"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..

ShooTa · Dec 6, 2021

Kiwi Pete said:
View attachment 1001380Yes - this was only thrown out of an icecream container into deferred feed last autumn pre-grazing

Agree with what @Nsoiled said above, vetch seed likes to be in the dark to germinate, and I will try to borrow my neighbour's tow+fert in the autumn and put some vetch out in a fine-lime slurry as we will finally have the cover to do that

i thought you didnt lime?
i like the idea of adding lime to slurry - how would you achieve that?

som farmer · Dec 6, 2021

Rob Garrett said:
Good sheep grass is that. That second photo, be interesting to electric fence off quarter acre & don't graze it. What do you think will happen? Winter kill? Or will the rest let grass put roots down & get you out the crap in a dry spring?

l don't know, is the short answer, however the sheep won't have all of it, some we will keep sheep out of, for early turnout. We have 120 acres of grass like that ! Some l didn't snap, as they were the last paddocks the cows picked over, they definitely need the maggot haircut.
Chicory and plantain have kept growing, with the grass, we have some massive plantain plants, l will photo some, l didn't think they would grow that big, where the dairy hasn't been for a while, whether still palatable ? Chicory just leaf's.

Rob Garrett · Dec 6, 2021

Nsoiled said:
Have you done an infiltration rate test in this pasture?

Infiltration Rate – Soilmentor

soils.vidacycle.com

Also, what does the soil look like and the rooting depth?

How to Take the Perfect Spade Sample - Niels Corfield

nielscorfield.com

Awesome post, top bloke, thank you

Don't agree with removing grass layer for infiltration test though, what's the thinking there? Surly you want to measure how water penetrates the system as a whole, not just the soil below?

Kiwi Pete · Dec 6, 2021

ShooTa said:
i thought you didnt lime?
i like the idea of adding lime to slurry - how would you achieve that?

Yeah, I haven't done yet. This might be more like 50kg/ha of lime flour, some fish hydrolysate, bit of seed. Probably won't happen but

Treg · Dec 6, 2021

ShooTa said:
i thought you didnt lime?
i like the idea of adding lime to slurry - how would you achieve that?

I just pour a bag of hydrated lime in each of my dirty water pits . I've noticed since doing it it no longer forms a crust?
I use mixed bedding lime in my calving & clean out regularly so it gets mixed in the manure pile.

som farmer · Dec 6, 2021

we lime our cubicles every day, with calf/calving pens, use about 2 ton/yr. got to help.

Kiwi Pete · Dec 7, 2021

Henarar · Dec 7, 2021

Treg said:
I just pour a bag of hydrated lime in each of my dirty water pits . I've noticed since doing it it no longer forms a crust?
I use mixed bedding lime in my calving & clean out regularly so it gets mixed in the manure pile.

Have you got anywhere to put a bulk load of lime flour? Would do the same job and be a lot cheaper

Treg · Dec 7, 2021

Henarar said:
Have you got anywhere to put a bulk load of lime flour? Would do the same job and be a lot cheaper

Not & keep it dry , don't really want to much as mixing at quite low rates.

Kiwi Pete · Dec 7, 2021

@farmgineer

Jonny B88 · Dec 7, 2021

Kiwi Pete said:
View attachment 1001962 View attachment 1001963
@farmgineer

Do you feel you are trampling more than you would like to or normally would? Looks like a very even grazing but also a good level of material and dung on the ground?

Woolless · Dec 7, 2021

som farmer said:
someone wanted photo's of grass, pre sheep, these are all different fields, no 1 is overseeded with r/clover. Anything showing no clover, has been overseeded with w/clover and timothy,
As you can see, loads of grass. Interestingly, driving around, the soil has stopped 'absorbing' the water, just making it 'slippery' on the surface, can still slide sideways, in 4x drive, and exactly why we cannot out winter cattle on it, they just 'seal' the surface, and ruin the sward, sheep, do not, lighter animal, not sure if ewes, or lambs coming, but can guarantee, they will put weight on ! It just shows what we can grow, given the right weather. Or is it due to the 'new' regime, we have set up, the basics being learnt from this thread ?
View attachment 1001634 View attachment 1001622 View attachment 1001623 View attachment 1001630 View attachment 1001627 View attachment 1001628 View attachment 1001629

Wow, I would love the option of sending my sheep to keep like that. Next to no dairy grass round here.

Kiwi Pete · Dec 7, 2021

Jonny B88 said:
Do you feel you are trampling more than you would like to or normally would? Looks like a very even grazing but also a good level of material and dung on the ground?

This is about what I would like, really, hence pushing the rest out a little to ensure there was "plenty to spare"

at this time of year it's only 2-3 weeks extra growth, if we get out to 9-10 weeks then we can do this across the whole farm.

Jonny B88 · Dec 7, 2021

Kiwi Pete said:
This is about what I would like, really, hence pushing the rest out a little to ensure there was "plenty to spare"

at this time of year it's only 2-3 weeks extra growth, if we get out to 9-10 weeks then we can do this across the whole farm.

Have to say i like the look of it!

som farmer · Dec 7, 2021

Woolless said:
Wow, I would love the option of sending my sheep to keep like that. Next to no dairy grass round here.

we struggled to find some last year, we were let down, found some from a contractor we use, and his are coming next week, one of his 'mates'(ex) ewes came, he arranged it, as his had gone onto roots, we got paid, he didn't. Will workout in the end, but very annoying. Fair bit net fenced as well.
I will, however, guarantee they go back fatter than when come.

Kiwi Pete · Dec 7, 2021

Jonny B88 said:
Have to say i like the look of it!

Me too, I should have just "done it like this" from the start but really wanted to test all the other ways and means first, good practice but I really now need to just get on with it, summer is coming

Karliboy · Dec 7, 2021

Kiwi Pete said:
Me too, I should have just "done it like this" from the start but really wanted to test all the other ways and means first, good practice but I really now need to just get on with it, summer is coming

2 weeks longest day down hill from there

som farmer · Dec 7, 2021

whatever the weather blows at us now, this marvellous autumn has shortened the winter, it's never quite so bad, when the evenings draw out.
Friend today told me he is on 35ppl base price 1st jan, and no doubt we will be very close to that, and @Kiwi Pete friends, milking, should be happy, highest NZ price for milk, ever !!!
The world might enter 2022, in a rather, shaky way, but food looks in demand, and that means good prices for us, which we deserve.

Jonny B88 · Dec 7, 2021

Kiwi Pete said:
Me too, I should have just "done it like this" from the start but really wanted to test all the other ways and means first, good practice but I really now need to just get on with it, summer is coming

I don’t want to ask this in some ways but then again i sort of do!!, how high a utilisation rate do you think you have there roughly?

Kiwi Pete · Dec 7, 2021

Karliboy said:
2 weeks longest day down hill from there

Yes, exactly - we may not get more rain for 4-5 months, it's happened before!
Hence it's really amazing "FREEDOM" to have 5 month's grazing ahead of us as well as an endpoint (May, when these girls will head home or the rate doubles) in that we actually don't need any more rain to fall

whatever happens in the meantime will really only impact our winter carrying capacity

which will likely be 150 odd calves

"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..

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