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

[som farmer]

for something as simple as feeding a cow grass, only farmers could so vastly complicate it, to the extremes. It's more about utilising the grass, in the best way, without pounding it to hell. Grass growth is governed by time of year, moisture, and fertility, all very changeable, and unreliable. For us, with dairy cows, we think the best way, is to 'follow' the natural growth chart of the grass, and try and make sure it's a 12/24 hr, max on that patch, don't always quite get the 12/24, but not far out. That gives a sort of decent rest, and very flexible, we can jump paddocks etc. the important bit, is to think under the ground, is just as important as what you can see above ground, it has to be thought of as a circle, and treated as such. There isn't really a right, or wrong way, it's perhaps more instinct, and observation.
What l do know, is that we have probably wasted thousands of pounds, over the years, on grass seeds and fert, which we are now only just beginning to realise. 'There's more than one way, to skin a cat', as the old saying, very correctly, states, and that applies to farming, incredibly well.

 

[Crofter64]

I've never had a proper grazing plan, apart from in my head. Do the more religious on here think it's essential and how much is to be gained by it?

I try and write things down in the diary but sometimes forget.

For me, the system is about feeding the cattle and resting the grass after impact. Is there really that much more to it?

Edit,: criticism welcome.

I rely more and more on my grazing chart , not just to record where I’ve been but to figure out where I should be. I mark important dates in the calendar, such as the upcoming wedding in Nova Scotia in July when I will be away several days,I choose the paddocks I want them in ( the easiest for farm sitter) when I fill in the chart , and plan around that backwards. I also look at last years chart to see where the animals were and when and try and shift it a bit .
Going forward, by looking at my chart I can visually see where the animals have been and have pencilled in where I think they should go next. By having a plan, and checking the sward I can continue with the pencilled in plan or change it - but when I change one thing I often have to change several, so then I erase what I had planned and re configure the chart( basically map out my route across the farm). A grazing chart is a travel itinerary and a Journal.

 

[som farmer]

Here's a new year poser, for the postee's
We farm in a concentrated dairy area, pretty well surrounded by them, we nearly all grow maize, and TMR, and in an area that has starlings by the billions, with the cows/racks covered in starling shite, and it's not only the disease risk, the buggers eat up to 70 gms a day, and it will the the good stuff, it is a mammoth problem. As not so fit, so had the time, winter 19, sat up there, and everytime the buggers came in, l moved them on, with a few bangs, took a couple of weeks, before they stopped coming in, any bunches scouting, same treatment. Vastly reduced numbers winter 20, same treatment, but onlt needed a few days, to stop them. Down to this winter, l haven't even seen the buggers, yet our neighbours are getting painted white.

So, the question, why don't they come ? They fly over, but don't even try to come in.
Do they have some means of communication, about where to go, and where not to, for good feed sources. They do need to eat their body weight, every day, they cannot eat enough, if they have to keep moving, really need more to cover the extra effort required.

It's an unknown to me, unless my theory is right, or our ration is not to their taste, but cows are milking well, so doubt that. The fact that this is winter 3, bugs me.
There is a substantial cost element in this, if each little bugger, eats 50gms a day, of blend, or maize grain, times up to 10/20 thousand, or more, blend at £300 ish, you soon see a lot of money fly off. There are roosts around the levels, of up to 10 million, according to the RSPB, and more than one.
answers please, and having said the above, buggers will appear !

 

[Crofter64]

Maybe they learned that your place is just not a good place to go as they get chased off.

 

[Crofter64]

No need for a batt latch. Just get this fellow in

TikTok - Make Your Day

 

[Woolless]

No need for a batt latch. Just get this fellow in

TikTok - Make Your Day

That would be great. He would just need a watch or a plate meter so he knew when to move and the job would be sorted

 

[Henarar]

That would be great. He would just need a watch or a plate meter so he knew when to move and the job would be sorted

he don't need a meter he knows when his plate is empty

 

[som farmer]

 

[som farmer]

do you reckon the plantain self seeded ? It's a right and left pic, from the same spot, but cannot tell which is which, so two of one side ! Steep old bank, that always dries out, resown aut 20

 

[Fenwick]

Happy new year to you all!

depends if your costs are down more ?
If you don't spend it you haven't got to make it back

Well I suppose tehnically yes, although the savings are not as much as they might be.

The hay is already made. So the costs of making it are already paid for whether I use it or not.
If I am using less this winter (and the winter has only just begun...) then I will hopefully have some left to either sell or keep for the next year.

If every year i need less hay then perhaps I can start making less, that would be some real savings. Until then its all a bit pie in the sky.

I've never had a proper grazing plan, apart from in my head. Do the more religious on here think it's essential and how much is to be gained by it?

I wouldn't be without mine .

Although I generally use it more of a journal than for planning. (well I do use it for planning, but the reality is always so far from the plan!)

It's on my phone so its really easy to keep up to date and is great for discussion with farming friends. Which means we can discuss the results and I can make informed decisions on where I am heading in my grazing adventure.

And it's free! (There aren't many changes I can make that cost nothing)

 

[Fenwick]

Great to see management gaining a little bit of notoriety as "the missing input

Unfortunately in regen circles it seems that notoriety is being sold as the missing input.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Unfortunately in regen circles it seems that notoriety is being sold as the missing input.

Funny how that happens! Just when people discover it's about the questions they ask of themselves, they want to copy someone elses answers

 

[Johnny Whiteheads]

Happy new year to you all!






Well I suppose tehnically yes, although the savings are not as much as they might be.

The hay is already made. So the costs of making it are already paid for whether I use it or not.
If I am using less this winter (and the winter has only just begun...) then I will hopefully have some left to either sell or keep for the next year.

If every year i need less hay then perhaps I can start making less, that would be some real savings. Until then its all a bit pie in the sky.



I wouldn't be without mine .

Although I generally use it more of a journal than for planning. (well I do use it for planning, but the reality is always so far from the plan!)

It's on my phone so its really easy to keep up to date and is great for discussion with farming friends. Which means we can discuss the results and I can make informed decisions on where I am heading in my grazing adventure.

And it's free! (There aren't many changes I can make that cost nothing)

Is there a template that I could base mine on please? I might give it a go

 

[Fenwick]

Is there a template that I could base mine on please? I might give it a go

There are plenty. I use (a heavily modified) one from on pasture

Get Your FREE 2019 Grazing Chart and Get Your Grazing Season Off On the Right Foot

You’ve heard this Chinese proverb, right? It’s the same with getting started planning your grazing. If you haven’t already started using a chart or some other management tool, the…

onpasture.com

I also eliminated the days of the week (dates are fine) so that it can be used every year and I prefer a calendar year to a grazing one.

 

[Nsoiled]

An interesting alternative to the "pounds (liveweight) per acre" metric some american mob grazers use, Thanks @Fenwick

I did worry that I was only achieving 50,000 lbs/acre on a once a day shift, as had been told you need six figures to achieve the trampling.

But I actually think the results were satisfactory to achieve the soil contact, was at the start of Autumn. Through a drier summer the higher stocking rate may be more necessary.

In which case a batt latch becomes a sensible investment.

I would get a few. The same daily ration offered in successive bites massively increases the key metrics

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I agree

 

[Kiwi Pete]

also has the advantage of them eating a bit of everything instead of getting too fussy

 

[Johnny Whiteheads]

There are plenty. I use (a heavily modified) one from on pasture

Get Your FREE 2019 Grazing Chart and Get Your Grazing Season Off On the Right Foot

You’ve heard this Chinese proverb, right? It’s the same with getting started planning your grazing. If you haven’t already started using a chart or some other management tool, the…

onpasture.com

I also eliminated the days of the week (dates are fine) so that it can be used every year and I prefer a calendar year to a grazing one.

Thanks very much I had started with a very simple one over Christmas, we have a very fragmented farm, all plots are different -wet, dry, mountain etc so there a yearly pattern to our grazing. Dick Richardson would say this is bad, Graeme Hand would say don't worry Grazing Mountain type ground we move every 3-4 days, Dick would say don't worry cows naturally want to spread out a bit every fews days is OK, Graeme would say I need to increase density

 

[som farmer]

everything, from weather to season, is flexible, nothing in farming is steady, so nothing going forward, can be 'set in stone'. Our grazing rotation starts with a plan, which is always adapted to fit with in with grass growth.

 

[Fenwick]

Thanks very much I had started with a very simple one over Christmas, we have a very fragmented farm, all plots are different -wet, dry, mountain etc so there a yearly pattern to our grazing. Dick Richardson would say this is bad, Graeme Hand would say don't worry Grazing Mountain type ground we move every 3-4 days, Dick would say don't worry cows naturally want to spread out a bit every fews days is OK, Graeme would say I need to increase density

So mine looks like this.

basically i just fill in the squares (ome per day) when the cows are there.

then add notes like weed pressure, bales fed out, digestion problems, residuel problems, significant wildlife etc.

Its quick and efficient.

the grey cells are predictions. which are always wrong.

everything, from weather to season, is flexible, nothing in farming is steady, so nothing going forward, can be 'set in stone'. Our grazing rotation starts with a plan, which is always adapted to fit with in with grass growth.

yep, not always easy to shoot at a moving target.

however if you are always grazing stockpile then that target stops moving.