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

[Henarar]

Its wrong to look at things we have done and say they are not natural after all we evolved "well some did LOL" just like slugs

 

[ShooTa]

re flys -

 

[Bury the Trash]

It's FLIES, not flys

 

[GreenerGrass]

Today the weather broke and had a nice drop of rain (1.5cm) and a bit cooler. Think that's it tho, and forecast for next week is a new heatwave!

We've had six weeks without rain, and that has been two rotations. The second rotation has been much faster at about 24 days. Little growth and I am concerned about the whole 'controlled starvation' thing KP raised, and what I realised I had been doing previously by keeping them too long and impacting their growth. So a different strategy this time, that said I'm not sure they have done so well in the last three weeks anyway. But hopefully the plants fare better?

Here's a spot where I gathered them 1st July and was all trampled down. Today photo shows how trivial the growth has been. I know weather will break but in another year any advice or thoughts? Really hoping with the trampled plants the rain today will have infiltrated a bit and things will start growing again. But think they will need a serious prolonged soaking as the ground is so dry.

I cut some ground for hay but it was not in the grazing rotation as wasn't needed earlier in the year. I guess I could have cut less, but it wouldn't have made for great grazing and gambling on the parasite clean aftermath for the lambs.

 

[Crofter64]

It's FLIES, not flys

Either way they are a real nuissance

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Today the weather broke and had a nice drop of rain (1.5cm) and a bit cooler. Think that's it tho, and forecast for next week is a new heatwave!

We've had six weeks without rain, and that has been two rotations. The second rotation has been much faster at about 24 days. Little growth and I am concerned about the whole 'controlled starvation' thing KP raised, and what I realised I had been doing previously by keeping them too long and impacting their growth. So a different strategy this time, that said I'm not sure they have done so well in the last three weeks anyway. But hopefully the plants fare better?

Here's a spot where I gathered them 1st July and was all trampled down. Today photo shows how trivial the growth has been. I know weather will break but in another year any advice or thoughts? Really hoping with the trampled plants the rain today will have infiltrated a bit and things will start growing again. But think they will need a serious prolonged soaking as the ground is so dry.

I cut some ground for hay but it was not in the grazing rotation as wasn't needed earlier in the year. I guess I could have cut less, but it wouldn't have made for great grazing and gambling on the parasite clean aftermath for the lambs.

Look at ALL your options, is the best advice I can give.

Because, you might decide to pick several options!

How's their BCS, that's one thing I found I was pretty poor at doing, with sheep. Cattle are easier for me because my "eyecrometer" is pretty good at judging them, but your stock are a big part of the equation, as are people (as per @Henarar's posts above).

So there are a lot of things that you "could" do - what options are you considering?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Where there is poo there is flies.

^^^^ this!

Put as much poo in one place as you can, then move the cows. Repeat!

 

[Treg]

And BTW I have never used one of those self service checkouts I much prefer to have a bit of a chat with the person on the checkout must be in my nature and who knows they may well earn more than me

And it keeps a person in a job

 

[Karliboy]

Set fences up this morning, 3 big cells to start with I’ll make next ones up as posts become free. all photos are take from tractor after this no water in here so have to go back down the hill for that, gates behind tractor I mentioned in another thread spreading some wheat on here, well it hasn’t taken but hey ho no real loss apart from my time and a dribble of diesel I’ll try again with the wheat as it was only harrowed in and it went dry for 5 weeks when I did it

To be fair it’s grown exceptionally well this year compared to the last 10 I guess the lime has helped a hell of a lot lots of clover everywhere it’s amazing what some ph correction can do

cows in.

Most of it is waste high but then there’s the odd bit at only 5 inches.
I going to play it by ear as it’s furthest field from farm. But had a good 10mm last 24 hours but aiming for 3 days per cell give or take. And from there I’ll see what’s happens I normally only graze this field once per year in September and then leave gate open to the hill below but looks like I’ll get another bite of it this year.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Set fences up this morning, 3 big cells to start with I’ll make next ones up as posts become free. all photos are take from tractor after this no water in here so have to go back down the hill for that, gates behind tractor I mentioned in another thread spreading some wheat on here, well it hasn’t taken but hey ho no real loss apart from my time and a dribble of diesel I’ll try again with the wheat as it was only harrowed in and it went dry for 5 weeks when I did it View attachment 822264 View attachment 822266 To be fair it’s grown exceptionally well this year compared to the last 10 I guess the lime has helped a hell of a lot lots of clover everywhere it’s amazing what some ph correction can do View attachment 822268cows in. View attachment 822270 View attachment 822272 View attachment 822274Most of it is waste high but then there’s the odd bit at only 5 inches.
I going to play it by ear as it’s furthest field from farm. But had a good 10mm last 24 hours but aiming for 3 days per cell give or take. And from there I’ll see what’s happens I normally only graze this field once per year in September and then leave gate open to the hill below but looks like I’ll get another bite of it this year.

When was it last grazed?

 

[Karliboy]

Last August i strip grazed a poor crop then limed it with rest of farm after that and left gate open until cows came in in November


This is the neighbour next door field. mown this morning in the rain shut up since last winter but strip grazed after his only hay cut every year religiously. No trample or wastage given back to the soil and very little fym put back either. He could do so much more but stuck in his ways. 6ft swaths these are.

 

[bitwrx]

Set fences up this morning, 3 big cells to start with I’ll make next ones up as posts become free. all photos are take from tractor after this no water in here so have to go back down the hill for that, gates behind tractor I mentioned in another thread spreading some wheat on here, well it hasn’t taken but hey ho no real loss apart from my time and a dribble of diesel I’ll try again with the wheat as it was only harrowed in and it went dry for 5 weeks when I did it View attachment 822264 View attachment 822266 To be fair it’s grown exceptionally well this year compared to the last 10 I guess the lime has helped a hell of a lot lots of clover everywhere it’s amazing what some ph correction can do View attachment 822268cows in. View attachment 822270 View attachment 822272 View attachment 822274Most of it is waste high but then there’s the odd bit at only 5 inches.
I going to play it by ear as it’s furthest field from farm. But had a good 10mm last 24 hours but aiming for 3 days per cell give or take. And from there I’ll see what’s happens I normally only graze this field once per year in September and then leave gate open to the hill below but looks like I’ll get another bite of it this year.

Really appreciate all these updates @Karliboy. Really helpful for someone like me who is only a grazier in his dreams.

 

[Blaithin]

Did a quick pasture walk today. Grass is so tall in the sacrifice pasture it’s lodging! Doing it in other places too.

For the places I frost seeded... the front yard I covered with the straw and it seems to have poor lift off of the species I planted. The back area was heavily grazed this spring and only has some spots showing good clover so I’m assuming the others got grazed, hopefully they’ll come back.

Then there was the pasture that was terrible, sparse with no cover and short grass. Well now it’s almost a field of flowers in places! Especially the lesser covered areas. Alfalfa and clover is showing up everywhere and this is the field I also found the odd vetch in. The vetch just doesn’t seem to be flowering anymore so it’s harder for me to find. Or the purple is just blending in with the alfalfa!

This is also the pasture that is absolutely chock full of wild strawberries. I never knew they were there before this year and now every time I go out I find a new patch! Benefit of delayed grazing.

 

[RushesToo]

Did a quick pasture walk today. Grass is so tall in the sacrifice pasture it’s lodging! Doing it in other places too.

View attachment 822280

For the places I frost seeded... the front yard I covered with the straw and it seems to have poor lift off of the species I planted. The back area was heavily grazed this spring and only has some spots showing good clover so I’m assuming the others got grazed, hopefully they’ll come back.

View attachment 822284

Then there was the pasture that was terrible, sparse with no cover and short grass. Well now it’s almost a field of flowers in places! Especially the lesser covered areas. Alfalfa and clover is showing up everywhere and this is the field I also found the odd vetch in. The vetch just doesn’t seem to be flowering anymore so it’s harder for me to find. Or the purple is just blending in with the alfalfa!

View attachment 822282

View attachment 822286

This is also the pasture that is absolutely chock full of wild strawberries. I never knew they were there before this year and now every time I go out I find a new patch! Benefit of delayed grazing.

View attachment 822288

@Blaithin Try eating them - they vary so much, none particularly sweet, but some very very strawberry tasting. Pull up the useless ones.
It's a joy - but for fun not profit.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Thought this may interest you @Farmer Roy

Linnburn is around 170mm annual rainfall, 2500ha, 500 of that is irrigated.
Winter carrying 25,000 su

 

[Blaithin]

@Blaithin Try eating them - they vary so much, none particularly sweet, but some very very strawberry tasting. Pull up the useless ones.
It's a joy - but for fun not profit.

Try eating the strawberries?

I was out chowing down on them when they had berries. Now they’re just leaves. Wild strawberries here are quite sweet. But why would I pull them up?

 

[RushesToo]

Try eating the strawberries?

I was out chowing down on them when they had berries. Now they’re just leaves. Wild strawberries here are quite sweet. But why would I pull them up?

The poor tasting ones, so the good tasting ones have more space.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Thought this may interest you @Farmer Roy

Linnburn is around 170mm annual rainfall, 2500ha, 500 of that is irrigated.
Winter carrying 25,000 su

Now THAT'S a place I'd like to visit and learn from!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Now THAT'S a place I'd like to visit and learn from!

Peter is a really switched-on chap, he'd make you very welcome, I'm sure

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Making a bit of a mess of my gateway, no litter being the main issue in places where the animal impact has been higher.
Still, it could be worse, and there is a plan: