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l always think its a good job we not all alike !!Yeah, lots of variation in land types over here. Lots of variation in farmer types too.
l always think its a good job we not all alike !!Yeah, lots of variation in land types over here. Lots of variation in farmer types too.
How do you find your stockpile lasts through winter?The land they're on is good dry ground, but is largely bracken and heather. I'm feeding them hay on the bracken. The stockpiled inbye land is again quite dry, especially if the cows are moved frequently, but grass has largely been used up and the land is now resting for spring. I'm working towards less hay and more stockpile, improving year on year!
We're making use of the electric fence grants and putting laneways in on most of the inbye land and will look at using batt latch or pensagro lifters to get in multiple moves. The inbye land has really altered. Used to grow to 5 or 6 inch and go to seed. Now with this management last summer into autumn it was like ultra dense 'mowing' grass! The collars we tend to use up on the fell as we can't use electric up there so well. No more videos atm, but hopefully will in the future!How did it look this summer after last winter with using your collars.
are you still using the collars hard to tell in the pic?
Anymore YouTube vids?
Well as previous post, the inbye land has really altered so I guess functioning better. I'm hoping over time more traditional grasses will become prevalent and hopefully won't dissappear quite so quick?How do you find your stockpile lasts through winter?
need our land here functioning better to actually grow it but it does seem to disappear a bit with all this wet we have had. Then maybe it just is what it is and it’s just a good base for bale grazing.
LolYeah, lots of variation in land types over here. Lots of variation in farmer types too.
That's what we found to be the case.Well as previous post, the inbye land has really altered so I guess functioning better. I'm hoping over time more traditional grasses will become prevalent and hopefully won't dissappear quite so quick?
Odd you say that, was talking to a mate today who knew someone that had 30 red deer move in, think there will be a lot of venison coming out of that place so they will get "housed" in the freezer.I wonder who houses all the deer "for their own good" of course
Yep different farmers with different land, need to know what you haveYeah, lots of variation in land types over here. Lots of variation in farmer types too.
Do you think a lot of those lower grasses get impacted harder by the tight grazing because they are generally shallow rooted so their roots get pulled more than the grasses with better anchors? So takes them longer to recover from the extra root disturbance as well.That's what we found to be the case.
It went the wrong way with the "take some leave some" grazing as we ended up with far more "lower grasses" and fewer top grasses per m², and it just melted into a soup - if we could give it any time, which meant a pay cut.
Because, of course, the rotations were still ridiculously short to try and keep quality, the cart before the horse
That's where the total grazing / regen grazing showed up as the winner, everything had a lot more time without destocking or supplementation and the better grasses overtook the little stressed stuff in one year
deer populations are increasing, a herd of 30 reds, will eat a lot of grass ! Our resident roe population increased this year, but a local lad, who requires money to buy drugs, has thinned them out pretty well, he's a damn nuisance, just moved back into the area, need to watch out for tools walking.Odd you say that, was talking to a mate today who knew someone that had 30 red deer move in, think there will be a lot of venison coming out of that place so they will get "housed" in the freezer.
No, they thrive on tight regular grazing and to be honest with you, lax regular grazing is still just regular grazing to a pasture plant. They thicken up and don't grow tall, which in a lot of respects is great - your small water cycle is happy that the soil is covered.Do you think a lot of those lower grasses get impacted harder by the tight grazing because they are generally shallow rooted so their roots get pulled more than the grasses with better anchors? So takes them longer to recover from the extra root disturbance as well.
So to get longer lasting stockpile, is it solely based on total grazing, etc regardless of grass species? Or does that style of management ( high density grazing, long recovery / rest) suit some fescues, cocksfoot and the like over ryegrasses, allowing more resilient root structure, which in turn are able to maintain the grass/ stockpile further into the winter?No, they thrive on tight regular grazing and to be honest with you, lax regular grazing is still just regular grazing to a pasture plant. They thicken up and don't grow tall, which in a lot of respects is great - your small water cycle is happy that the soil is covered.
But, as you note, it rapidly turns to soup and decays fast as autumn rains and frost break down the cells - it's good to tread in, but it's hardly "stockpile for winter grazing" when it's litter.
Most of our spring/summer growth will be exactly that: stemmy soil protection that lodges by itself + a seed crop, and most of the actual nutritious feed will be growing up through that duff layer (it is already).
apparently its fine to poach the fu.ck out of the soil with cattle but youre not allowed not ploughSomeone who bought some of our heifers sent me some photos today of them outside with their calves that are a few days old, would like some dry land like that to outwinter, it wouldn't be a good idea to have them outside here, land varies a lot in the UK, is it not like that in France ?
root structure is perhaps more important than many realise.So to get longer lasting stockpile, is it solely based on total grazing, etc regardless of grass species? Or does that style of management ( high density grazing, long recovery / rest) suit some fescues, cocksfoot and the like over ryegrasses, allowing more resilient root structure, which in turn are able to maintain the grass/ stockpile further into the winter?
if we poach our soil, overwintering cattle outside, its fecked, grass has to be reseeded, arable not so bad.apparently its fine to poach the fu.ck out of the soil with cattle but youre not allowed not plough
I tried it once , out still way after Christmas, only 15 or so , saw the effects of it for about 3 yrs after , soil moved down hill considerably in that area and the soil structure was proper soured .if we poach our soil, overwintering cattle outside, its fecked, grass has to be reseeded, arable not so bad.
OM told me that, l tried and failed, told son, he tried and failed.
used to on some stone brash, but we no longer farm that ground.
perfectly happy to have cattle housed, we get a lot of slurry and fym, which can be targeted where needed. Win win.
apparently its fine to poach the fu.ck out of the soil with cattle but youre not allowed not plough
I'd say both - for a start, you'd want to 'start from scratch' with your stockpile.So to get longer lasting stockpile, is it solely based on total grazing, etc regardless of grass species? Or does that style of management ( high density grazing, long recovery / rest) suit some fescues, cocksfoot and the like over ryegrasses, allowing more resilient root structure, which in turn are able to maintain the grass/ stockpile further into the winter?
perhaps the biggest mistake is leaving the paddock is cutting it, when you think its 'got away'.I'd say both - for a start, you'd want to 'start from scratch' with your stockpile.
Most people's idea of stockpiling is to think it's the same as when they shut up a paddock for hay, a paddock "gets away" so they let it get away further and then the deterioration decides when it gets cut.
I'd suggest that's the best way to low quality and probably why anything over about 5 week recoveries gives people a bit of dampness in the bikini bottoms
But regardless nonselective grazing gives everything the same or at least similar treatment, the bigger plants make up more of a fraction of the sward than the smaller ones, but the litter is made to cycle at the beginning.
That is the challenge here where it is dry, decompostion of litter is pretty slow and tends towards oxidation (brittle) and what we leave will hang around until the wet season.