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

[texas pete]

3 to 4 inches normally, but closer to 3 than 4.
Yes got a bit of IRG in there but can't see much of it, funny 1st cut was the other way round more IRG less clover. Cotswold seeds mix.
8ft Krone disc mower, always seems to leave a tidy job for me, except when cutting arable silage,

I think the weather we have had this year has suited red clover.

I direct drilled some after turnips in April, first time I have tried a pure red clover crop. Nothing really came until the rain arrived, but it is really motoring now.

Mine is just starting to flower, so I must be about a week off cutting, looking at your pics.

I'm assuming the 3-4" stubble height is optimal for regrowth?

Also how long do you wilt before wrapping it up?

 

[som farmer]

going to cut spring sown red clover/ grass ley, for 2nd cut, reasonable amount there, but the grass, just has not gone to head, not sure why not, and am not complaining. We sowed some spr barley 1st contained a fair amount of barley, surprisingly, fair bit there again ! Cows are grazing IRG, as well as rape, IRG, spr sown, cut once, but it has not sent up a seed head, seems to have grown laterally, rather than vertically, again, surprised.
If we didn't have the rape, we would be feeding silage, as it is, they are eating 3.5 kg of hay a day, and been feeding it since 18 may, not quite what we had expected to do !

 

[clod hopper]

going to cut spring sown red clover/ grass ley, for 2nd cut, reasonable amount there, but the grass, just has not gone to head, not sure why not, and am not complaining. We sowed some spr barley 1st contained a fair amount of barley, surprisingly, fair bit there again ! Cows are grazing IRG, as well as rape, IRG, spr sown, cut once, but it has not sent up a seed head, seems to have grown laterally, rather than vertically, again, surprised.
If we didn't have the rape, we would be feeding silage, as it is, they are eating 3.5 kg of hay a day, and been feeding it since 18 may, not quite what we had expected to do !

I was told that spring sown grass will not seed until the following year

 

[tinsheet]

I think the weather we have had this year has suited red clover.

I direct drilled some after turnips in April, first time I have tried a pure red clover crop. Nothing really came until the rain arrived, but it is really motoring now.

Mine is just starting to flower, so I must be about a week off cutting, looking at your pics.

I'm assuming the 3-4" stubble height is optimal for regrowth?

Also how long do you wilt before wrapping it up?

Will be baled wrapped today, so 24 hrs, usually like to leave it four 48 hrs for it to wilt, but the sun is so fierce 24hrs should be fine, optimal re -growth yes got a mob of lambs to go on it once they've finished their herbal ley!

 

[texas pete]

Will be baled wrapped today, so 24 hrs, usually like to leave it four 48 hrs for it to wilt, but the sun is so fierce 24hrs should be fine, optimal re -growth yes got a mob of lambs to go on it once they've finished their herbal ley!

It's great to see how quick the damn stuff grows...full of bees when I looked at it yesterday too.

 

[tinsheet]

It's great to see how quick the damn stuff grows...full of bees when I looked at it yesterday too.

Mate keeps bees, keen for me to have my own hive, next swarm he catches may becoming my way

 

[exmoor dave]

2nd cut red clover here, been flowering for about 10 to 14 days, fixed enough nitrogen now?View attachment 899660
View attachment 899661

Struth it's a different world of greeny once you past Timberscombe and dunkery,
Drying right out here in the rain shadow now.
Lambs still growing on PP, but really struggling to get cover on them

 

[Rob Garrett]

Mate keeps bees, keen for me to have my own hive, next swarm he catches may becoming my way

Try starting with at least 3 hives if you can, hardest job in the world with just one hive, that's why a lot of folk give up after a year or so. Worth checking the queen or at least how she is laying after a couple of weeks, sometimes the first swarm will have the old queen which may be better re queening.

 

[bendigeidfran]

Try starting with at least 3 hives if you can, hardest job in the world with just one hive, that's why a lot of folk give up after a year or so. Worth checking the queen or at least how she is laying after a couple of weeks, sometimes the first swarm will have the old queen which may be better re queening.

Wife want's to keep bees, she was going to get some this year but she has concentrated on the garden.
A hive has arrived here a week ago, thinking to get them next year.
Give us some time to do some more reserch. Might be asking your advice nearer the time

 

[texas pete]

Bees are on my list.

This is as far as I have got.

 

[tinsheet]

Try starting with at least 3 hives if you can, hardest job in the world with just one hive, that's why a lot of folk give up after a year or so. Worth checking the queen or at least how she is laying after a couple of weeks, sometimes the first swarm will have the old queen which may be better re queening.

Don't worry mate will very much be in charge of them,
He's got a bout 15 hives currently, wants about 12, he's given 6 hives away, and still got 15, keeps getting phone calls to remove a swarm!, He's by no means a full time bee keeper just a hobby, very good at it though!

 

[tinsheet]

Struth it's a different world of greeny once you past Timberscombe and dunkery,
Drying right out here in the rain shadow now.
Lambs still growing on PP, but really struggling to get cover on them

Management Dave Management!
on a serious note, having a wet farm comes into its own now grass growing like stink, moving mobs around you can see re -growth in two days.
lambs doing well here, though lost 2 this morning due Clostridial problems, my fault forgetting to jab them, all done now. Management boy Management, as dad said to me.

 

[Rob Garrett]

Wife want's to keep bees, she was going to get some this year but she has concentrated on the garden.
A hive has arrived here a week ago, thinking to get them next year.
Give us some time to do some more reserch. Might be asking your advice nearer the time[emoji106]

Beekeeping is an awesome hobby, truly working with nature, purest form of farming, you are never really "in control" of the job.

Anyone thinking of starting, advice would be:
1. Start with more than 1 hive (please!)
2. Don't read too many books or do too much research, it makes it too complicated and there is no "right answer" with bee's, just remember the basics & learn what you see.
3. Get some experience & a good mentor before you start.

Basics of beekeeping:
1. Is there a healthy queen?
2. Is there access to food?
3. Is there enough space?

That's all you need to know to get started, everything else is built around that.

Getting a bit late in the year to start now.

 

[bendigeidfran]

Beekeeping is an awesome hobby, truly working with nature, purest form of farming, you are never really "in control" of the job.

Anyone thinking of starting, advice would be:
1. Start with more than 1 hive (please!)
2. Don't read too many books or do too much research, it makes it too complicated and there is no "right answer" with bee's, just remember the basics & learn what you see.
3. Get some experience & a good mentor before you start.

Basics of beekeeping:
1. Is there a healthy queen?
2. Is there access to food?
3. Is there enough space?

That's all you need to know to get started, everything else is built around that.

Getting a bit late in the year to start now.

We've got a mentor through farming connect.
Was supposed to see him two weeks ago but it got posponed.
How long have you been keeping them?

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Struth it's a different world of greeny once you past Timberscombe and dunkery,
Drying right out here in the rain shadow now.
Lambs still growing on PP, but really struggling to get cover on them

Try over here! Feeding hay to avoid bringing them in as there's no growth at all. They'll be in later this month for TB testing and I'm hoping the grass might grow before the test is over. If not they'll be staying in.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Try over here! Feeding hay to avoid bringing them in as there's no growth at all. They'll be in later this month for TB testing and I'm hoping the grass might grow before the test is over. If not they'll be staying in.

Why bring them in ? Is it not easier to feed them outside if its dry?

 

[Doc]

@holwellcourtfarm Would you not be better to keep dropping a bale in the field(s) than housing while it’s dry to avoid the work and cost of bedding?
I hate bringing my cattle inside though.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Why bring them in ? Is it not easier to feed them outside if its dry?

@holwellcourtfarm Would you not be better to keep dropping a bale in the field(s) than housing while it’s dry to avoid the work and cost of bedding?
I hate bringing my cattle inside though.

Quite possibly. We'd have to keep them tight on a sacrifice area though or damage the pasture over the whole farm. We also have to have regard to our (non-farming) neighbours who now own half our grazing and value "tidyness" above soil regeneration.

 

[Rob Garrett]

We've got a mentor through farming connect.
Was supposed to see him two weeks ago but it got posponed.
How long have you been keeping them?

Was my father's hobby, had around 200 hives, so grow up helping him, used to take a lot of hives out to Apple orchards. Moved here 10 years ago and built up to around 150 hives. The more cows have increased the more bee's have decreased, about 50 hives now, would like to get back up to nearer 200 but just short on energy?

Not a proper beekeeper though, bit too extensive/commercial for the BBKA!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Good stuff, my Dad was always keen to try beekeeping when he retired, but he didn't have much of one, about 18 months.
So I will give it a nudge here but really need to create a bee environment first, as it's like a green desert.