- Location
- West Country
Are your “weeds” going to seed as well? Otherwise do you worry with all that prg seed heads that your almost selecting for it by accident?
"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..
- Thread starter Kiwi Pete
- Start date
Are your “weeds” going to seed as well? Otherwise do you worry with all that prg seed heads that your almost selecting for it by accident?
ShooTa
Member
- Location
- Denbighshire - In the vale of Clwyd!
From tomorrows paddock- thats a solid brecon point into the soil - so 25cm odd of grass - its beginning to sit flat now which is a bit annoying -although the trample is pretty mad.
What was sown in your “improved” pastures?
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Lots of different clovers, which is definitely an improvement, as they provide great nutrition and overlap each other nicely, just the wrong grass was used for my system, short rotation ryegrass.. which heads for about 5 months of the growing season, free seed and early growth it does well.
But I don't need early spring growth to that extent, so fescue and timothy would have been a smarter option maybe?
However it is in and is getting on for 15 years have gone by, so it will have one heck of a seedbank now.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Bit of grass in front of these sheeps, judging by the shite piled up on the fence it was recently underwater...
Really like the look of Barengrug’s Barmix mixture, throw in some plantain, chicory, birdsfoot trefoil and alsike clover, and maybe remove/swap the cocksfoot and you’d have a good looking mix for my part of the world.
https://www.barenbrug.co.uk/farming/products/scotland-grass-seed-mixtures/barmix
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Yes some awfully good seed mixes about, usually it is cheaper to make your own in a pan mixer than some of the stuff I've seen advertised.
Would be nice if one of the brexit spinoffs was a bit of relaxation of seed restrictions for you guys TBH..
- Location
- NSW, Newstralya
- Location
- Glen Clova, Angus, DD8 4RD
ShooTa
Member
- Location
- Denbighshire - In the vale of Clwyd!
have to say im not sure what im looking at ith roys photo there...other than maybe an ironic reuse of a IBC for a foliar compost.
the sheep are fair spread out in that pic @Kiwi Pete what %dm are dm are they on and over what area?
the sheep are fair spread out in that pic @Kiwi Pete what %dm are dm are they on and over what area?
- Location
- NSW, Newstralya
No, you are looking at Glyphosate product & the evidence of a lot of glyphosate use
I have issues with glyphosate, but I have bigger issues with tillage, bare ground & no stubble retention
In the foreground are drums of fulvic acid. This is mixed with the glyphosate - not only does it increase uptake into the plant, it acts as a biological carbon buffer that will hopefully ameliorate any potential negative impact on soil biology from the chemistry
I am also going to be furrow injecting biologicals into the plant row at planting, to give the beneficial s a boost along
Holistic management is all about defining what you want to achieve & recognising the resources you have at your disposal, not locking yourself into any one "system"
I am very soil focussed & every decision is made considering the impact it will have on soil health. In this case, I am aware of the potential impact of all herbicides on soil health, but I am hoping that by eliminating synthetic fertilisers, fungicides, insecticides, growing a diverse range of plant types & retaining groundcover, while using commercial "bag or bottle" biological products or producing my own soil innoculants ( Johnson - Su for eg ), that I am building enough resilience & health into my soils to combat this
Ideally, my long term goal is to be "organic" ( small o organic, I don't want certification or labels or be locked into any one production method. I just don't want to use any external synthetic inputs ) zero till.
I recognise I am a long way from this, but am transitioning towards it
I have issues with glyphosate, but I have bigger issues with tillage, bare ground & no stubble retention
In the foreground are drums of fulvic acid. This is mixed with the glyphosate - not only does it increase uptake into the plant, it acts as a biological carbon buffer that will hopefully ameliorate any potential negative impact on soil biology from the chemistry
I am also going to be furrow injecting biologicals into the plant row at planting, to give the beneficial s a boost along
Holistic management is all about defining what you want to achieve & recognising the resources you have at your disposal, not locking yourself into any one "system"
I am very soil focussed & every decision is made considering the impact it will have on soil health. In this case, I am aware of the potential impact of all herbicides on soil health, but I am hoping that by eliminating synthetic fertilisers, fungicides, insecticides, growing a diverse range of plant types & retaining groundcover, while using commercial "bag or bottle" biological products or producing my own soil innoculants ( Johnson - Su for eg ), that I am building enough resilience & health into my soils to combat this
Ideally, my long term goal is to be "organic" ( small o organic, I don't want certification or labels or be locked into any one production method. I just don't want to use any external synthetic inputs ) zero till.
I recognise I am a long way from this, but am transitioning towards it
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- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
No idea, I just saw them on my way down to Tahakopa to throw some kale on a paddock, and thought "another silly bugger doing it all wrong"
That paddock always has a temporary fence down the middle of it though, I guess it is easier to sort it out when the river floods it?
Had a mate come over tonight and we were discussing subdividing some of our paddocks a bit more, as there are two that are equivalent to 2 other paddocks.
I'm tempted to "roll my own" kiwitech style fence, with fibreglass rods and some bungee cord to keep tension on it, probably use polytape.
My little canam buggy is pretty good to hop over a fence anyway, as I have a full plate under it so it doesn't snag.
What type of subdividing fences do people use?
Ideally mine would still be moved a little each way so it doesn't become a weed sanctuary.
ShooTa
Member
- Location
- Denbighshire - In the vale of Clwyd!
a semi permanant setup?
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Many biological type products used in tank mixes are great for increasing plant uptake of chemicals, I think of hiding the cat's worm tablet in a bit of food when on the subject.
That was one of the many sales pitches for applying liquid kelp products and liquid humates, halve the rate of fertiliser or herbicide for similar result.
I am planning on adding liquid humates and fish emulsion to my compost if and when I get it spread..
That was one of the many sales pitches for applying liquid kelp products and liquid humates, halve the rate of fertiliser or herbicide for similar result.
I am planning on adding liquid humates and fish emulsion to my compost if and when I get it spread..
All sounds very sensible........it’ll never catch on [emoji23]
Seriously tho, the whole regenerative farming idea will struggle to gain much support here, it leaves those supplying very expensive inputs facing plummeting sales/extinction.
Have often wondered how farmers producing one of the only things we really can’t survive without (food) have ended up being the least profitable primary producers going, especially beef and sheep, but I’m looking at this whole idea/movement with more than a bit of hope. Actually quite exciting.
Only problem I’m seeing just now is that much of the environment schemes that are offering good money really are anti-production, limits on stocking rates etc. It would be a brave man that would forego that guaranteed income to try something new.
hedges
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Yes, ideally I'd not make them too permanent, but it would save being short of temp fences when I want to go on a fencing spree in the weekends.
Dad had hardwood stakes for his, and 4 HT wires, but the thistles end up growing through them as you can't get feet where the fenceline is..
So I would like to be able to shift it either way 900mm or so, and only have a single post to drive in, or a couple of "star pickets" for a gateway.
Hence I'm thinking polytape, but put some electric bungy cord in them so they have enough give to cross a vehicle on an angle, or be moved a little
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
If only....
- Location
- NSW, Newstralya
That's the advantage we have here ( maybe one of our "unfair advantages" ? ), no payments, no subsidies, we are free to make it up as we go along, make mistakes, learn from others & just give new things a try. We are also very good at sharing information with each other
Yes, we have a large distribution / supply industry based around farm inputs, but in a marginal low yielding harsh environment, people are always looking at reducing inputs or increasing margins
We don't have any "gaurenteed income" to forego
ShooTa
Member
- Location
- Denbighshire - In the vale of Clwyd!
i was re-watching a neil dennis vid - he had a metal post (star or angle iron) with a poly pipe jammed ontop for his gate post - and bungy for the gate.
im digging the taragate 3:! reels and the braid is great, but for semi permanant i would go for more robust/allweather type reels or even cut the braid to that specific width, which would allow that stretch/driveover you want. then i would look at the uber flex kiwitech style posts/or plastics knowing that i would have to keep an eye on their condition.
im digging the taragate 3:! reels and the braid is great, but for semi permanant i would go for more robust/allweather type reels or even cut the braid to that specific width, which would allow that stretch/driveover you want. then i would look at the uber flex kiwitech style posts/or plastics knowing that i would have to keep an eye on their condition.