- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
We average 3.9 hours of bright sunshine/day a year, I'm often asked what we do for shade.
My answer is that we live under a cloud
"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..
- Thread starter Kiwi Pete
- Start date
My answer is that we live under a cloud
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
We do get bright overcast
but while most other bits get rainy and then sunny, we get "in between" most of the time
Looks like it’s going to be another beautiful sunny day here…..I asked about shade because yesterday for 20mins on talkback they had the boss of MPI and an rather annoying activist on. The activist wants inspectors and laws to enforce shade and other stuff. Also wants people to ring MPI to complain about animals suffering heat stress and the best bit is you don’t need to recognize heat stress because there’s charts to look up and then look at the temperature. The suggestion to combat this was a shade cloth covered area with sprinklers to keep cows cool.
Jonny B88
Member
- Location
- ballykelly. NI
When you actually take the time to listen to some folk, it makes you realise how sane you actually are!
Not this year but next year at the new place we will be. I grazed ‘total’ grazing style last summer for a bit. Which was interesting but got it wrong a bit by trying to get through everything rather than jumping a few paddocks.
Need to train my top paddock a bit more.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Maybe they should ring up about the blokes who put a match to everything they couldn't cut down,, 150 years ago?
I mean sure, a lot of animal farming has some pretty sh!t stuff normalised - like "why do lambs need wormed" and "why do we take all the grass away when the soil really needs the cover" and "why do horses never get fed and hide their skinny ribs under covers" but why is it all being talked about now and not over the past centuries
Jonny B88
Member
- Location
- ballykelly. NI
I think that is the key decision to make and only one that can be known by doing?
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
That's the one... if you're "applying" holistic management, you're not "practicing" it, eh!
The relationships between 'all the things' are all changing, all the time, so it really has to boil back down to: plan, observe, replan.
This method requires constant testing, so if you aren't making boo-boos of some description, then you just aren't trying hard enough to get anywhere.
I recently got told that I'll have to find a new hobby because I'll be a nuisance without much work over winter and burn heaps of firewood, so the observations aren't limited to your own!
So I got ten tonnes of bullet-wood delivered, my new winter "hobby" is going to be firewood processing.
And Sam got to see what needs to be done by working harder / grazing faster than was necessary, it's important to see what happened as what happened (honestly) because those observations are your rewards to keep
nobody else can call it 
- Location
- Glen Clova, Angus, DD8 4RD
Fear of failure holds so many people back and yet it is failure that drives the most important learning....That's the one... if you're "applying" holistic management, you're not "practicing" it, eh!
The relationships between 'all the things' are all changing, all the time, so it really has to boil back down to: plan, observe, replan.
This method requires constant testing, so if you aren't making boo-boos of some description, then you just aren't trying hard enough to get anywhere.
I recently got told that I'll have to find a new hobby because I'll be a nuisance without much work over winter and burn heaps of firewood, so the observations aren't limited to your own!
So I got ten tonnes of bullet-wood delivered, my new winter "hobby" is going to be firewood processing.
And Sam got to see what needs to be done by working harder / grazing faster than was necessary, it's important to see what happened as what happened (honestly) because those observations are your rewards to keep
Walwyn
Member
- Location
- West Wales
Been pondering the same in the last week. Dairy here and only got grazing beginning of the month, plenty of grass compared to previous years, mild winter and delayed calving a month. AFC approaching 3000 kg. historically would aim for second round starting around magic day which is probably only 3-4 weeks away but currently the last week only been on equivalent of 60 day rotation. Wondering how far we stretch it. Or take advantage of the opportunity to lift residual heights and try and ride the blaze of growth wave through May.
Are you worried about strong covers reducing milk output?
- Location
- somerset
![IMG_0562[2].JPG](https://d1hu4133i4rt3z.cloudfront.net/attachments/1025/1025129-89f2e450682f9362a06b0be764a08c62.jpg "IMG_0562[2].JPG")
this officially marks the end of winter.
![IMG_0565[1].JPG](https://d1hu4133i4rt3z.cloudfront.net/attachments/1025/1025130-323197593c717907697bfa53c3eaeaf1.jpg "IMG_0565[1].JPG")
can't see them that clearly, but every cow pat, has attending dung flies. As first day out, how do they know ?
they heard you talking to the misses yesterday about turning the cows out
- Location
- Essex
You can see them pretty clearly. Saw some in the straw yard yesterday. Not long till the swallows come after them hopefully.
- Location
- Essex
Have used a sheep swing gate in frame before, but only for sheep. How about fencing along the length of the footpath and grazing either side or is it more complicated than that?
Walwyn
Member
- Location
- West Wales
Will it if we're not trying to nail it to 1500? Will the cows be healthier? Will our eco system be healthier? Can we keep more than 3 weeks from a drought? I don't know is the honest answer. Feel I need to try it though.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
My immediate thought was along the lines of the Prattley setup, basic "U" shaped frame of box section to serve as a gateway with a swinging gate, and run the electric off either side..
but this sounds like a recipe for disaster in the hands of Joe Public, could you not "pogo" the fence up above the bridle path and hang flags on the wire?
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Funny that @som farmer has seen the end of winter as I reckon it is the end of summer here too. A few leaves dropping from trees etc, and so we got into the autumn stockpile/new grass yesterday afternoon.
gave them a couple of paddocks for a start as I didn't want excitement to = heifers running through fences. Pleased with the size of these cells, bit late to change it now.
gave them a couple of paddocks for a start as I didn't want excitement to = heifers running through fences. Pleased with the size of these cells, bit late to change it now.
- Location
- somerset
we graze longer grass, and leave longer residuals, for our dairy, it works, but it is a very very fine line between just right, and to much. Last year, we ended up 'following the grass growth curve'. Its a steep difficult learning lesson.
Its the ryegrass that buggers it, any stress, goes to seed, and then, you either jump paddocks, or pre mow. On the dry ground, with less r/grass, not the same problem, if its really dry, r/grass disappears, replaced by herbs, clover, and 'old' grasses.
To be honest, not really sure of the best mix, rye grass is good for yield, crap in a dry time, as usual, compromise, bit of everything. Take the next step, and go to diverse leys, that are meant to reduce the need of fert, and hopefully provide a steady bite all season. But to go there, is a massive step. Just a bit to cautious ! Having altered our herd from spr to oct/nov calving, and made some excellent silage, the cows have milked like stink, on not a huge amount of cake, we really don't know the best way to graze them, and keep production up, its got to be tip top management, that's the worry !