Farmer Roy's Random Thoughts - I never said it was easy.

[unlacedgecko]

Only my pet bullock View attachment 567960

I do have a small area of grazing country I currently lease to a neighbour that I am thinking of taking back once the current term ends & I am also thinking about introducing livestock onto the Cropping country ( for soil biology / regenerative agriculture reasons ) once I get my head around the logistics of fences & water infrastructure

Drought master?

I think re-introducing livestock, especially cattle, to arable rotations is an exciting and fascinating concept. Have you seen the presentation on how managed cattle grazing can reverse desertification?

How will you square cattle with your anti feed lot ethics? Will you have the capability to finish cattle extensively?

 

[Farmer Roy]

How will you square cattle with your anti feed lot ethics? Will you have the capability to finish cattle extensively?

Excellent question

To be honest, that's one of the road blocks I have trouble getting my head around, amongst others

Theoretically I would have maybe a 90 day window of grazing, ideally with large numbers / high density of animals to achieve what I want. Easiest way would be to get cattle in on agistment & be paid on a per head / day basis. Lowest risk.

I could buy in stock that would be "finished" in 90 days, but finding the right stock at the right price at the time I want them ??? Highest risk

Don't have a lot of other country to maintain a year round supply of animals for when I need them, or to "finish" stock if they have to come off cropping country

From a feedlot point of view, I could probably justify it by the fact that I'm not breeding them for a feedlot, I'm just providing grazing during that "backgrounding" period, providing a quality of life during that time ? Dunno. Hard one. Ethics isn't always easy & at times get compromised

The fact I have NO fencing, handling or water infrastructure isn't helping either

But, I love the concept.
I could probably achieve similar results by spreading manure ( from a feedlot ) & some shallow soil disturbance, but I also like the idea of the cattle also bringing an income

I never said it was easy

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Excellent question

To be honest, that's one of the road blocks I have trouble getting my head around, amongst others

Theoretically I would have maybe a 90 day window of grazing, ideally with large numbers / high density of animals to achieve what I want. Easiest way would be to get cattle in on agistment & be paid on a per head / day basis. Lowest risk.

I could buy in stock that would be "finished" in 90 days, but finding the right stock at the right price at the time I want them ??? Highest risk

Don't have a lot of other country to maintain a year round supply of animals for when I need them, or to "finish" stock if they have to come off cropping country

From a feedlot point of view, I could probably justify it by the fact that I'm not breeding them for a feedlot, I'm just providing grazing during that "backgrounding" period, providing a quality of life during that time ? Dunno. Hard one. Ethics isn't always easy & at times get compromised

The fact I have NO fencing, handling or water infrastructure isn't helping either

But, I love the concept.
I could probably achieve similar results by spreading manure ( from a feedlot ) & some shallow soil disturbance, but I also like the idea of the cattle also bringing an income

I never said it was easy

No infrastructure is almost a blessing for grazing big numbers of cattle. Reels and a GPS app on your phone give them 1/90th of your area per day for 90 days,
put portable water troughs on any areas you want them concentrated on...tank on a trailer... Robert is then your mother's brother.

Animals do not have to pull your plough to work for you.

 

[Farmer Roy]

No infrastructure is almost a blessing for grazing big numbers of cattle. Reels and a GPS app on your phone give them 1/90th of your area per day for 90 days,
put portable water troughs on any areas you want them concentrated on...tank on a trailer... Robert is then your mother's brother.

Animals do not have to pull your plough to work for you.

Have to admit, I did wonder if you could influence livestock movement by just moving the water point ( not fences ) daily, but cattle will walk many kilometres to water, so I don't know if that's realistic or not ?
You probably have better knowledge on that than me . . .

 

[Farmer Roy]

Do you have a specific app in mind ?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Quite a few good apps, I use 'GPS fields area measure' on android which handles areas and distances and has a good GPS accuracy too.

You would definitely be able to coerce cattle to come to water, but for real high-impact grazing you'd be better to fence them into tight squares/between two 'walking fences etc. I think they would otherwise just bugger off and lie down!!

Het vee uitsteken!

I think Ant @TelesnaAg Is going to do the same sort of thing this year

 

[Farmer Roy]

Have to admit, I did wonder if you could influence livestock movement by just moving the water point ( not fences ) daily, but cattle will walk many kilometres to water, so I don't know if that's realistic or not ?
You probably have better knowledge on that than me . . .

But then, I also have concerns about towing heavy water tankers over my ground as compaction is an issue.
Unless - maybe if I used CTF tramlines to move water trailer ?
Possibility

 

[Farmer Roy]

Wonder if we could get Walter to change his thread title to " Regenerstive agriculture in the Southern Hemisphere " or " Farmer Roys random thoughts " ?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Wonder if we could get Walter to change his thread title to " Regenerstive agriculture in the Southern Hemisphere " or " Farmer Roys random thoughts " ?

Hmmm
@llamedos- would you be amenable to putting the good bit over to a new thread?
The good folks will be getting bored with all the alerts by now.


'Foreigners'...

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Thanks llamedos

 

[FonterraFarmer]

Hmmm
@llamedos- would you be amenable to putting the good bit over to a new thread?
The good folks will be getting bored with all the alerts by now.


'Foreigners'...

Who are you.......calling "foreign"?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

But then, I also have concerns about towing heavy water tankers over my ground as compaction is an issue.
Unless - maybe if I used CTF tramlines to move water trailer ?
Possibility

How many cattle are you thinking, and how far would you need to cart water?
A common way for roadside grazing is to just ferry 1000l IBC's and lift them onto one of those 'rickety old trailers farmers always have' for a bit of head. But imagine a decent mob would keep you busy in your climate.

 

[Farmer Roy]

Thanks llamedos

That was quick
Thanks @llamedos

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Who are you.......calling "foreign"?

Well.... I'm alright, Jack .

I'm here to learn how to make money

 

[llamedos]

Hope I moved the posts from the most appropriate point.

 

[unlacedgecko]

How many cattle are you thinking, and how far would you need to cart water?
A common way for roadside grazing is to just ferry 1000l IBC's and lift them onto one of those 'rickety old trailers farmers always have' for a bit of head. But imagine a decent mob would keep you busy in your climate.

Be too much f**king about if running a decent number of stock.

Get an old road water tanker (22,000l+) then put fast access pipe across the ground.

 

[bobk]

Are you originally from these parts @Farmer Roy , you sound too inteligent to be Australian .

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Be too much fudgeing about if running a decent number of stock.

Get an old road water tanker (22,000l+) then put fast access pipe across the ground.

Yes, it works well for a few empty cows on a quiet bit of roadside!! But I'd allow at least 50 litres per head if that big yellow orb came out .
275kg beef calves inside are only averaging 17 l. per day so far, in our cool climate.
I think Roy mentioned 120 ac. which might handle say 80-90 big cattle? So there's 5m3 of water per day.

 

[Farmer Roy]

Are you originally from these parts @Farmer Roy , you sound too inteligent to be Australian .

err, not quite sure how to take that remark, most criticism ive received has come from the northern hemisphere

my great great grandfather was the second mayor of Bathurst, the first inland town in NSW when a route over the Great Dividing Ranges was opened up in the mid 1800's, a pamphlet written by one of his daughters was distributed in England to encourage early settlers to emigrate, so you could say Im fairly Australian - although my mother was Scottish ( nurse, came here in her 30's ) & for my sins I did spend 3 years working on UK farms 88 - 91

 

[Farmer Roy]

Hope I moved the posts from the most appropriate point.

Im good with it