Grass growing?

[Al R]

For sure It’s the sacrifice fields I’m baring off, their no good for lambing in due to gorse and topography, unploughable ground

 

[Woolless]

I wasn’t referring to leaving 6” of grass (we don’t all get that much growth in February ), but an inch or so of green leaf that pops up now is the solar panel to drive growth in the Spring.
Grazing it all bare to the ground again now won’t provide a lot of keep, but will set Spring growth back weeks.

I am a big believer in shutting up as much as possible over the winter. It helps that I can hold sheep and even cattle on sacrifice fields here without making a ridiculous mess.

 

[serf]

I was trying to be a bit more regenerative and didn't use the round-up. Wish I had really, as what was there got away in front of the prota plus due to the poor conditions for germination (I think). It's come in much better where there was less competition, where there were ring feeders over the winter particularly. It was a stemmy mess by August and I ended up topping it which the annual clovers didn't like. It's been shut up since mid-November and I'm hoping it'll provide an early bite for the ewes, at least.

had trouble with buck thistles because the ground didn't have enough cover because slow germination in carp weather so had to topp them out few times and they still about now but the field is the darkest green at min like its had 3cwt,ac but its had nothing but grazing ,
the picture doesn't do the shade of green justice ,
mid dec

 

[Estate fencing.]

I wasn’t referring to leaving 6” of grass (we don’t all get that much growth in February ), but an inch or so of green leaf that pops up now is the solar panel to drive growth in the Spring.
Grazing it all bare to the ground again now won’t provide a lot of keep, but will set Spring growth back weeks.

Normal years I would let 100 ewe lambs just roam the farm from now until mid march. This years as the ewes have finished there fields they have been shut up and some haven’t had sheep on for 6 weeks now and look a picture of healthy grass about a inch tall.

 

[Al R]

Normal years I would let 100 ewe lambs just roam the farm from now until mid march. This years as the ewes have finished there fields they have been shut up and some haven’t had sheep on for 6 weeks now and look a picture of healthy grass about a inch tall.

If you get frost on the longer grass what happens to it?

 

[neilo]

If you get frost on the longer grass what happens to it?

It's about an inch tall...

 

[Agrivator]

If you get frost on the longer grass what happens to it?

Herbage low in potassium is at risk of cells bursting because each cell lacks the antifreeze factor which adequate potassium supplies.

But excess potassium causes other problems of mineral imbalances.

Role of potassium in frost resistance - Potash Development Association (PDA)

With the recent cold conditions experienced throughout the UK it is worth considering the impact of nutrition on plant tolerance to cold. The role of K in protecting crops against frost damage is widely recognised, however the detail behind the mechanisms may not be so clearly understood. When...

www.pda.org.uk

 

[neilo]

had trouble with buck thistles because the ground didn't have enough cover because slow germination in carp weather so had to topp them out few times and they still about now but the field is the darkest green at min like its had 3cwt,ac but its had nothing but grazing ,
the picture doesn't do the shade of green justice ,
mid decView attachment 1006753

When I grew it, the remaining IRG stayed dark green all year with no inputs from the residual N. It was starting to grow in February, as IRG does, and provided an early bite when we were short, then several more grazings, 8 round bales of stemmy hay/ac, then several more grazings before reseeding the following Spring. I did wonder about stitching some more annual clovers in and keeping it going a bit longer.

It will be interesting to see if any of the clovers survive if we don't get a proper winter.

I have some Westerwolds, annual clovers and red clover in this year. The Westerwolds just bolted to head, but at least let light to the clovers I suppose. We took a light silage cut to clean out the fathen, etc, and then turned weaned lambs into it later, which did them very well. By that time, the Westerwolds had bolted to seed again, to the extent that the lambs were knocking seed out and their is a carpet of grass seedlings in there now. Be interesting to see what it does this year.
I've never grown a fodder crop like the first time we grew Protoplus tbh, which was min-tilled in behind grazed swedes. I tried it again, and various similar mixtures, but nothings come close.

 

[Bury the Trash]

If you get frost on the longer grass what happens to it?

nothing much, unless its days and days of well below - which we at least dont seem to get so much these days .

for the 'hungry gap' i would sooner have a big store of reasonable older grass than pissy bit of leafy green that only lasts five minutes a flock.

 

[Al R]

nothing much, unless its days and days of well below - which we at least dont seem to get so much these days .

for the 'hungry gap' i would sooner have a big store of reasonable older grass than pissy bit of leafy green that only lasts five minutes a flock.

Admittedly yes.
Whenever I’ve seen fields left for 90-120 days over winter they have turned to rank sh!te that you could never put into a silage pit, ewes graze the young leaves ontop and then starve while struggling to digest the rubbish which is full of mildew and slugs in the bottom

 

[Bury the Trash]

Admittedly yes.
Whenever I’ve seen fields left for 90-120 days over winter they have turned to rank sh!te that you could never put into a silage pit, ewes graze the young leaves ontop and then starve while struggling to digest the rubbish which is full of mildew and slugs in the bottom

yeah can be shite if its too old /weathered
course i would be supplementary feeding an appropriate to the stock type/use concentrate to balance as well though and the cost of that would offset the cost of making silage .
and dry type /well drained ground is best for the purpose not so much heavy low lying same as all sheep ground especially in winter

 

[Al R]

yeah can be shite if its too old /weathered i would be supplementary feed an appropriate to the stock type concentrate to balance as well though and the cost of that would offset the cost of making silage .
and dry type /well drained ground is best for it, not so much heavy low lying

Land like this is brilliant for out wintering on, rocky outcrops, no depth of soil and brilliant shelter - so long as you don’t have to catch the ewes before shearing This was Boxing Day. 12 acre of 30 year old PP with 170 ewes on, still there now with no other feed and their just about beating it.

 

[serf]

It will be interesting to see if any of the clovers survive if we don't get a proper winter

Yes not sure what clovers will do , could do with spray at some stage for thistles if it won't knock the grass about to much later in year but if clover comes in any force will top it again , it had a poor start here and made up for it in the end so be interesting to see how it goes with a decent start in another field after turnips this time.

 

[will6910]

Very mild here today. But with fields wet it’s why all my sheep are now inside, ewes, lambs and rams. Have fields not grazed since end October saved for ewes and lambs at end off February. Any grows between now and then will all help

 

[Bury the Trash]

Land like this is brilliant for out wintering on, rocky outcrops, no depth of soil and brilliant shelter - so long as you don’t have to catch the ewes before shearing This was Boxing Day. 12 acre of 30 year old PP with 170 ewes on, still there now with no other feed and their just about beating it.
View attachment 1006826

you don't winter shear do you ? going to have a go with ours for the first time in the next week or 2 could do with more like these to save all that wool hassle

....didnt have a dog with me theyre just spooked up by the hunt . that grass isnt growing despite being S.facing, one reason is set stocking and tother is i reckon it needs lime ,even trying to grow in mid winter it still needs the right nutrients ...

 

[Al R]

you don't winter shear do you ? going to have a go with ours for the first time in the next week or 2 could do with more like these to save all that wool hassle
View attachment 1006848
....didnt have a dog with me theyre just spooked up by the hunt . that grass isnt growing despite being S.facing, one reason is set stocking and tother is i reckon it needs lime ,even trying to grow in mid winter it still needs the right nutrients ...

Are yours coming in after shearing?
No I’ve never winter shorn, having to pay for it to come off once is bad enough!

 

[Bury the Trash]

Are yours coming in after shearing?
No I’ve never winter shorn, having to pay for it to come off once is bad enough!

yep { definitely housing } will eat a bit more i expect but not if its mild /above a certain temperature threshold generally apparently is the theory ? so hope it stays warmer
and well, they wont be shorn again till next Jan !
i want to hit the ground running with Clik mid May then most likely re apply mid season (after say when they have been dagged as they might need to be ..} without the worry that they have to be shorn at some point ive never minded the chemical cost but i dont like the thought of shearing with it in the fleece.

 

[Al R]

yep { definitely housing } will eat a bit more i expect but not if its mild /above a certain temperature threshold generally apparently is the theory ? so hope it stays warmer
and well, they wont be shorn again till next Jan !
i want to hit the ground running with Clik mid May then most likely re apply mid season (after say when they have been dagged as they might need to be ..} without the worry that they have to be shorn at some point ive never minded the chemical cost but i dont like the thought of shearing with it in the fleece.

Oosh fair enough, my ewes this year had no treatments bar shearing, they need checking/lambs need checking daily or moved anyway so just shear anything that gets sweat maggots then.
All ewes get arses trimmed around a week after that field has finished lambing, usually all trimmed bar stragglers by end of March while the staff are still here