Fert applications

[steveR]

With a supreme bout of optimism, I walked a couple of my grass fields today as I thought, foolishly as it turned out, that maybe I could travel with the baby compact tractor and the even smaller single rotor disc spreader. 100kg at a time. It really would be great to spin a bit of fert on to get the grass moving, where I missed to travel earlier in the year, I thought....

Fat, bloody chance. Wondering about tracks now! Ewes and lambs will soon munch the bit of grazing that I fertilised a way back and is now 3-4" tall. Got a block of herbal ley that looks good, but it will be a 5 day mob only before it starts to look sad. Then it is leccy fencing time and some outlying grassland...

I can see a lack of grass will be an issue for a lot of folks, not what we want after a wet first 3 months, and April not looking much better!

 

[steveR]

How have the other grassland farmers been getting on then?

Some of teh beef and dairy outfits will be looking at sodden fields with a worried expression??

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Looking over the hedge at some of the rape and wheat about reminds me of why i gave up growing it years ago in our inclement zone, a lot of sprayers out ,

 

[Wood field]

How have the other grassland farmers been getting on then?

Some of teh beef and dairy outfite will be looking at sodden fields with a worried expression??

We’ve been turning out ewes and lambs on about an inch of grass , that’s the (well one of the) downsides of cold ,bleak, and altitude
Patches of grass that are never grazed such as tracksides are about 3”
I was amazed how dry , in relative terms, the meadow is , everywhere else is saturated even our rocky hill behind the main sheds has springs and rivulets, I’ve just ordered more forage for the sheep

 

[Werzle]

Had abit of an easter drive yesterday hedgerow farming, never seen so many tired ,slumped and worn out arable fields . Some only seemed to be growing moss , ruts in some of the beet fields looked terrible. Crops yellow and water sick etc. Walked my own grazing fields today, no hope of putting fert on or grazing for along while . Ground is like a sponge

 

[Cowlife]

Might chance some fert on tomorrow if it stays dry. Looks like another 2weeks if rain so

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

How have the other grassland farmers been getting on then?

Some of teh beef and dairy outfite will be looking at sodden fields with a worried expression??

For the early March, ones. Very little grass, putting fodder beet out for them + ewe rolls. Lambs generally look well though, ewes are milking well but the older ones are losing condition. Creep feeders going out next week when lambs will be 4 weeks old. Should take some pressure off the ewes and hopefully the lambs should motor on and be gone early. Otherwise I can see them stalling as we’ll probably have a drought by June

April lambers start in a week, more fodder beet and ewe rolls are looking likely at the moment

 

[steveR]

We’ve been turning out ewes and lambs on about an inch of grass , that’s the (well one of the) downsides of cold ,bleak, and altitude
Patches of grass that are never grazed such as tracksides are about 3”
I was amazed how dry , in relative terms, the meadow is , everywhere else is saturated even our rocky hill behind the main sheds has springs and rivulets, I’ve just ordered more forage for the sheep

Be grazing the long acre...

Bugger to be needing to buy in on top of all teh hassle

 

[steveR]

Might chance some fert on tomorrow if it stays dry. Looks like another 2weeks if rain so

Good luck.

 

[Zippy768]

Can't do what you can't do I suppose

 

[David1968]

Got some on yesterday and today. Tracks look worse than they are. Tractor wasn't really sinking in, just making the grass muddy. Most of it will wash off.

Moving to 24m a few years ago is a big help in being able to dodge the worst bits.

 

[icanshootwell]

Bloody desperate here, no way I could get a tractor on the ground without making a right mess, silage is almost gone, cows and calves stuck in sheds miserable, what a long winter, I really don't know what to do for the 1st time in 40 years, weather forecast is still crap for the next few weeks.

 

[Andrew1983]

I could travel on most of our grass without making too much mess but with a wet week forecast and no sign of warm dry weather on the horizon is there any point in chucking it on?! Going to be flat out drilling for 2-3 weeks when things dry up so maybe will push on with fert later this week.

 

[Werzle]

Bloody desperate here, no way I could get a tractor on the ground without making a right mess, silage is almost gone, cows and calves stuck in sheds miserable, what a long winter, I really don't know what to do for the 1st time in 40 years, weather forecast is still crap for the next few weeks.

Fodder isnt over dear, spring will come pretty quick when it comes. We are all in the same boat , we wont be beaten by the bloody weather . I always think its best to get on and buy fodder before you really need it than wait until the cupboards bare, i would rather worry about how much fodders cost than worry there is nothing to feed.

 

[steveR]

I could travel on most of our grass without making too much mess but with a wet week forecast and no sign of warm dry weather on the horizon is there any point in chucking it on?! Going to be flat out drilling for 2-3 weeks when things dry up so maybe will push on with fert later this week.

Daylight hours stretching and land warming up.

Fert will not do much good in a bag is my philosophy

 

[BAF]

Carol on the weather this morning gave a more optimistic view from what I saw over my cup of tea. Sunshine and showers for us most of the week and turning positively warm by the weekend. The grass is growing now and the thistles! It might be dry enough by the weekend to do a bit!

 

[AndrewM]

Usually find that the problem with late turn out is too much Grass that i can't keep on top of quality wise, end end strip grazing seedy rubbish come June. Taken to saving the fert till I have taken first rotations grazing

 

[Werzle]

Usually find that the problem with late turn out is too much Grass that i can't keep on top of quality wise, end end strip grazing seedy rubbish come June. Taken to saving the fert till I have taken first rotations grazing

Silaging is going to be stop start on some farms, some fields will be racing away and want cutting in a few weeks and others need fert but too wet to do it. End up cutting some with nothing much on just to cut them all at the same time or doing 2 first cuts

 

[HarryB97]

Put Polysulphate on 3-4 weeks ago. No nitrogen to go on luckily as the fields are all red clover leys, herbal or Lucerne.

 

[Wood field]

Daylight hours stretching and land warming up.

Fert will not do much good in a bag is my philosophy

Our chap phoned this afternoon at 2-30 , saying I’ll come and spread , it’s like a swamp and now full of ewes and lambs .
Question… can they spread assuming ground conditions are ok, with sheep on ?