All things Dairy

Sid

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South Molton
Nice, how long do you find that ley will last in general? I'm tempted to swap ryegrass in my leys for festuloliums as I'm finding they're every bit as good and that bit deeper rooting which when you have a month without rain helps a lot!
Longest grazing one is 3 years so far and still going strong, cutting ley is 5 years but RC is just about spent.

Keep meaning to dig a hole to see how deep they go.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
One of the fields I reseeded in the spring
Really pleased with it, second grazing now, some annual weeds but they'll die out

Not bad considering someone told me I'd done a sh!t job 🙈
lot of ours is really drying up now, still have some very high DM grass, which hopefully will last til it rains. And better than many around us. We have a thin strip of nice grass and clover, and the cows don't touch it, that takes some believing.
herbs are still holding on, as are non prg grass, but we need rain desperately.
can only dream of grass that colour, but it looks a fair reseed.
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
they soon stopped that around here, to many roadside kills. We farm close to the A303, you don't travel far, without seeing flatpacked badgers, deer, foxes pheasants etc, then there are those that are hit, but make it off the road. One has to admit, that road is a good control method. We have 180 acres here, sandy soil, and we have 18 different groups of holes, now we are in a cull, several have been unused. Around us, it seems to be 'badger heaven', and we are worried, that by culling the 'clean' badgers, they no longer keep the sick ones out.
The other thing about the cull, is the very noticeable increase, in wildlife.
We test in 12 days time, everything is crossed.
If those doing the culling are any good thee shouldn't be any of the feckin things left.
I'm all for having a balance in nature but the rules are so stacked against livestock farmers, they should wipe the bloody things out any chance they get.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
If those doing the culling are any good thee shouldn't be any of the feckin things left.
I'm all for having a balance in nature but the rules are so stacked against livestock farmers, they should wipe the bloody things out any chance they get.
we really thinned them out, but, every year young ones are kicked out of the group, and they travel, being close to the zone edge, doesn't help. But there aren't many here now, took 40 yr 1
but it is those moving in, that worry me, nature being nature, badgers tend to expel sick ones from the family group, so its youngsters moving out, plus sick ones being kicked out. The latter scare me
testing 15 aug 🤞 🤞 🤞
 

crashbox

Member
Livestock Farmer
Festiloliums are not as palatable and more upright, good for cutting, not so much for grazing IME.

Also heard as they are a hybrid, they cannot regenerate through self-seeding... not sure if true?
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Festiloliums are not as palatable and more upright, good for cutting, not so much for grazing IME.

Also heard as they are a hybrid, they cannot regenerate through self-seeding... not sure if true?
there are several types, but we haven't really got on with them, the ones with more fesque, are better for dry ground.
wouldn't know about seed viability.
 

Stuart1

Member
935FB717-2B77-4D44-8BE2-ABFC1AD52974.jpeg

On the off chance does anyone have one of these for sale?
Didn’t want to start a thread on this, anyone has one for sale they will likely be on this thread, thanks.
 

Jdunn55

Member
Had a pig get out and open up the shute on the feed bin two days ago so i know your pain! Luckily it blocked after about half a ton came out.
I'm already sore and bruised after falling off the girders on the parlour so really was not amused 😭

To top it off dad over ordered cake for himself so there's a 500-1000kg in dumpy bags and 25 kg basg there 🙄

Just got to keep smiling!
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
i'm envious, very
wheat is at 14%, combine can't get here, f-ing road works, to narrow for combine to pass, one bit of barley 13%, and the other bit not fit.
Green healthy grass, like that, and growing, isn't round here.
all though we still have some very high DM grass,
pits will be full though, so winter forage ok.
 

Stuart1

Member
We had one. Sold it within a few months.
Leaves a nice tight face, shakes itself to bits.
Better off with a shear grab if you have the handler to take it IMO
What brand did you buy? I need a clean face and also need to be able to carry and stack volume in a shed for 3-4 days which I won’t achieve with a shear grab as the grabs are too small.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 35.0%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 28 15.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

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

  • 1,286
  • 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