Best grassland improvement implement

[cousinjack]

That said, your options for improvement are very limited if stewardship schemes mean you have to let the cr*p species go to seed imo. Mob grazers of native cattle may disagree of course, but that’s a different thing.

The stewardship option is only on the short term lays, and tend to be 'cut only' fields so no great hardship!

I think we worked out that if we did a third cut, the value of the bales wouldn't even meet the stewardship payment.... not to mention the mowing, baling, wrapping costs ..

No brainier for us !

 

[cousinjack]

FYI, from another thread, a quote from Pete the Kiwi.

(https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index...e-in-suckler-cows.252296/page-58#post-6746694)

“Currently we have 595 sheep and 28 bulls on about an acre”

“All single strand fences BTW, stock that aren't ever hungry only stray by accident and want to stay as a herd - because they are herd animals!
I turn on the electricity for my cow/calf mob (calves chew everything) and sometimes energise the strand keeping the main mob, not often but enough to give them the idea”

My cows don't know this ... not sure they're on TFF

 

[cousinjack]

I have a neighbor that moves his wire with it switched on ! Fully grabs the wire too, just pays no attention to the shock.... says you get used to it..

His favourite thing is to hand it to you !!

I reckon he's on course for heart issues ??? It can't be good !

 

[Al R]

Oh I just detest electric fencing...

And our cattle pay no attention to it whatsoever... battery or mains, give them a few hours, even in a field with ridiculous amounts of grass, and they've helpfully wrapped it in the trees !!

Use a stronger fencer, more earth etc...
I’ve heard of countless people saying their having problems with electric fencers and livestock Yet all running sub 1 Joule, most 0.5J, I don’t run any under 2 joule with a lot of fencers over 3.7J and some runs under 250metre

 

[Sharpy]

Oh I just detest electric fencing...

And our cattle pay no attention to it whatsoever... battery or mains, give them a few hours, even in a field with ridiculous amounts of grass, and they've helpfully wrapped it in the trees !!

Train them with a 2.5mm ht wire with the earth wire running along the ground as well as the earth stake, on a wet day.

 

[Al R]

I have a neighbor that moves his wire with it switched on ! Fully grabs the wire too, just pays no attention to the shock.... says you get used to it..

His favourite thing is to hand it to you !!

I reckon he's on course for heart issues ??? It can't be good !

I’ve reconnected steel wire that snapped once not far from the fencer and the farmer said it was a mains fencer that was “lethal”, hardly felt a thing. My big battery ones I’m genuinely scared of, so are the dogs and so are the sheep, you can catch a sheep with the dogs by running them towards a fence and they get within 5 metre and run the other way.

 

[Bury the Trash]

big diameter white poly wire with good metal wires has made a difference to us, bit more visible than the grey of HT plus a more modern energiser, and solar to keep batteries up, mains tends to be a bit far from home with its lead out wires etc..

 

[Henarar]

I have a neighbor that moves his wire with it switched on ! Fully grabs the wire too, just pays no attention to the shock.... says you get used to it..

His favourite thing is to hand it to you !!

I reckon he's on course for heart issues ??? It can't be good !

seen my Dad moving it with sparks coming off his boots back in the days when they had nails in them, I can grab hold of the lower powered ones

 

[neilo]

I have a neighbor that moves his wire with it switched on ! Fully grabs the wire too, just pays no attention to the shock.... says you get used to it..

His favourite thing is to hand it to you !!

I reckon he's on course for heart issues ??? It can't be good !

My father and my sister could always do that too.


Wierdos.

 

[Sharpy]

big diameter white poly wire with good metal wires has made a difference to us, bit more visible than the grey of HT plus a more modern energiser, and solar to keep batteries up, mains tends to be a bit far from home with its lead out wires etc..

We use the ht as a backup to standard stock fence, big thing is the lack of voltage drop, even if the power is off the wire stays unharmed. If I do strip fencing I will use the stranded steel wire rather than poly for these reasons.

 

[Chae1]

Best machine for improving grass?

A fert spreader.

 

[deerandgrassland.com]

If someone is not keen on doing electric fence, especially because got small sized paddocks, that is just fine. No need for sub divide any paddocks, simply calculate/adjust how long the cows will stay on a paddock. Shouldn't be longer than 3-4 days in spring. Ideally... of course 12hr break rotational grazing produces much more grass than 48-96hr break.
Measuring/assessing how much grass available that is more important. Helps in decision making how to manage surplus/deficit.

 

[deerandgrassland.com]

Aerating your grass/soil will never hurt. Helps in surface drainage, let oxygen into soil.

 

[Bullring]

Sheep. ? eat it down tight, fertilise and move them on. They will eat out everything the cattle leave.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I have a no till drill and lots of very old pp. I’ve about given up on the idea of overseeding/stitching in as a waste of time and money for anything but a one season boost. Where I did stitch festulolium into 15ac in Autumn 2018, it sparked a lot of thistle seed to germinate in the slots, in fields that I had managed to clean right up.

The same fields have seen a massive change as a result of rotational grazing, with the sward composition changing in favour of more productive species. I also have a swardlifter, but it hasn’t been anywhere near those fields. Better grazing management is the cheapest, and most effective, method of pasture improvement ime.

100%
It seems like some days you are achieving nothing of value, but at least you aren't wasting time and money together

In terms of "which implement" I'd have to say those fence putter-upper/taker-downers would be up there for value?

 

[ridger]

Hi all..

We run a mixed arable and beef farm, with both permanent 'old school' pasture meadows and 3 to 5 year lays in the arable rotation.
Currently we don't do much in the way of grassland maintenance, maybe some occasional rolling but nothing intensive..

I would like to improve the grassland a bit, and have been considering harrowing, slitting etc

What, if any, would be the best machine to start with to give the most noticeable improvement?
All fert indices and kept up, ph is monitored and lime applied where necessary. Not much FYM applied as it tends to head towards the arable rotation!

Chain harrows,
Tine harrows,
Slitters / spikes,
Rolls
Anything else ??

Are any worth bothering with in the long run ?

S

 

[ridger]

Hi all..

We run a mixed arable and beef farm, with both permanent 'old school' pasture meadows and 3 to 5 year lays in the arable rotation.
Currently we don't do much in the way of grassland maintenance, maybe some occasional rolling but nothing intensive..

I would like to improve the grassland a bit, and have been considering harrowing, slitting etc

What, if any, would be the best machine to start with to give the most noticeable improvement?
All fert indices and kept up, ph is monitored and lime applied where necessary. Not much FYM applied as it tends to head towards the arable rotation!

Chain harrows,
Tine harrows,
Slitters / spikes,
Rolls
Anything else ??

Are any worth bothering with in the long run ?

Sheep in the winter

 

[Dry Rot]

I’ve reconnected steel wire that snapped once not far from the fencer and the farmer said it was a mains fencer that was “lethal”, hardly felt a thing. My big battery ones I’m genuinely scared of, so are the dogs and so are the sheep, you can catch a sheep with the dogs by running them towards a fence and they get within 5 metre and run the other way.

If you wear wellies, you might not be earthed so there would be no circuit and you'd get no shock!

Been there, done that.

 

[neilo]

100%
It seems like some days you are achieving nothing of value, but at least you aren't wasting time and money together

In terms of "which implement" I'd have to say those fence putter-upper/taker-downers would be up there for value?

Oh yes, the RAPPA winder that sits on my quad for most of the winter is near the top of my ‘best things I ever bought’ list.?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Probably the biggest thing is, when you graze the grass right down is really important.
Most pasture experts suggest this right time is: right through the growing season
My discovery: following this advice buggers your grass and limits production immensely

We graze higher and higher through the growing season and then lower and lower until it's gone - in the late winter there are no thistledowns and suchlike for your stock to "plant"
There are about 1200kg of clover seeds alone in nearly every acre of soil, so if you aren't seeing clover then it is probably management
If you are seeing weeds then.... it is probably also management

What weeds are you seeing, these are your indicator species?
eg spreading thistles indicate compaction/low oxygen in the soil, low calcium function, good potash and phosphate levels

You can of course spray them, in which case you will not benefit from what they are trying to do, and again they will have tons of seed in the soil whether you top them or not.
Soil disturbance/bare soil is all it takes for more to pop up, hence new leys are generally either money-pits, weed nurseries, or both