- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
It could be worse..
"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..
- Thread starter Kiwi Pete
- Start date
- Location
- somerset
Absolutely amazing what a some decent rain will do, 14 days ago, looking like we would have to feed everything to the dairy, been round the silage only leys today, cut for second, 28 may, ready to cut again, and a decent amount.
We have worked hard on our grass, and have got it right, it would seem. Said sometime back, we were going to try and keep silage leys, for cutting only, with grasses r/clover. We nearly succeeded, we pinched 2 ac of 1 for dry cows, that certainly looks different, not so much there, more stalky, less clover and chicory, it's had the exact same treatment as the rest, it was also the field with the abundant sheperds purse, that hasn't regrown this time. Not exactly sure it's proper regen farming, but it has been treated by bits we have learnt from here. The grazing leys, some have been cut, for pit silage, some, as and when for bales, and some pre cut for the dairy, again speedy reaction to rain, now the race to get back to a quality rotation.
The obvious drawback, using clover and herbs, is weed control, and a quick mow, does tidy everything up ! Chicory, plantain is meant to be deeper rooted, and has out grown the grass, so obviously got more moisture earlier than the grass.
The vetches, other than in the rye, haven't done anything really, and mostly disappeared, so not sure they are worth pursuing in grazing mixes.
Driving round today, did find some classic clumps of cocksfoot, stems resembling corn stalks ! so including them in a mix, we have to get management right, also found some yorkshire fog, and that didn't look appetising either. What does look appetising, is the growing heap of silage bales, with a lot more to come.
Seems l keep changing things around, on here, but l feel it's worth putting the facts down, and how we manage the rapidly changing situation, grass wise, and the affect of those changes, there's a very long way to go yet, but it is getting pretty obvious, that if you put the right plants, in correctly, they respond, the only regret, not enough clover, that will change.
We have worked hard on our grass, and have got it right, it would seem. Said sometime back, we were going to try and keep silage leys, for cutting only, with grasses r/clover. We nearly succeeded, we pinched 2 ac of 1 for dry cows, that certainly looks different, not so much there, more stalky, less clover and chicory, it's had the exact same treatment as the rest, it was also the field with the abundant sheperds purse, that hasn't regrown this time. Not exactly sure it's proper regen farming, but it has been treated by bits we have learnt from here. The grazing leys, some have been cut, for pit silage, some, as and when for bales, and some pre cut for the dairy, again speedy reaction to rain, now the race to get back to a quality rotation.
The obvious drawback, using clover and herbs, is weed control, and a quick mow, does tidy everything up ! Chicory, plantain is meant to be deeper rooted, and has out grown the grass, so obviously got more moisture earlier than the grass.
The vetches, other than in the rye, haven't done anything really, and mostly disappeared, so not sure they are worth pursuing in grazing mixes.
Driving round today, did find some classic clumps of cocksfoot, stems resembling corn stalks ! so including them in a mix, we have to get management right, also found some yorkshire fog, and that didn't look appetising either. What does look appetising, is the growing heap of silage bales, with a lot more to come.
Seems l keep changing things around, on here, but l feel it's worth putting the facts down, and how we manage the rapidly changing situation, grass wise, and the affect of those changes, there's a very long way to go yet, but it is getting pretty obvious, that if you put the right plants, in correctly, they respond, the only regret, not enough clover, that will change.
- Location
- Derbyshire
I don't see why you are against lowering the cost of production. Once we lowered our cost of production the farm became easier to manage, more profitable and above all, more enjoyable. What's not to like?
Nothing
Just if everyone does it the price falls
- Location
- Glen Clova, Angus, DD8 4RD
I'm all for lowering cost of production. I'm just worried that if everyone does it the processing industry will cut the price they pay to take that benefit from us. Nothing more.
Individually is definitely the right thing to do.
- Location
- somerset
and that is exactly what happened with milk quota, to each farmer, produce more, spread the costs, was individually the correct advice, collectively, it pushed the price of quota up, removed millions from the dairy industry, and collectively the completely wrong advice. Looking back, when l started out on my own, if l had engaged brain properly, leasing out my quota, would have brought it ÂŁ50,000 a year, plus ÂŁ20,000 sub, and a csi scheme brought in another ÂŁ20,000, and l carried on milking, advised to buy quota, more cows etc. It doesn't do to look back, one realises the errors one has made, throughout life !
more or less what has been happening over the years, farmers cut costs and the price of outputs falls, produce more to try to make up for it and the price falls more but output price rises for every farmer is not the answer as it seems to be taken by input price rises,
comes from being one of many dealing with just a few for both inputs and outputs but what do you do about that ? sell direct and buy as little as possible I spose
- Location
- somerset
but not everybody would, we are always encouraged to produce more, (to keep price down, in shops). But if that was the case, and prices fell to match, the real losers would be the ag trades, for us, it wouldn't make much difference, just less money to spend with the parasites !
We spent a fair bit on suck cow quota and only had it a few years before it disappeared, one of the best paying things we ever bought though
- Location
- somerset
after my accident, and selling the dairy, leased milk quota out, 3 yr deal, 6p/yr, rather different to earlier prices, after that 3yr deal, sold it, and bought suckler quota, which ended up worthless. Forgotten about sheep quota, sold that, but really cannot remember when, or for how much.
Having, like many others, struggled with insufficient milk quota, when we restarted, l leased, and bought quota, quota was bought at 0.17pence/litre. I was told a waste of money, but from my end, cheap insurance, quota's could so easily been re-introduced, if production went beserk.
l can remember one conversation, with a friend, who had sold his channel island quota, at ÂŁ1.05 p/litre, we got in a complete muddle, about where to put the decimal point, in comparison to mine bought at 0.17p/litre !
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Doing a fair job of levelling my earlier cultivations too
farmgineer
Member
Look at the colour difference from your side to the set stocked sheep behind! Very impressive
- Location
- somerset
do you have 'over the fence' chats with him KP ?
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
A little, you don't see him very often.
I guess it suits him to just leave the gates mainly open over summer, and make mud in the winter
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I really don't get the leaving the gates open thing, the easiest thing on the road to better grazing is to shut the gates
- Location
- somerset
th
is, hopefully, is our crop of hybrid rye, and vetches
- Location
- somerset
- Location
- somerset
- Location
- somerset
