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Grass Renovation thread

hally

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
cumbria
We bought some hill ground along the road about 15 years ago and set about improving it. It started with rushes the height of the tractor wheels so sprayed them out then drained it in 20 acre blocks a year. The following year we rotaspiked the drains level and then went over the block with the rotaspike after roundup as we decided it had too much crap on it for direct drilling and too wet for brassicas in the winter ( 50 inches of rain not uncommon around here). We then rolled it and double passed with our Unidrill. Worked well now carrying 3 texel ewes with twins to the acre on land that cost us about £500/ acre plus the cost of draining which we mostly did ourselves.
 

Kevtherev

Member
Location
Welshpool Powys
Still have their place though.
I don’t think anyone with any sense would go into a peat bog with a rotavator certainly not around here anyway.
I still use one for rotavating drains
(8ft krone)
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
Remember back in the eighties draining some land , next door did the same on same type of land ,we ploughed ours with a lay flat forestry plough, so much grass came after we had to cut it with the Class Jag Forager ,thats how dry it was , meanwhile next door rotavated his , lost count how many times he got stuck trying to seed it , he gave up in the end
 
Situation update.

My seedlings are dying. Boo.

The cuts from the disc drill are drying out and long cracks are forming. They are now open to the strong wind, making it all worse. One corner of the field is in full row, moisture there right down.

I have a cunning plan for irrigation. I was cursing the windy afternoon because I can't go spreading, but it seems I'm going to be busy.
 

Grassman

Member
Location
Derbyshire
Situation update.

My seedlings are dying. Boo.

The cuts from the disc drill are drying out and long cracks are forming. They are now open to the strong wind, making it all worse. One corner of the field is in full row, moisture there right down.

I have a cunning plan for irrigation. I was cursing the windy afternoon because I can't go spreading, but it seems I'm going to be busy.
I did some direct drilled grass seeding this spring but the drought really didn't do it any favours. The drill slots really do dry out badly. Its growing now in a fashion.
Reseeding Is a proper gamble :scratchhead:
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
Moore unidrill. Oldish machine.
Seed is more likely to get drowned here .is that weed or clover ?
20200804_192941.jpg
 
Had a go at a bit of flood irrigation. Quick fag packet calculations show it’s getting the equivalent of about 3mm of rain. Not really a sustainable enterprise, but if some of it survives and I get a bit of variety I’ll be happy. Plus, I’m buggered if I’m going to just sit back on a windy afternoon and watch it all shrivel up.
9D47E665-BFF7-487C-AF16-9BFF536B1763.jpeg
541A1A26-AC6E-4EE1-B153-ABA434F25C00.jpeg


this is the good looking corner, pleased with that.
88C5E69C-F9DF-48EA-8A5A-97F7B6C77FB6.jpeg
 

How is your SFI 24 application progressing?

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Webinar: Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer 2024 -26th Sept

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On Thursday 26th September, we’re holding a webinar for farmers to go through the guidance, actions and detail for the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer. This was planned for end of May, but had to be delayed due to the general election. We apologise about that.

Farming and Countryside Programme Director, Janet Hughes will be joined by policy leads working on SFI, and colleagues from the Rural Payment Agency and Catchment Sensitive Farming.

This webinar will be...
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