Grassland advisors

[dairyrow]

Are they worth the money and would i see a improvement with my grassland management? For the last 3 years we've struggled to properly utilise the grass we've grown low stocking rates and didn't really need to get into the nitty gritty of managing the fields. This year we've stocked heavier and utilised it better. But the slow spring and summer drought. Maybe brought this issue are we doing enough and should we better than what we are doing.

Cue me going to the adhb event next week on grass. Out of curiosity i asked the guy how much he charges for grassland advise and what I get. +£300 for 3 hours and a report and he could come 4 times a year.

Is this going to get me better at grassland or am I better off spending it on soil testing, lime and reseeding. I didnt really cover this in college it was just dairy here management and I did engineering before that.

 

[sidjon]

Better off joining a discussion group, I improved a huge amount when I joined one, seeing is better than being told I find.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I wouldn't rule out the use of an advisor but definitely+1 for joining a discussion group. We still have advisors speak to our group.

 

[Rossymons]

Discussion group.

That said, I paid someone for a couple hours to go through my business just before Christmas. Challenged me on damn near everything and really made me think so it was worth it. But I wouldn't have him 4 times a year though.

 

[farmer on a bike]

Better off joining a discussion group, I improved a huge amount when I joined one, seeing is better than being told I find.

+1 for a discussion group although using an advisor for 1 season might get you off to a head start if you are struggling.

 

[westwards]

Give Oliver Hall at Evolution Farming a call he is well worth the cost of a visit, and yes join a discussion group and have an open book policy.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Are they worth the money and would i see a improvement with my grassland management? For the last 3 years we've struggled to properly utilise the grass we've grown low stocking rates and didn't really need to get into the nitty gritty of managing the fields. This year we've stocked heavier and utilised it better. But the slow spring and summer drought. Maybe brought this issue are we doing enough and should we better than what we are doing.

Cue me going to the adhb event next week on grass. Out of curiosity i asked the guy how much he charges for grassland advise and what I get. +£300 for 3 hours and a report and he could come 4 times a year.

Is this going to get me better at grassland or am I better off spending it on soil testing, lime and reseeding. I didnt really cover this in college it was just dairy here management and I did engineering before that.

If you need to do soil testing and liming that should be your starting point as any advice on management is wasted if potential is being lost through limiting factors such as pH. And join a discussion group - hosting visits as long as you don't resent being challenged or constructively criticised. I wouldn't pay out on a consultant until I had made some initial progress and changes.

 

[Rossymons]

If you need to do soil testing and liming that should be your starting point as any advice on management is wasted if potential is being lost through limiting factors such as pH.

Soil sampling you can do yourself. A kit off ebay should come in about £15 so don't even think about inviting a rep on farm for the pleasure of walking his dog across your fields.

 

[Horn&corn]

Soil sampling you can do yourself. A kit off ebay should come in about £15 so don't even think about inviting a rep on farm for the pleasure of walking his dog across your fields.

Are the diy kits any good? Would save the inevitable sales pitch from the rep with a perfect product to correct all my problems!

 

[Princess Pooper]

I would recommend sampling yourself but sending off to a lab for analysis. Read the relevant section of RB209 for how to do it. pH testing can be done OK with a decent home kit, I use Palintest SK100 and buy new consumables as needed. We don't do proper precision farming yet but I do this on a smaller scale than other soil sampling and do a rough map of what areas of the field need more or less lime.

 

[Rossymons]

Are the diy kits any good? Would save the inevitable sales pitch from the rep with a perfect product to correct all my problems!

We predominanley use them as first port of call and work from there. No problems as far as I can tell.

 

[ploughman1963]

I would highly recommend joining a discussion group - you learn so much more from listening to the discussion than just being told what to do by the expert. I pay a bit over £100 a year to be in our group - I reckon I learn something worth that at every meeting I go to

 

[Spudley]

We are in a discussion group but we also have our consultant one afternoon a year which is nice to go over any issues that have come up.

 

[Steevo]

Would be good to put a list of all discussion groups etc up on here somewhere to make it easier for people.

 

[ploughman1963]

We are in a discussion group but we also have our consultant one afternoon a year which is nice to go over any issues that have come up.

Our groups meetings are 'facilitated' or hosted by a very thought provoking advisor who makes us work for the answers by asking us to think the issue through to arrive at the answers - a far better way to learn by understanding rather than just being given the answer
Ours is the Marches grazing group - mainly a beef and sheep discussion group but we do visit and discuss dairy units - would be very happy to welcome some new members - first couple of meetings are free. Our advisor is Charlie Morgan, from whom we have all learnt a lot!

 

[vantage]

Would be good to put a list of all discussion groups etc up on here somewhere to make it easier for people.

Dairy Celts / Cled Richards,SW Wales.

 

[ploughman1963]

Our local dairy discussion group is the 'Stargrazers' - again, very thought provoking but very focussed on dairy management and costings as opposed to the grassland/forage crops/soil health focus of the Marches Grazing group

 

[O'Reilly]

Give Oliver Hall at Evolution Farming a call he is well worth the cost of a visit, and yes join a discussion group and have an open book policy.

Think he's at andersons' now

 

[Sid]

An advisor once told me everything he learnt about grazing and manure management was from farmers

 

[Steevo]

An advisor once told me everything he learnt about grazing and manure management was from farmers

Sounds about right! Speak to farmers, learn the good (and the bad!), pass on some and both of each (sometimes not knowing the difference) and charge out at £100/hr!