- Location
- somerset
All things Dairy
- Thread starter Cows 'n grass
- Start date
More to life
Member
- Location
- Somerset
Did rape meal once was fine, have you room to move it occasionally.
- Location
- somerset
having struggled with grazing, for 3 dry summers, in a row, we graze longer covers, and leave longer residuals, giving grass plants, some time to build root systems, which makes the plant more resilient to stress periods.Uh oh bales going in today to stretch out the grass as all the rain forecast for next week has disappeared
What are all the other grazers doing as I can't be the only one that will run out of grass if I carry on as I am right now?
Its most definitely not easy, but works, ryegrasses have shallow roots, N feeds the leaf, not the root, what we were finding, ryegrass was simply dying, in the dry weather, pull it up, not a lot of root, so cannot find moisture. Look at cocksfoot or fescues, they have deeper roots, and survive better.
On dry ground, in a dry time, grass survival is down to its ability to get moisture, and that is down to the root system, deeper the better. We have ryegrasses dying off now, while c/foot fesques and herbs still keep growing, in the same area. It works for us, but makes managing grass difficult, mainly because of prg's desire to head, at any stress, topping, or jumping paddocks, is our answer.
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
Ryegrass roots will go along way down unless there’s a compaction level stopping them
Spudley
Member
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
A platemeter and agrinet.
i try to walk the grazing fields every 5 or 6 days, the grass situation changes so fast in a week. Its easy to see then where you are headed.
We also graze high covers (3200) and find we grow a lot more grass this way (grass growth being exponential).
i try to walk the grazing fields every 5 or 6 days, the grass situation changes so fast in a week. Its easy to see then where you are headed.
We also graze high covers (3200) and find we grow a lot more grass this way (grass growth being exponential).
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
What do you get your covers down to
I tried it once and suffered with a higher empty cow rate
Send some of that dry weather over here for a few days to we get some silage cut
One or two round here wishing they'd cut last week, the rain has made a big difference to the bulk all the same.
Spudley
Member
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
1700
- Location
- Co. Antrim
needed that splash of rain to bulk it abit we’ll not panic yet they’ll be weather soon
Buffer feed.Uh oh bales going in today to stretch out the grass as all the rain forecast for next week has disappeared
What are all the other grazers doing as I can't be the only one that will run out of grass if I carry on as I am right now?
And sow cocksfoot.
As the holstein is not the beast of choice for spring block grazing, ryegrass is not the plant for dry ground.
That said, in West Wales I'd be sure nothing would beat it.
We still include up to 5kg/acre as good for shoulder season grazing and giving the sward some "bottom".
Dead Rabbits
Member
- Location
- 'Merica
What is demand, what is growth and what is afc?Uh oh bales going in today to stretch out the grass as all the rain forecast for next week has disappeared
What are all the other grazers doing as I can't be the only one that will run out of grass if I carry on as I am right now?
- Location
- somerset
Cocksfoot, fesques and herbs
More to life
Member
- Location
- Somerset
In 2023 a lower stocking rate is the way forwards
Tirglas
Member
- Location
- West wales
Jdunn55
slow down rotation length or at least hold it and just fill the gap with silage for now unless you can make your platform bigger by grazing silage ground.
Try to match rotation length to growth so for us here at growth rate 60 now we're on 25ish day round to let it recover from 1500 to 3000 before we come round again.
Good thing to be tighter now so as to maintain quality through grass heading without topping. Rain will come I'm in Wales
slow down rotation length or at least hold it and just fill the gap with silage for now unless you can make your platform bigger by grazing silage ground.
Try to match rotation length to growth so for us here at growth rate 60 now we're on 25ish day round to let it recover from 1500 to 3000 before we come round again.
Good thing to be tighter now so as to maintain quality through grass heading without topping. Rain will come I'm in Wales
frederick
Member
- Location
- south west
Graze a silage field it will be better quality and much cheaper than eating balesUh oh bales going in today to stretch out the grass as all the rain forecast for next week has disappeared
What are all the other grazers doing as I can't be the only one that will run out of grass if I carry on as I am right now?
Martyn
Member
- Location
- South west
Just moved the fence for afternoon/evening feed, taking my girls swimming lessons now, enjoying the OAD/life balance
Barmyfarmer
Member
Definitely think oad going to become more popular with staff situation, what are your current figures @Martyn if you don't mind me asking
Holsteinfriesian90
Member
- Location
- Cornwall
Martyn
Member
- Location
- South west
Last cow calved 27th of November, currently doing 13.4l average just of grass, have dropped since starting 2nd round, 4.6bf 3.7p Scc 146. Planning on adding 30% more into the herd this autumn and moving to late spring calving am thinking over a couple of years, to try and maximize on farm grown protein.
Hope for 4000l first 12 months. Cows seam happy, it's definitely helped me mentally, ifeel fresher for jobs and feel I can give more attention to what I'm doing. Still busy but in a more constructive way.
Hope for 4000l first 12 months. Cows seam happy, it's definitely helped me mentally, ifeel fresher for jobs and feel I can give more attention to what I'm doing. Still busy but in a more constructive way.