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

[Kiwi Pete]

"I've been looking too close in front"
In what respect KP, days - months, when should be yearly? Lifetime?

A combination, I really need to make a concentrated effort to "tear my eyes off the road in front" alot more

 

[Generally01]

If you won the lottery would you spend it on a farm

Very much so thats probably the only way i could justify my ill gotten gains.

not the that im entirly opposed to gambling i would just want to make sure i would do as good or better than anybody else who could have got it.

 

[Treg]

A combination, I really need to make a concentrated effort to "tear my eyes off the road in front" alot more

I think we can all fall in to that one KP , it's quite hard to be a well rounded farmer.
One of the first farm visits I went on at college was part of a large estate, the manager said never pay on performance, ie if you pay a herdsperson on litres a cow , calf survival will drop, if you pay them on calf survival per cow litres may drop ( something like that it was nearly 30yrs ago ) , it always stuck with me & is why I'm not keen on costings, because you can see a weakness that can become a focus.
I do now do costings but only because it's part of College/ Defra research & find it interesting, just try and ignore some of it!

 

[awkward]

Second opinion required please?
Getting "untoward acceleration" job going on here (eating more grass than growing). Weaned lambs onto red clover mowing ground, selling lambs/culls etc.

Checked deferred grazing paddock below, which has had 64 days rest, was hoping to leave another round (30 day), but grass going flat and looks like rust mold setting in. So thinking of grazing now?

We get a lot of this here lately , what is the cause and solution to it as we see leaf dieback , hurting yield on pasture. Is it a mineral issue

 

[Kiwi Pete]

It looks like rust, graze it off and start again is a good idea, just like using sheep as your first "fungicide" on your cereals

 

[Rob Garrett]

We get a lot of this here lately , what is the cause and solution to it as we see leaf dieback , hurting yield on pasture. Is it a mineral issue

Not sure, but could be combination of end of growing season + ideal conditions (long grass, damp mornings, warm days) for rust & other fungus, not to be confused with natural grass growth/die back of the lower leaves. The learning for me in this particular year/weather pattern has maybe been not to shut up for deferred grazing too soon or even transition into it i.e. a quick light graze before shutting the gate. Sheep broke into next deferred grazing field for half a day, so had less rest but looks better for it.

 

[Rob Garrett]

Awesome. Keen to see how they go.
As per my post above we stuck to that .1ha base cell size over winter as it made the math easier, on a sh!t day they would get fractionally more and in good conditions we'd steal it back.

Because I'm a sadist, I'd generally give them their ¼ acre in ¼'s, but if it was really rough then it would be less more often. Doesn't mean you need to!

Day 3 @ the funny farm & it's hellish exciting, not a clue what I'm doing but right interesting.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Not sure, but could be combination of end of growing season + ideal conditions (long grass, damp mornings, warm days) for rust & other fungus, not to be confused with natural grass growth/die back of the lower leaves. The learning for me in this particular year/weather pattern has maybe been not to shut up for deferred grazing too soon or even transition into it i.e. a quick light graze before shutting the gate. Sheep broke into next deferred grazing field for half a day, so had less rest but looks better for it.

Good point Rob.
I think that's how I'll approach our deferred grazing next year, give it a really quick topping if it needs it, like a 15-day round around the whole lot.

Woohoo, that looks good to me, looks like they are behaving themselves?

 

[exmoor dave]

Taking inspiration from Pete,
Couple of DIY pogos

2x long tread in's
2x mono shooting sticks, surplus to requirements,
4 zip ties per pogo

Great for moving the big drag water trough and drag pipe too

 

[bendigeidfran]

Day 3 @ the funny farm & it's hellish exciting, not a clue what I'm doing but right interesting.

Would you leave the last cell just to see what effect not grazing would be?

 

[Rob Garrett]

Would you leave the last cell just to see what effect not grazing would be?

Ok

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Taking inspiration from Pete,
Couple of DIY pogos

2x long tread in's
2x mono shooting sticks, surplus to requirements,
4 zip ties per pogo

Great for moving the big drag water trough and drag pipe too

Brilliant, eh, straight under the fence with a loaded quad. One of those things you wonder "why didn't I do this for a start?"

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Would you leave the last cell just to see what effect not grazing would be?

I often do this during the fast-growing season, and when you can't see the difference it's time to think about grazing that paddock again. Good habitat too.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Short-rotation ryegrass is kicking away now

We were due a spring equinox storm so I had this hedgeline paddock pencilled in for a bit of shelter

but it didn't really eventuate at all. Still just a handful of lambs, our big wide dorper finally popped past night, 2 when I saw her last

 

[Rob Garrett]

Short-rotation ryegrass is kicking away now

We were due a spring equinox storm so I had this hedgeline paddock pencilled in for a bit of shelter

but it didn't really eventuate at all. Still just a handful of lambs, our big wide dorper finally popped past night, 2 when I saw her last

Bit concerned they are all getting enough tucker, is it the triangle on their left hand side that should look full?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Looks OK to me, Rob they're hardly hollow.
And for one feed a day, it's difficult to keep their gut absolutely chocker as they probably mowed the stuff they really wanted to consume 21 hours ago

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Bit concerned they are all getting enough tucker, is it the triangle on their left hand side that should look full?

Yes. Looking fine to me. Muck looks ok as well. Could be slightly firmer but not a problem.

 

[onesiedale]

Bit concerned they are all getting enough tucker, is it the triangle on their left hand side that should look full?

Looking like a good start to your last round of 2020

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Hardly news, but worth putting on your social medias if you need a short story

 

[Fenwick]

Bit concerned they are all getting enough tucker, is it the triangle on their left hand side that should look full?

Looking good.