pine_guy
Member
- Location
- North Cumbria
Hmmmm, grazing a dry farm has its pitfalls
Cows look wellHmmmm, grazing a dry farm has its pitfalls
View attachment 977778
They are looking after themselves a bit too well for my liking, at least that should help with fertility, into the second cycle now.Cows look well ā¤
View attachment 977775Interesting cutting lay down on some of our heaviest away land. It will be interesting to see what persists
Oh that's really not idealUnless you're planning on cutting every 25 days I'm not sure chicory will persist of make a desirable cutting species.
Due to a drilling bugger up by me I now have 24 ac of a high plantain/diploid prg/wc mix on away ground for cutting and 24 ac of red clover and tetraploid prg next to the parlour.
know the feeling well, though we do tend to dry out late summer/autumn. Bottom of our garden, stream runs through the farm, tend to use it as a 'barometer', it's still way lower than it should be, so, not enough ground water yet.Which herbs are you broadcasting ?
Which grasses are you replacing your PRG with ?
We seemed to have missed most of the rain. Had a few showers but could do with a good soak. This is the 4th spring I have had to buffer due to lack of moisture. Normally a wet region.
I donāt know how your ryegrasses died , farmed in Dorset on 8inches of soil on chalklandknow the feeling well, though we do tend to dry out late summer/autumn. Bottom of our garden, stream runs through the farm, tend to use it as a 'barometer', it's still way lower than it should be, so, not enough ground water yet.
Used three herbs, chicory, plantain and vetch.
vetch, in a grazing ley hasn't worked, in our hybrid rye/vetches, brilliant.
chicory, fine, increasing as the season goes on, and cows love it, has a tendency now to bolt, so topping behind them.
Plantain, good early growth, then tailed off, now full steam ahead, with chicory, tends to be either, or, now, whether that's normal, wait and see.
We have put a bit, in with the fert, chicory, seems to establish very easily, haven't put plantain in that way.
Grasses, fesques, cocksfoot, and late prg, 'drought resistant' ones, and lots of clover.
It's not been the ideal summer to try them, everything has grown ! But, it has all yielded well, so no real penalty by having them, the dry grass mix, fed last summer, was better than prg/w clover leys, when really dry.
That's about it, we shall keep on with them, and experiment with other types/mixes. Festololiums have some drought resistant strains, they may well go in with r clover for silage. We will have a long consistent run, of nice damp summers now, just for spite ! But, in a dry time here, a lot of ryegrasses, simply died, and that is not sustainable, some medium length leys, have been either redrilled, or overseeded, twice, in 3 yrs, just died off.
Sounds like compaction, roots not getting downknow the feeling well, though we do tend to dry out late summer/autumn. Bottom of our garden, stream runs through the farm, tend to use it as a 'barometer', it's still way lower than it should be, so, not enough ground water yet.
Used three herbs, chicory, plantain and vetch.
vetch, in a grazing ley hasn't worked, in our hybrid rye/vetches, brilliant.
chicory, fine, increasing as the season goes on, and cows love it, has a tendency now to bolt, so topping behind them.
Plantain, good early growth, then tailed off, now full steam ahead, with chicory, tends to be either, or, now, whether that's normal, wait and see.
We have put a bit, in with the fert, chicory, seems to establish very easily, haven't put plantain in that way.
Grasses, fesques, cocksfoot, and late prg, 'drought resistant' ones, and lots of clover.
It's not been the ideal summer to try them, everything has grown ! But, it has all yielded well, so no real penalty by having them, the dry grass mix, fed last summer, was better than prg/w clover leys, when really dry.
That's about it, we shall keep on with them, and experiment with other types/mixes. Festololiums have some drought resistant strains, they may well go in with r clover for silage. We will have a long consistent run, of nice damp summers now, just for spite ! But, in a dry time here, a lot of ryegrasses, simply died, and that is not sustainable, some medium length leys, have been either redrilled, or overseeded, twice, in 3 yrs, just died off.
yes, never had it before, but just didn't come back, annual meadow grass, weeds and odd bits, some places here, took 8 weeks, for rape to start, weeds started coming same time as rape, so moisture, not us.I donāt know how your ryegrasses died , farmed in Dorset on 8inches of soil on chalkland
It would get dry for months and clover would take over , then the rains would come and ryegrass would grow away again never died
definitely not, anal about that, we pan very easily, so, subsoil, and aerate, the latter, great, because we can get surface pans as well, an those cuts, should help some rain to stay put. A spade, is very useful, unless you dig a hole, you don't know what your soil, is doing.Sounds like compaction, roots not getting down
I thought that but everything else looks spot onSome how I think there might be a mistake
Thatās what I thought when looking at that sample.Normally when I get a very low scc I also get a very low butterfat.
Do you make this yourself? Iām intrigued would love to have a go!
Do they pay differently that monthDoes anybody else have a specific dates on which you know your milk quality is going to change?. Every July our bf is frustratingly low at 4.5 but as soon as we get a august test itās up to 4.80 without fail.
Nope.seasonality based on litres kicks in in September. Thatās when we aim for 40p by novDo they pay differently that month