GS2 scheme

Slowcow

Member
We're organic dairy and last few years have had some off ground on a grazing agreement, converted it to organic and the landlord claims the payment.

They've just let me know it's now in GS2 and bit by bit what the rules are, highlights;

No cutting til 1st July
No dung spreading until 1st July (unless before 15th march! It's wetish ground so no spring spreading)
No suplimentary feeding.

I don't really want to give it up but can't see I can work to these rules.

Has anyone else got ground on a similar agreement? What do you do with it? Don't quite need that much dry cow hay!!
What sort of rent a acre would be paying?
It's certainly worth less than we have been paying when could do 2 cuts etc.

Thanks
 

Sid

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South Molton
We're organic dairy and last few years have had some off ground on a grazing agreement, converted it to organic and the landlord claims the payment.

They've just let me know it's now in GS2 and bit by bit what the rules are, highlights;

No cutting til 1st July
No dung spreading until 1st July (unless before 15th march! It's wetish ground so no spring spreading)
No suplimentary feeding.

I don't really want to give it up but can't see I can work to these rules.

Has anyone else got ground on a similar agreement? What do you do with it? Don't quite need that much dry cow hay!!
What sort of rent a acre would be paying?
It's certainly worth less than we have been paying when could do 2 cuts etc.

Thanks
Can not be used in conjunction with organic payments, so I'm guessing they aren't claiming those.
 

Slowcow

Member
That's some of the problem, it's not very productive at its best, some ruby reds would be ok but I haven't got many of them.
Got some sheep but it was heavily sheeped before we took it on and they seem to go back there.
Last year had young stock on it and gave them a bit of cake keep them going but can't do that now......
It's been fenced on a grant but part of that involves fencing of the water courses , they are no troughs in the steep bits as they could drink from the river before so I can't paddock graze it very easily 🙄
Thanks
 

Jdunn55

Member
That's some of the problem, it's not very productive at its best, some ruby reds would be ok but I haven't got many of them.
Got some sheep but it was heavily sheeped before we took it on and they seem to go back there.
Last year had young stock on it and gave them a bit of cake keep them going but can't do that now......
It's been fenced on a grant but part of that involves fencing of the water courses , they are no troughs in the steep bits as they could drink from the river before so I can't paddock graze it very easily 🙄
Thanks
Offer to cut it for them for free as a good will gesture - they might suddenly realise they have buggered themselves up

Personally I think it's not worth paying anything for it now and they should consider the payment from gs2 as their rent
 

Slowcow

Member
Offer to cut it for them for free as a good will gesture - they might suddenly realise they have buggered themselves up

Personally I think it's not worth paying anything for it now and they should consider the payment from gs2 as their rent
I'm thinking along similar lines, it's too many restrictions for a tenant to make any money on, if you owned it and had a few native sucklers to run over it and got the payments on it. It would probably be ok.
Some of it is too steep to sensibly cut, I'm going to cost out baling the rest to hay, the irritating thing is I'd left it empty for pretty much the first quarter this year to build up some grazing.
 

Slowcow

Member
Been thinking on this, I'm wieghing up going autumn calving for a variety of reasons, from ayr wieghted to autumn/winter at the mo.

I know some folks graze standing hay for dry cows. Not done it before, when do you lay up the ground etc? Could put a bunch of dry cows on it then?

Any thoughts?
Thanks
 

In the pit

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Pembrokeshire
Start calving sept 1 st so 2 grazing then cot for silage mid /late June and then just left for calving cows
I only put the stringers on it maybe 2 weeks out while rest of cows keep grazing round farm
No sh!t on calving paddock but normal amount of fert
 

O'Reilly

Member
If no grazing til July, it will be too tough to graze any sense (depending on your area, you know that best). Also it's a pain carting dry cows about, it might cause calving problems, and I'm not sure about the legality of hauling heavily in calf cows. I gave it up, use our away ground for heifers and make more hay, but I haven't got a twit putting the ground into difficult stewardship schemes.
 

Slowcow

Member
Thanks, your probably right, cows won't like being moved. I think the consultant was just after getting the biggest payment he could for them ......
 

farmerm

Member
Location
Shropshire
If no grazing til July, it will be too tough to graze any sense (depending on your area, you know that best). Also it's a pain carting dry cows about, it might cause calving problems, and I'm not sure about the legality of hauling heavily in calf cows. I gave it up, use our away ground for heifers and make more hay, but I haven't got a twit putting the ground into difficult stewardship schemes.
You can graze GS2. But that is about all..
 

Slowcow

Member
That's about it, no 'mechanical operations' between march 15 and July 1 so can't top it or tine weed etc, was poor grazing before but can't see any way to improve it within the rules.
 

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