Advice on grazing cover crop
- Thread starter marsh89
- Start date
Remove the sheep by the agreed date. Don't leave the field covered in ruts, use a quad and not a pickup if it's wet. Depending on their farming system ask them how much crop residue they want leaving. Pay promply as agreed.
- Location
- N.Lincs
^^^^what he said.
The modern day arable farmer, tuned into the latest no-till trends and advice wants you to eat a third of it, leave a third of it and paddle the other third in.
Take that into account when discussing rent (there is a school of thought that would mean that he owes you
)
The modern day arable farmer, tuned into the latest no-till trends and advice wants you to eat a third of it, leave a third of it and paddle the other third in.
Take that into account when discussing rent (there is a school of thought that would mean that he owes you
)- Location
- East Sussex
Don't put too many on it. It never lasts as long as you think it will, unless it has a lot of Radish in it.
If you are doing all the fencing make sure you don't pay too much for it as you will find it can take more time than you expect.
Light land is much easier than the heavy stuff!!
If you are doing all the fencing make sure you don't pay too much for it as you will find it can take more time than you expect.
Light land is much easier than the heavy stuff!!
Just communicate with them and ask them what they want before you start. You don't want to fall out with the arable farmer in the middle of February when you have F all other places to graze.
Also don't go in offering ridicules rent and pee off every other sheep man in the area (I'm speaking from past experience), grazing cover crops is about working together with the arable because you need each other and they are a lot of work moving sheep a couple of times a week (always need moving on Sunday afternoon).
Also don't go in offering ridicules rent and pee off every other sheep man in the area (I'm speaking from past experience), grazing cover crops is about working together with the arable because you need each other and they are a lot of work moving sheep a couple of times a week (always need moving on Sunday afternoon).
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Use high stock density to protect his landscape, don't park stock all over it for convenience or you'll have compaction and tracking to water points as "black marks" against livestock integration; quite common complaints from the arable men on here but it really boils down to management.
They probably don't want their fertility put under the hedges.
They probably don't want their fertility put under the hedges.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
- Location
- Essex
You are in partnership to get the best out of it for both parties so discuss in detail what each side wants out of the deal. Don't forget about next year; make sure he wants you to come back. Then you can help him "decide" to put some turnips and oats in it for your benefit.
Dkb
Member
On cover crops and grass for the past ten years I have
1. Always left on time
2. Always kept fencing good
3. Always paid the agreed fee
4. Never fed meal
Its left me actually getting grazing cheaper than other people I know. It’s also left me that this year I actually had to refuse a new cover crop farm to graze over winter. As I hadn’t enough sheep. He got my number off a man that I have been dealing with since 2017. The tillage farmers are always in a panic to get the cover crops sown after harvesting to make sure I get good grazing over winter too. It’s amazing how well people will treat you if you treat them fairly.
1. Always left on time
2. Always kept fencing good
3. Always paid the agreed fee
4. Never fed meal
Its left me actually getting grazing cheaper than other people I know. It’s also left me that this year I actually had to refuse a new cover crop farm to graze over winter. As I hadn’t enough sheep. He got my number off a man that I have been dealing with since 2017. The tillage farmers are always in a panic to get the cover crops sown after harvesting to make sure I get good grazing over winter too. It’s amazing how well people will treat you if you treat them fairly.
- Location
- Cheshire
- Location
- Cheshire
Its all about being a professional sheep man isn't it really. To many people seem to buy a quad, rappa and some knackered old electric fencing and think they can make easy money out of tack sheep. The problem is these people other the earth to the arable farmer and the sheep owners but don't deliver the service that is needed. One of the farms that I have grazed for 12 years said that someone (who has had a bad reputation for 40 years) called into his yard and offered significantly more for the cover crops than I am paying. I had to remind him that I pay monthly for the keep, the fences are always in good order, the sheep are healthy and I move the sheep the day they need moving.
- Location
- Welshpool Powys
Good communication timely rent and stock take off at the agreed date.
How many to acre with lambs would you put they just want the top grazed off? How much is to much?
- Location
- East Sussex
What is the crop?
What is the soil type?
How large a blocks are you planning to fence? How often do you want to move them?
How long is a piece of string?
Sorry about that but without knowing more details it is very difficult to say!
Remember it may take lambs a little while to adapt to eating some of the plants.