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

jack6480

Member
Location
Staffs
That's the downward spiral to nothing ime.
Any way of adding more to rotation or offloading some stock?

Though rain here has woken things up a bit. You had any?
Well I have plenty of ground but it’s shut up for mowing. All those sheep I planned to be on a 15 acre field for all of May and half of June. But it’s not grown as I expected. As I was hoping for tighter paddocks to make a longer rest but they are eating loads. Put them in 10 acre of woods today to give me a bit longer. Should I put them on some of the mowing ground?
 

jack6480

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Staffs
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Poorbuthappy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
Well I have plenty of ground but it’s shut up for mowing. All those sheep I planned to be on a 15 acre field for all of May and half of June. But it’s not grown as I expected. As I was hoping for tighter paddocks to make a longer rest but they are eating loads. Put them in 10 acre of woods today to give me a bit longer. Should I put them on some of the mowing ground?
I would.
Easier to buy a bit of hay if you end up short than starve the sheep.
Often times it'll catch up later in season though.
If there was a decent bit in there, would've expected 15 acres to keep them 6 weeks.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
trying to extend rest period, grass has shot away, and now pre-mowing for a few days, we cannot cut where they are grazing, for silage, bridge not strong enough.
can hardly believe the response to the rain, explosion.
which is great, but what will happen later in the season, will it stop, slow up, or continue ?
so, been caught again, rationing grass, to get our longer rest period, only to get a big response, and grass to long, again. This year, so far, has been a grass max growth year, might get it right one day. Though l don't think we will have lost the plot on grazing grass - yet.
Nor do we want to, no seasonality on the milk price, so 40+ppl all summer, with arla saying more rises on their way.
 

crashbox

Member
Livestock Farmer
trying to extend rest period, grass has shot away, and now pre-mowing for a few days, we cannot cut where they are grazing, for silage, bridge not strong enough.
can hardly believe the response to the rain, explosion.
which is great, but what will happen later in the season, will it stop, slow up, or continue ?
so, been caught again, rationing grass, to get our longer rest period, only to get a big response, and grass to long, again. This year, so far, has been a grass max growth year, might get it right one day. Though l don't think we will have lost the plot on grazing grass - yet.
Nor do we want to, no seasonality on the milk price, so 40+ppl all summer, with arla saying more rises on their way.
Same issue here... cows won't take long stem, force them and yield crashes...

Got the topper out early this year 😲
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Same issue here... cows won't take long stem, force them and yield crashes...

Got the topper out early this year 😲
so much rain doesn't help, putting some hay out for them now, they soon eat that. Pre mowing is ok ish, but don't like it, all they really want is solid belly fill -hay/silage.
grass seems to grow quicker, with out the fert ! Once this field is through, we can get them onto some better grass, after cut. Mustn't complain though, still half our 1 load of fert left, so some sort of saving there. Neighbour hasn't cut back at all, and has bought most of next years already.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
came across an old photo of our milkers, had to be early 50's, as the cows were s/horns, FM took them out, 56, and dad restocked with B and W. We were making a lot of cheese then, so was surprised to see a lot of big calves with them, so calf at foot dairying, is just another re-invent of the wheel. And, no doubt, while a 'consumer' trend now, with food inflation, it might be a temporary think. Hellish good calves though.
 

Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya

 
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Fenwick

Member
Location
Bretagne France
came across an old photo of our milkers, had to be early 50's, as the cows were s/horns, FM took them out, 56, and dad restocked with B and W. We were making a lot of cheese then, so was surprised to see a lot of big calves with them, so calf at foot dairying, is just another re-invent of the wheel. And, no doubt, while a 'consumer' trend now, with food inflation, it might be a temporary think. Hellish good calves though.

I'd love to see that photo if you are willing to post it here
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
came across an old photo of our milkers, had to be early 50's, as the cows were s/horns, FM took them out, 56, and dad restocked with B and W. We were making a lot of cheese then, so was surprised to see a lot of big calves with them, so calf at foot dairying, is just another re-invent of the wheel. And, no doubt, while a 'consumer' trend now, with food inflation, it might be a temporary think. Hellish good calves though.
Shame FM took them out, we still have descendants of the first cow Dad bought an ayrshire would have been early 60's
 

Karliboy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Yorkshire
It was the 18th of June I came in here first time last year with less grass than this after using half rate fert admittedly I’ve skipped 1 field of around 2 weeks grazing that I’ve opted to bale up as I’ve got tons of extra grass infront of me with zero fert this year so currently I’m more than happy with the progress
6661A9BF-75EC-4B72-9161-0FDDAB70771C.jpeg

If you all remember back to last year I was having a right moan about the excess docks in here and was tempted to spray them out. Well I didn’t and this is how it’s looking, I’ve let nature run it’s course and the dock beetle has really punished them for me this spring. Yes there’s still plenty but theres plenty of beetles around still to and there slowly spreading themselves to other nearby fields
E4553D19-0C2C-45D5-ADEC-2A0E7387E04F.jpeg


Kind of feel this is a celebration type moment on the farm so tonight I will drink beer. 🍻🍻
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
It was the 18th of June I came in here first time last year with less grass than this after using half rate fert admittedly I’ve skipped 1 field of around 2 weeks grazing that I’ve opted to bale up as I’ve got tons of extra grass infront of me with zero fert this year so currently I’m more than happy with the progress View attachment 1037813
If you all remember back to last year I was having a right moan about the excess docks in here and was tempted to spray them out. Well I didn’t and this is how it’s looking, I’ve let nature run it’s course and the dock beetle has really punished them for me this spring. Yes there’s still plenty but theres plenty of beetles around still to and there slowly spreading themselves to other nearby fields
View attachment 1037814

Kind of feel this is a celebration type moment on the farm so tonight I will drink beer. 🍻🍻
its great when things turn out right, sometimes its a leap of faith.
we are seeing big results after a couple of years trying bits, gives you the faith to keep trying things. Beginning to think we will have fert left over, for next yr, never thought l would say that.
Very particular about silage quality, and usually multi cut, not to sure we need bother this year, pp to cut now, = main pit stuffed, 2nd cut, will go 'somewhere' = plenty enough silage.
Maize gone into ideal conditions, only ploughed 2.5 acres, the rest subsoiled, tine/disc machine worked, and a very quick shallow pass with p/h, hope it saves the worms.
Our contractor, has strip tilled some of his maize, that will be very interesting to follow, if it works, got to be good for soil. He cut his grass, same time/stage as ours, 17% pro and 12.5 ME, lets hope we match it.
Our grazing overtook us again, interesting to see, cows have been desperate for something solid, these last wet days, dry yesterday, last night, they left half the hay, today, didn't want to even move, is that longer/stemmier grazing, filling them up, without the 'extra'. We have jumped a few acres, 14 acres, to get 'on top' again, grass growth is unbelievable.
 

crashbox

Member
Livestock Farmer
so much rain doesn't help, putting some hay out for them now, they soon eat that. Pre mowing is ok ish, but don't like it, all they really want is solid belly fill -hay/silage.
grass seems to grow quicker, with out the fert ! Once this field is through, we can get them onto some better grass, after cut. Mustn't complain though, still half our 1 load of fert left, so some sort of saving there. Neighbour hasn't cut back at all, and has bought most of next years already.
We've loads of fert left, managed to cut down seriously, part of the "problem" is agronomist over specs what we need by using RB209 and overestimating our actual production...
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.5%
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    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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