"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..

[Kiwi Pete]

I haven't had rush problems but I am aware that 3LM have evidence that appropriate density and timing under holistic planned grazing can massively reduce rushes in pasture by disadvantaging them compared to the grass. Sheila can give more detail. Roger and Gilly at Sailean Farm have done this.

Disadvantage all plants equally, and give them all an equal chance to succeed

It's part of "managing for what you want"

 

[Kiwi Pete]

The present labelling system suits the food processing industry, as they can have low fat and low salt ultra processed food, that is terrible for health, high calorie, low nutrient, and say it's healthy because it it low in fat and salt - complete madness in my opinion.

Not really madness, you just need to know what the game is. Farmers have a general bias towards feeding people, because they produce things that enter the human foodchain

We maybe also assume that there's nothing being done to address overpopulation and overproduction, when that is maybe quite inaccurate

 

[Tanker driver]

grazing grass that close to cutting height here
What does the stuff thats left look about right or not

 

[Kiwi Pete]

View attachment 967063View attachment 967064
grazing grass that close to cutting height here
What does the stuff thats left look about right or not
View attachment 967065

Looks good, of course "it depends" on what your plans are.
Eg if you wanted to lengthen the rotation then you could take more while you're there - "paying it forward" sometimes works but more often leads to that need to speed later.

What's your stocking rate, and are you planning to cut something for winter, are the two biggies

 

[Tanker driver]

Looks good, of course "it depends" on what your plans are.
Eg if you wanted to lengthen the rotation then you could take more while you're there - "paying it forward" sometimes works but more often leads to that need to speed later.

What's your stocking rate, and are you planning to cut something for winter, are the two biggies

Plan is keep the cows full .
Even with the slow spring we have more ground shut up for cutting than last year so a bit of guessing of what to leave here and move them on to ground with less cover.
This field we have always cut and was getting thin so have tried grazing it this year see if it will improve it ,
Can’t back fence this field top of hil and no water

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

The present labelling system suits the food processing industry, as they can have low fat and low salt ultra processed food, that is terrible for health, high calorie, low nutrient, and say it's healthy because it it low in fat and salt - complete madness in my opinion.

Hardly a surprise given that they wrote it.....

The processed food industry have their hooks deeply into food policy in order to protect their business model. Its no wonder they are working to disrupt or corrupt the regenerative movement before it gains momentum.

Kellogs and Nestle have a seat at the table of diabetic health advice according to some reports I've read. How did THAT happen?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Keep Calm and MORE SUGAR

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Plan is keep the cows full .
Even with the slow spring we have more ground shut up for cutting than last year so a bit of guessing of what to leave here and move them on to ground with less cover.
This field we have always cut and was getting thin so have tried grazing it this year see if it will improve it ,
Can’t back fence this field top of hil and no water

No backfence no worries - it's your average density that really matters, because it governs how your herd's habitual grazing behaviour is, keeps them "fit grazers" instead of lazy, picky grazers

if you want it to really thicken up, take it down fairly hard

 

[som farmer]

actually, how many read those labels on the food packets ?
how many of them would understand them
how many would follow that advice anyway
Once had a discussion with a human dietician, re food, she was gobsmacked by the amount of knowledge l had on the rationing of dairy cattle, and l only know the basics, but it was way more than goes into human rations !
l suspect there is a whole industry dedicated to producing facts, in a way, that makes bad ones look good, or completely baffling.
Food is an increasing industry, obviously, but it's in the hands of big industry, who only really care about profit, in the present, not necessarily in the future, a sad but true fact. So we have ended up with a supply food chain, that is controlled by people with only profit in mind, and very few ethics, all the 'fad' things, veggie, vegan, gluten free etc, don't matter to them, unless they can see a profit, simply because they are miniscule, in the greater scheme. Perhaps the greatest threat comes from the fact, that they are to powerful, for any guv to successfully take on, and win.

 

[ShooTa]

unless im not mistaken Kallogs are part of one of the talks at groundswell this year -

 

[som farmer]

View attachment 967063View attachment 967064
grazing grass that close to cutting height here
What does the stuff thats left look about right or not
View attachment 967065

for us, that grass is to far ahead for milk, we know that, because we have been feeding similar to the dairy, which is why we are frantically cutting more for fodder, and may even try cutting in front of the cows, although if it is to far ahead standing, probably the same cut. Getting the balance right, is very difficult, and we have failed ! In fairness, having had a rough couple of summers, the cold dry spell, this spring, put us in ultra careful mode, quite understandable. Now, we have to get back on the right track, we are on the 3rd round of grazing, and the residuals are very stemmy, so will mow behind the cows, hopefully getting a re-set, and tidy up the 'weeds', of which we have very few . I cant really see it would be much different to a plate meter system, other than using much higher levels of grass, and residuals, it would still get to that stemmy stage, and need a reset
We have put a lot of effort, and money, into improving our leys, and have probably been more successful than we realised, we cut a ley sown early last autumn, cows been over twice, and a very heavy cut, the most striking point, thickness in the bottom, and that is what we failed to realise, over all the grass, more plants per square meter, = more leaf = more yield, but probably a bigger risk of grasses running to head, a natural reaction to competition, or my thinking is a load of ballcocks ! We will get back on track, this is just road works along the road.
The other side of the coin, set stocked pp, on our 'new' block, which is NO elec fences, cattle look wonderful, except they are to fat, as that land has a well used series of foot paths, it's very nice to be told, frequently, how quiet and nice looking, our stock is, as they will walk over to people, a few of which give them a scratch, if they take it to the next level, tit bits, they will get a shock !

 

[Karliboy]

I’m a bit mucked up with grass now I’ve never seen so much up on the hill and there be a lot more in another 3 weeks by the time they get back up here.

Cows will be coming into here tomorrow.
looking back I should have started grazing here first rather than where I have been then I could have bailed the surplus closer to home.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I’m a bit mucked up with grass now I’ve never seen so much up on the hill and there be a lot more in another 3 weeks by the time they get back up here. View attachment 967103View attachment 967104
Cows will be coming into here tomorrow.
looking back I should have started grazing here first rather than where I have been then I could have bailed the surplus closer to home.View attachment 967106View attachment 967105

Another year it could be completely different.

It looks a credit to you though.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

actually, how many read those labels on the food packets ?
how many of them would understand them
how many would follow that advice anyway
Once had a discussion with a human dietician, re food, she was gobsmacked by the amount of knowledge l had on the rationing of dairy cattle, and l only know the basics, but it was way more than goes into human rations !
l suspect there is a whole industry dedicated to producing facts, in a way, that makes bad ones look good, or completely baffling.
Food is an increasing industry, obviously, but it's in the hands of big industry, who only really care about profit, in the present, not necessarily in the future, a sad but true fact. So we have ended up with a supply food chain, that is controlled by people with only profit in mind, and very few ethics, all the 'fad' things, veggie, vegan, gluten free etc, don't matter to them, unless they can see a profit, simply because they are miniscule, in the greater scheme. Perhaps the greatest threat comes from the fact, that they are to powerful, for any guv to successfully take on, and win.

All of these businesses have WAY too much influence imho.

It'll be interesting to read the second part of the Food Commission's report on the UK food system later this year.

Why on earth are retailers part of the design group for livestock traceability for example?

 

[awkward]

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10225634619275623&id=1333085637

If anyone interested

 

[Kiwi Pete]

actually, how many read those labels on the food packets ?
how many of them would understand them
how many would follow that advice anyway
Once had a discussion with a human dietician, re food, she was gobsmacked by the amount of knowledge l had on the rationing of dairy cattle, and l only know the basics, but it was way more than goes into human rations !
l suspect there is a whole industry dedicated to producing facts, in a way, that makes bad ones look good, or completely baffling.
Food is an increasing industry, obviously, but it's in the hands of big industry, who only really care about profit, in the present, not necessarily in the future, a sad but true fact. So we have ended up with a supply food chain, that is controlled by people with only profit in mind, and very few ethics, all the 'fad' things, veggie, vegan, gluten free etc, don't matter to them, unless they can see a profit, simply because they are miniscule, in the greater scheme. Perhaps the greatest threat comes from the fact, that they are to powerful, for any guv to successfully take on, and win.

The only way to successfully "take the barstewards on" is to simply choose whole foods when you buy, and doctor them yourself

dunno about everybody, but I love food, and don't like crap.

So we don't buy crap! We buy milk for about 7 weeks of the year,.and bottled milk is pretty crap

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I’m a bit mucked up with grass now I’ve never seen so much up on the hill and there be a lot more in another 3 weeks by the time they get back up here. View attachment 967103View attachment 967104
Cows will be coming into here tomorrow.
looking back I should have started grazing here first rather than where I have been then I could have bailed the surplus closer to home.View attachment 967106View attachment 967105

Stick to the plan.... just let it go

what's the worst that can happen?

The thing is, if you race about "keeping on top of it" then you'll end up with more stemmy stuff than if you make the cows use their teeth a little every day for the next while - most of what I see isn't going to go reproductive again now, as you're looking at the longest day soon.

Run through the scenarios

1 You go to a 25 day round, ½ your land may go stemmy again if you can't impact it enough
2 You go to a 60 day round over the space of the next 3 weeks, that area dawdling is quartered so about an eighth of your land?

The downside is you'll likely have a lot more bales to make and cart in

 

[som farmer]

All of these businesses have WAY too much influence imho.

It'll be interesting to read the second part of the Food Commission's report on the UK food system later this year.

Why on earth are retailers part of the design group for livestock traceability for example?

it's called influence, but influencing their profit, not ethics. One has to admire their business acumen, getting grubby fingers, on all parts of the food chain. The fact that it is both dangerous and unethical, doesn't worry to many people, and as l said before, they are to powerful to take on, they control the food supply, to a very unhealthy degree, and no guv has the guts to take them on. But there are massive changes in the food chain happening now, and l suspect all major suppliers have been using cheap import PRICES as a means to keep domestic prices down, and leaving us to use our subs, to continue. Those prices do not represent total NEED of product, could be the 5% imported, is setting our 95% domestic price, which begins to put a different spin on things.
Brexit is a major upheaval, and will lead to massive change, one theory about the high ag prices we are getting now, which most of us don't quite understand, is simply that imported food stuffs, are not so cheap to import in bulk, as they would like us to think, and domestic product has moved a few steps up, in importance, coupled with the split between subs, on producing food, to the environment, may be having an effect, after all, while big business may well be a heartless, conniving, unethical bunch off ################################ they are not stupid, and will have accounted for change, which, if this theory is correct, is very good news, for farmers suppliers, because they will up their prices, and back to square 1 for us. The other theory, is that these prices are nothing more than a temp bubble, which will pop, leaving our suppliers in a deep hole, as we will be unable to pay their raised prices

 

[Crofter64]

Just saw this in the June edition of Graze magazine and thought it was a great idea:

 

[som farmer]

Stick to the plan.... just let it go

what's the worst that can happen?

The thing is, if you race about "keeping on top of it" then you'll end up with more stemmy stuff than if you make the cows use their teeth a little every day for the next while - most of what I see isn't going to go reproductive again now, as you're looking at the longest day soon.

Run through the scenarios

1 You go to a 25 day round, ½ your land may go stemmy again if you can't impact it enough
2 You go to a 60 day round over the space of the next 3 weeks, that area dawdling is quartered so about an eighth of your land?

The downside is you'll likely have a lot more bales to make and cart in

for us, there is no downside to having more bales to cart in, in fact, it's a welcome upside ! One positive that came from buying a lot of hay, last 3 winters, has been an increase in butterfat and protien. So as long as the weather holds, the next cut, 50/75 acres, we hope to make hay, big bales, not the little ones. If the weather dictates otherwise, we could either graze it, or wrap it. And there will still be another cut later on, which will fill our pits, luxury.
We have been 'ridiculed' for planting our maize late, after the rye, day 7, it's emerging out of the ground, and will quickly catch up a lot of the early sown stuff, yes !
3 very large organic farmers in our area, not close, are snapping up, all the land/grass keep they can, aggressively, one has grabbed next door, well, son was helping our contractor, next door to their home farm, and all agreed, there was b-all grass to cut, explains a bit. Another has taken 350 acres of grass, in 1 block, at over £200/acre, for this years grass, only.
Confirms my views on organics.