Dry 2022

[som farmer]

Agronomist says drill it now as the weeds aren't as competitive

Getting pH over 6.5 is the starting point

l have grown it, and very successfully, on our driest grounds, it just grew, and grew, stayed green, in any dry period, 3/4 cuts a year, aut sowing.
The reason we stopped, was simple, we didn't have enough acres, to grow grass, maize and lucerne. And with lucerne, you need enough, to feed x amount a day. Grew it without a companion grass, but fesques were mentioned. Came to plough it out, the roots were like a brillo pad, worse than couch ! It took a couple of years, after ploughing, before the volunteers stopped.
We have more acres now, and may well dabble again, there are grazing types now, as well, they could be a good component, in a diverse ley.
First saw it early 70's, friend farmed a lot of 'gravel beds' Hertfordshire, he went from 1 cut a year, and zero aftermath, to 3, or 4 good cuts a year ! And no N.

 

[Bald Rick]

Think it may be worth looking at cocksfoot and red clover mix too.

 

[bobk]

Think it may be worth looking at cocksfoot and red clover mix too.

You're on sand ?

 

[Bald Rick]

You're on sand ?

Everything from sand to deep loam but no clay

 

[bobk]

Everything from sand to deep loam but no clay

On that land I would resign myself to lots of maize / heavy 1st silage , not a cheap exercise

 

[Bald Rick]

On that land I would resign myself to lots of maize / heavy 1st silage , not a cheap exercise

Grow 400ac maize already
Like a broad palette of crops

 

[Jdunn55]

Grow 400ac maize already
Like a broad palette of crops

How did you/are you getting on with zerograzing? Wouldn't have thought there's much to go at currently?

 

[Bald Rick]

How did you/are you getting on with zerograzing? Wouldn't have thought there's much to go at currently?

@Beef farmer was well out saying that we'd give up after 2 years ........... Think on & off we managed 2 weeks before punting it in to the long grass for a number of reasons:

1) The machine would work for a day or so & get the cows all excited then break with a part that wasn't available off the shelf so it was start again
2) ZG is fine for herds of around 100 but no good on herds like ours of 161 as it is just too slow with a 7' mower
3) Too much waste at the feed face as the cows loved pulling the long stems over the barrier so they could sh!t on it all the better
4) Even using front mower & forage wagon was a waste of time as the wagons are too tall to get under the overhangs so it added yet more handling/time/machine work

Good news is that we worked out how to make it work for herds of 161+. Only downside was that you are looking at a capital spend of £150,000 plus although that can be offset with other uses for the kit

Time is the killer for ZG

 

[Scholsey]

@Beef farmer was well out saying that we'd give up after 2 years ........... Think on & off we managed 2 weeks before punting it in to the long grass for a number of reasons:

1) The machine would work for a day or so & get the cows all excited then break with a part that wasn't available off the shelf so it was start again
2) ZG is fine for herds of around 100 but no good on herds like ours of 161 as it is just too slow with a 7' mower
3) Too much waste at the feed face as the cows loved pulling the long stems over the barrier so they could sh!t on it all the better
4) Even using front mower & forage wagon was a waste of time as the wagons are too tall to get under the overhangs so it added yet more handling/time/machine work

Good news is that we worked out how to make it work for herds of 161+. Only downside was that you are looking at a capital spend of £150,000 plus although that can be offset with other uses for the kit

Time is the killer for ZG

And wear and tare, ZG is a killer for forage wagons, hard work on the pick up reel.

 

[Bald Rick]

And wear and tare, ZG is a killer for forage wagons, hard work on the pick up reel.

We only played at it.

Idea is sound but the practicalities at any scale are zero hence why we will be sowing an acreage of forage rye this back end to get early forage in front of the cows plus 130ac of Westerwolds that went in after SB wholecrop with the aim to cut this season and again early before maize.

 

[Blue.]

Never gets dry here,115mm in the last 14 days.

 

[Scholsey]

Never gets dry here,115mm in the last 14 days.

thats nearly half of what we’ve had all year!

 

[crashbox]

Anyone else so dry there's now no shock to the fence?

#setstocking by default!

 

[Headless chicken]

Anyone else so dry there's now no shock to the fence?

#setstocking by default!

Solar fencer was needing a bottle of water on the earth everyday. Had to give in an take them to the other farm to start feeding

 

[Kiss]

Anyone else so dry there's now no shock to the fence?

#setstocking by default!

Our earths are 2.4m deep if Iv no power we are probably past the point of no return

 

[sidjon]

Pouring 5 litre of water on most fencer, mains is still kicking hard I found out this afternoon , not sure what the next move is, but destocking a bit more this week, done silage calculation needed for winter, if we have to feed to the end of August, it doesn't look pretty currently,

 

[celtis man]

If this is to be our new normal then we may have to give up on cattle and just go sheep and autumn drilled cereals

 

[sidjon]

If this is to be our new normal then we may have to give up on cattle and just go sheep and autumn drilled cereals

Sheep farm next-doors hasn't had sheep on it since mid May and currently has less grass than me.

 

[celtis man]

It's just droughted out round here.
Cows don't milk on dust

 

[jerseycowsman]

If this is to be our new normal then we may have to give up on cattle and just go sheep and autumn drilled cereals

Summers have been getting wetter till this one outlier year, don’t make rash decisions based on such thin evidence.
Springs have been drier, but not summers