Cows.

[CopperBeech]

Be curious to see what the panel comes up with.

Need to come up with a cattle system that fits this -

Large block of extensive but half decent sea level grazing, decent shed, handling systems (2), 4 year TB testing area. To be run alongside sheep (about 1000 of the things). About 150 acres of silage ground.

Indulge me and tell me what you would do ?

 

[Woolless]

Native type cows playing leader-follower to the sheep. Sheep get cream cakes, sweets and less worms. Cattle tidy up behind. Calve May, sell store July to minimise competition for grass.

 

[Tamar]

Keep it simple........... a native breed that lives without the need for expensive concentrates and fertilizer.....so minimum labour



or

complicate your life and have continentals !

 

[JohnGalway]

Sell the sheep.

 

[Welderloon]

Cheap Whitebred Shorthorn x Highland cows, de-horned, kept outside, easy calving lim bull over them, sell all calves store or Decent Sim bull & sell bullocks, keep best heifers for replacement cows & sell other heifers for breeding.

 

[Werzle]

Lett it

 

[onesiedale]

assuming you have a ½ decent tenancy/contract: take on 200 or so native breed beef calves from a dairy unit this spring, utilising the sheds. Then wean them out to grass, never to come inside again. Finishing off the grass at 26-30 months of age and also opportunity to sell as stores along the way. (2nd intake next spring)
Nice simple grazing system, work well alongside your sheep .

 

[Gulli]

Buy cheap stirks graze them and sell them or take on cattle on contract and graze them

 

[gone up the hill]

assuming you have a ½ decent tenancy/contract: take on 200 or so native breed beef calves from a dairy unit this spring, utilising the sheds. Then wean them out to grass, never to come inside again. Finishing off the grass at 26-30 months of age and also opportunity to sell as stores along the way. (2nd intake next spring)
Nice simple grazing system, work well alongside your sheep .

Utter waste of time if you are keeping them for 2.5 years!

Under your system he would have 600 head of cattle on farm each spring!

What grass will he have for the sheep let alone making any fodder?

 

[Gulli]

Utter waste of time if you are keeping them for 2.5 years!

Under your system he would have 600 head of cattle on farm each spring!

What grass will he have for the sheep let alone making any fodder?

Depends how many acres he's got doesn't it

 

[Samcowman]

Be curious to see what the panel comes up with.

Need to come up with a cattle system that fits this -

Large block of extensive but half decent sea level grazing, decent shed, handling systems (2), 4 year TB testing area. To be run alongside sheep (about 1000 of the things). About 150 acres of silage ground.

Indulge me and tell me what you would do ?

How big are the paddocks? How much electric fencing do you want to do? dairy calves reared by someone else probably heifers because they are usually undervalued compared to steers. Spring born could be sold as strong stores at 18 months before housing. Autumn born sold as strong stores again after the spring flush. How big the block is and paddocks are would decide how many groups you could run.

 

[digger64]

Be curious to see what the panel comes up with.

Need to come up with a cattle system that fits this -

Large block of extensive but half decent sea level grazing, decent shed, handling systems (2), 4 year TB testing area. To be run alongside sheep (about 1000 of the things). About 150 acres of silage ground.

Indulge me and tell me what you would do ?

how big is it ?

 

[tr250]

Keep it simple........... a native breed that lives without the need for expensive concentrates and fertilizer.....so minimum labour



or

complicate your life and have continentals !

Horses for courses depends what you want

 

[M-J-G]

I'd be leaning towards keeping someone else's cattle for the summer or cut the surplus grass in summer and winter them.

You'll put a lot of pressure on the sheep grazing if you in the spring and autumn keeping cattle year round

Wintering cattle in sheds requires time and machines.

 

[M-J-G]

Native type cows playing leader-follower to the sheep. Sheep get cream cakes, sweets and less worms. Cattle tidy up behind. Calve May, sell store July to minimise competition for grass.

Calving for 2 months after lambing finishes?

 

[Woolless]

Calving for 2 months after lambing finishes?

That's a downside, certainly, but calving those types outside shouldn't be a big job and calving only goes on as long as you let it.

 

[Northern territory]

Interesting article in farmers guardian of a couple of guys near Aberdeen, buying heifers from local mart, bulling them, then selling back through as calf at foot outfits.

 

[jimmer]

1 cow the acre
Calve Feb
Wean calf at 24 hrs
Milk cow for 9 months
Ski for 1 month
Sun bathe for 1 month
Spend 1 month getting ready for next 9 months
450kg kiwi/jer cross

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Interesting article in farmers guardian of a couple of guys near Aberdeen, buying heifers from local mart, bulling them, then selling back through as calf at foot outfits.

Saw that article, takes a lot of skill to do that right, but profitable if you can do it

 

[Werzle]

Saw that article, takes a lot of skill to do that right, but profitable if you can do it

Hfrs are going to take some buying too , unless your known for selling breeding stock and have repeat buyers you could devalue bought in hfrs by putting them incalf