Grass ... my a***

[Bald Rick]

Sure the seasons are getting more tricky and I am not sure that our grasses are up to much in a multicut system plus it gets expensive hauling and cutting lightish crops. Too ready to go to seed under any sort of stress and quite variable in quality after first cut.
So, bit of mulling things over ...

Grow westerwolds (or forage rye), sniff of roundup day before cutting in early April, bosh it down, DD spring barley then whole crop or crimp & straw then DD westerwolds with potential for late September cut
Keep 100-140 acres of leys at home to give cutting or grazing options and retain maize acreage

Thoughts ?

 

[Milkcow365]

Sure the seasons are getting more tricky and I am not sure that our grasses are up to much in a multicut system plus it gets expensive hauling and cutting lightish crops. Too ready to go to seed under any sort of stress and quite variable in quality after first cut.
So, bit of mulling things over ...

Grow westerwolds (or forage rye), sniff of roundup day before cutting in early April, bosh it down, DD spring barley then whole crop or crimp & straw then DD westerwolds with potential for late September cut
Keep 100-140 acres of leys at home to give cutting or grazing options and retain maize acreage

Thoughts ?

Then comes a wet year

 

[bobk]

Sure the seasons are getting more tricky and I am not sure that our grasses are up to much in a multicut system plus it gets expensive hauling and cutting lightish crops. Too ready to go to seed under any sort of stress and quite variable in quality after first cut.
So, bit of mulling things over ...

Grow westerwolds (or forage rye), sniff of roundup day before cutting in early April, bosh it down, DD spring barley then whole crop or crimp & straw then DD westerwolds with potential for late September cut
Keep 100-140 acres of leys at home to give cutting or grazing options and retain maize acreage

Thoughts ?

The standard of grass seed is diabolical . a national disgrace , bring back S23

 

[lazy farmer]

Yeap that’s what’s a high yielding high cost system requires.....








More cost and even more vulnerability to the weather.
Chap round here didn’t catch the weather right and finally drilled his maize on May 25th after cutting westerwolds.
It’s germinated really really well........

 

[Milkcow365]

We just do a mix, I know I have more land per cow than most but between grass, fodder beet, maize and wholecrop surely somthing will grow and we just sell surplus of each to suit.

 

[Bald Rick]

Then comes a wet year

Yeap that’s what’s a high yielding high cost system requires.....








More cost and even more vulnerability to the weather.
Chap round here didn’t catch the weather right and finally drilled his maize on May 25th after cutting westerwolds.
It’s germinated really really well........

Aye. Can’t do anything about the weather but we have a considerable acreage of light sand land

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Yeap that’s what’s a high yielding high cost system requires.....








More cost and even more vulnerability to the weather.
Chap round here didn’t catch the weather right and finally drilled his maize on May 25th after cutting westerwolds.
It’s germinated really really well........

How could anyone not catch the weather right in May? I don't think I saw a cloud in May.

 

[Bald Rick]

We just do a mix, I know I have more land per cow than most but between grass, fodder beet, maize and wholecrop surely somthing will grow and we just sell surplus of each to suit.

The thinking is to grow about 400ac of first cut then remove 250 in to barley plus the maize. Would give us three forages

 

[Cows 'n grass]

The best insurance is a mix of cropping. I have made bugger all grass silage yet, I target 1000 bales for first cut and this year I made 350.

I do however have maize on contract that doesn't look awful and 105ac of SB for wholecrop that looks really good.

How about getting sole Lucerne planted in that sand?

 

[rusty]

Problem I see with Westerwolds/Italian ryegrass is the relatively low D value compared with intermediate and late perennials. If the aim is to make lots of high D forage to drive drymatter intakes are these really the best forages?

 

[Bald Rick]

The best insurance is a mix of cropping. I have made bugger all grass silage yet, I target 1000 bales for first cut and this year I made 350.

I do however have maize on contract that doesn't look awful and 105ac of SB for wholecrop that looks really good.

How about getting sole Lucerne planted in that sand?

Been attracted to Lucerne before but not sure we would want to commit too big an acreage to it

 

[Beef farmer]

Aye. Can’t do anything about the weather but we have a considerable acreage of light sand land

Maize under film planted 20th march on the beach. Go for a 25ton crop.

 

[Beef farmer]

Aye. Can’t do anything about the weather but we have a considerable acreage of light sand land

You've had rain now? Isnt the other half the island that's not yours all down to grass for spring calving rats? How are they coping?

 

[Bald Rick]

Maize under film planted 20th march on the beach. Go for a 25ton crop.

I would agree that we should put a proportion under plastic as an insurance

I really do think that there are seasonal shifts now.

 

[Bald Rick]

You've had rain now? Isnt the other half the island that's not yours all down to grass for spring calving rats? How are they coping?

Yes some lovely rain ... just in time to bugger up our 2nd and 3rd cut grass silage salvage operation but hopefully saved the maize. Give that a sniff of AN now

Grass rat boys buying up round bales

 

[Beef farmer]

I would agree that we should put a proportion under plastic as an insurance

I really do think that there are seasonal shifts now.

On your sand, if its planted mid/late march, most years you would have enough moisture underneath it by mid may to sustain a crop. It's the moisture loss in may when working ground that hurts maize in a dry time.

 

[Bald Rick]

On your sand, if its planted mid/late march, most years you would have enough moisture underneath it by mid may to sustain a crop. It's the moisture loss in may when working ground that hurts maize in a dry time.

Been thinking about strip tilling maize too as seems mad to plough

 

[More to life]

Your doing this in reaction to a dry spring
Spring barley after silage would be a disaster

 

[hendrebc]

Beef and sheep here so not really the same but something for you to think about.
I'm falling out of love with new ryegrass leys after spending a small fortune putting them in. My answer is less reseeding more old permanent pasture. It's much more reliable in variable weather.
One field I reseeded a few years ago doesn't really do bulk of silage anymore. New reseed grass in that field 6 heavy round bales an acre last year. It never did less than 8 an acre when it was old 'weed' grasses and old ryegrass and more often than not did 10 or more. Not really progress was it.
Same field in August last year grew 75kg/DM/ha (when I started to measure grass) which I thought was good but the field next to it did the same and it last saw seed in the late 50s. The old field grew more grass over winter too. Why did I bother?

 

[jondear]

Maize under plastic really done well had the early moisture.Maize after grass 20th may looks a different story hardly moved from germination..N
Knee high 4th July no chance.