Headed grass- mgt options

[Jerry]

I’ve a bit of stalky rye grass.

Dried off ewes on it which worked well for them and they learnt to eat the seed heads.

We’ve now had 46mm of rain in last 11 days which is a bit of a shock to the system for us in a dry bit of Devon.

It’s flushing up green in the base of the crop now and clover is coming back nicely.

How would people manage to get the best from it now there a nice moisture profile?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Top it

 

[M-J-G]

Top it

In order to achieve what exactly?

 

[crashbox]

Dry stock cattle will happily live off that.

 

[Rogstores]

Top it or mow it bale it up , quality’s gone out of it , top it with a rotary topper they will eat it after it’s dried a couple days

 

[Derrick Hughes]

In order to achieve what exactly?

Encourage the grass to tiller and push up new shoots. Grow faster , but im just an old fashioned fool

 

[crashbox]

Encourage the grass to tiller and push up new shoots. Grow faster , but im just an old fashioned fool

Sure?

Lots of the old boys I know/knew wouldn't be happy wasting all that lovely grass!

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Sure?

Lots of the old boys I know/knew wouldn't be happy wasting all that lovely grass!

Is a few seed heads ,

 

[Kevtherev]

Turn the cows into it
Maybe split it up with electric fence but why waste diesel topping it?

 

[Rogstores]

No quality in it so whatever’s eating it is not going make any milk or is not going to grow , it’s belly fill at its finest

 

[crashbox]

Is a few seed heads ,

Something tells me you farm somewhere wet to be saying that in July!

 

[Agrivator]

Cut it as low as you can. Remove the rubbish.

And don't allow it to get as rank again.

If you want to top a field,
don't mess around,
cut it off right down to the ground.

 

[polk_farmer]

Surely the fresh green shoots and clover growing through would be exactly the same quality as if it was topped? The dead stalks aren't going to be eaten by anything anyway and just look abit rough compared being freshly topped.

 

[steveR]

Top it or mow it bale it up , quality’s gone out of it , top it with a rotary topper they will eat it after it’s dried a couple days

I rate the flail topper if thistles in teh sward, but have been very pleased with the Malone disc mower and the deep skids, fast and wide and leaves grass bents to dry and be eaten, all spread out.

 

[neilo]

In order to achieve what exactly?

It will make it look a lot better, and greener, so all the neighbours can see you’re a ‘proper’ farmer.

I’m far from convinced it makes much difference to grass growth though, but unless anyone actually measures…?

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Mob it off with the dry ewes

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Something tells me you farm somewhere wet to be saying that in July!

We had Guards at the shed doors today to stop the floods coming in

When grass heads it goes to sleep, it won't awaken until you cut them off
Used to be bread and butter years ago

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Some Bedtime reading from the open day today
The first one is the New Thistle X Super , all available next spring

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Graze it again in 5 or 6 months

The reason it has gone so stalky and stemmy is because it's never had time, give it time and you won't have droughts and quality problems, and "quantity problems" whenever the growth rates twitch

This response is little different to the "baby boom" effect after most of the young lads were killed in war. Pasture management is much the same.
If you are never getting seedlings growing then you'll always have more seedheads until you relax a bit.

2 grazings per 20 inches of rainfall is enough

 

[Jackov Altraids]

I’ve a bit of stalky rye grass.

Dried off ewes on it which worked well for them and they learnt to eat the seed heads.

We’ve now had 46mm of rain in last 11 days which is a bit of a shock to the system for us in a dry bit of Devon.

It’s flushing up green in the base of the crop now and clover is coming back nicely.

How would people manage to get the best from it now there a nice moisture profile?

View attachment 1123612View attachment 1123613

I think it depends on what you want to do with it.

You could cut and bale at the next opportunity and 'reset' it.
You could graze as is.
You could simply leave for deferred grazing.
But if you were hoping to get another good 'cut', I'd top it.