestock Farmer
I suspect I already know the answer :whistle: but what are your views on flat rolling of pasture (to smooth for mowing and push stones down out of the way)?

I'm intending to mow much higher this year so don't see much point but dad's always had a thing about doing it, even on land only ever grazed.
I never undestood that. Ok when everyone had a fingerbar mower (or a scythe) stones in the grass would ruin yor day but with modern mowers the stones dont do anything much to them and if they do a blade is cheap and easy to change. Some use the excuse that it helps the grass tiller. Everyone i know that uses that excuse either has sheep or get sheep to graze over winter and they make grass tiller all by itself so... why are they still rolling grass fields? Habit maybe :whistle:
I know flat rollers have their uses but i dont often see the need for them for the reasons i see given for their use.
Maybe someone cleverer than me will disagree but thats how i see it. Recreational compaction anyone :bag:
 

Big_D

Member
Location
S W Scotland
Thin
I suspect I already know the answer :whistle: but what are your views on flat rolling of pasture (to smooth for mowing and push stones down out of the way)?

I'm intending to mow much higher this year so don't see much point but dad's always had a thing about doing it, even on land only ever grazed.

Think it depends on your farm, think a lot of people do it to make their fields stripey! Used to do them all here now do round the outsider as we have dry stone walls and any rutted areas, definitely don't want soil contamination in your silage and don' want stones going through forager!
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
Thin


Think it depends on your farm, think a lot of people do it to make their fields stripey! Used to do them all here now do round the outsider as we have dry stone walls and any rutted areas, definitely don't want soil contamination in your silage and don' want stones going through forager!
So far you both sort of support what I'm thinking. I love the phrase "Recreational compaction" btw @hendrebc (y)

Having pondered on @Sheila Cooke 's webinar from Thursday I'm planning to cut all our silage land higher this year, 4 inches or so, and let the machines roll the remaining grass down. That in itself should reduce soil contamination. It'll be interesting to see what happens.
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
You live in the wrong country then. Alfalfa is probably the single most responsible plant for why native pasture has been cultivated up and seeded to tame hay here.

It’s growing voluntarily in my front yard and ditch :ROFLMAO:
Got these courtesy of @Great In Grass this week to try. I'll throw it in a couple of acres of gravelly land in ryegrass monoculture at dad's after the first cut to see what happens.

20180413_161843.jpg
10kg of Lucerne seed.
 

hendrebc

Member
Livestock Farmer
So far you both sort of support what I'm thinking. I love the phrase "Recreational compaction" btw @hendrebc (y)

Having pondered on @Sheila Cooke 's webinar from Thursday I'm planning to cut all our silage land higher this year, 4 inches or so, and let the machines roll the remaining grass down. That in itself should reduce soil contamination. It'll be interesting to see what happens.
I cut grassy leafy hay/silage at about that lwngth anyway i have for a while now. I did a cut of hay in a field in mid september about 6 years ago and shaved it off like everyone does. That field didnt really grow back till mid may. An old farmer told me i should have cut it longer it being so late so it could recover better so i do it every time now. The only time i sill shave it off is if its long old stemmy stuff that tends to die and just lie there not doing anything and rots in the ground. Not that thats a bad thing in itself but the lambs grazing the aftermath later dont do as well with a load of dead stems in the new lush grown grass.
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
So far you both sort of support what I'm thinking. I love the phrase "Recreational compaction" btw @hendrebc (y)

Having pondered on @Sheila Cooke 's webinar from Thursday I'm planning to cut all our silage land higher this year, 4 inches or so, and let the machines roll the remaining grass down. That in itself should reduce soil contamination. It'll be interesting to see what happens.
I never worry about cutting to low much better to leave some stubble, it means the tedder, rake and baler pickup can be set higher avoiding soil contamination and its better for the machinery than digging the ground
the grass regrows quicker so you don't lose anything in fact I think you gain, very often particularly with a more mature crop that bottom few inches is not worth having anyway
 
I never roll a hay field now. I lift stones when I'm out looking at stock the rest of the year. I never harrow a field either, i do dodge about knocking mole hills down with a mounted set if there's a lot of them though.
Nothing makes me sadder than watching someone close to here driving about with a beautiful opico set of adjustable tine harrows... With them set on the least aggressive setting. He'd be better dragging a duvet cover about:(
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 35.1%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,292
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top