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

[Woolless]

Ah very good. Like the look of a good Hampshire down aswell. NZ texel is what we have just now hanging over from before so will put him out this year.

Yes did that before and then everything took a back seat but back on it now and will look to push that again.

Haha. I've got hippies on my side of the family and spud growers on the wife's, stuck in the middle. Good to see this approach having a strong undercurrent of farmers following it and seeing the benefits. What have you spent your pennies on?

I went all the way to Kent and bought six in-calf pedigree traditional/original population Hereford heifers, genetically quite distinct to the modern breed. These join our three bucket-reared heifers, hopefully also in-calf, and my son's pet Highland heifer calf. Will need a few more as well, probably in the spring. Quite fancy some Red Polls, think they would breed a nice Hereford x calf.

 

[gadgewalker]

I went all the way to Kent and bought six in-calf pedigree traditional/original population Hereford heifers, genetically quite distinct to the modern breed. These join our three bucket-reared heifers, hopefully also in-calf, and my son's pet Highland heifer calf. Will need a few more as well, probably in the spring. Quite fancy some Red Polls, think they would breed a nice Hereford x calf.

Sounds ideal. I have 2 in calf heifers on tick with father in law as a 30th (done very well there) so they are hopefully going to make there way north soon, his original stock are from Kelso way. Be interesting to pictures of what yours look like in comparison.

Red Polls look great. Can imagine that cross doing well in this kind of system

 

[onesiedale]

Sort of what I was thinking.
Would love to leave it and see what happens, but can see it will take a long time to improve things to that extent, and it'll actually restrict the ability to manage as desired in the meantime.

Other thought that crossed my mind was ponds and what would Bruce Kirk suggest.

Here, we had a rough soggy patch. You can see in the top of the picture where the drain issues started.
We left digger-man Dave to come up with some creative ideas and 2 days later this is what he left us with this. Hopefully this will become a nice feature over the next couple of years.

 

[Bury the Trash]

but do remember ,ponds are not just for Christmas,they need periodically cleaning out else they just fill themselves back in , as in nature ,.

 

[Fenwick]

It's listening to all the weirdos and hippies on here that cost me a fortune last weekend when I went cattle shopping to stock my envisaged 'regenerative oasis'

ah, at least i'm not alone.....

 

[gadgewalker]

http://www.ngatangata.ac.nz/massey/fms/DCRU10/Pasture/Mineral%20composition%20and%20nutritive%20value%20of%20common%20weeds.pdf

Sorry for the ugly link, @gadgewalker

And, hello, welcome aloing [emoji16]

Hopefully this is of some use to you

Ideal cheers for that. Farm must be working well with the amount of posts you have up [emoji6]. Cheers for all the info so far. Appreciated

 

[Samcowman]

@gadgewalker welcome. Did you read this from the beginning. If so you need more than a medal .
Took me long enough and that was ages ago.
Keep them tight. Eating and trampling as much of that old thatchy grass will pay back next year.

 

[gadgewalker]

@gadgewalker welcome. Did you read this from the beginning. If so you need more than a medal [emoji966].
Took me long enough and that was ages ago.
Keep them tight. Eating and trampling as much of that old thatchy grass will pay back next year.

Nah nah just working my way through it

 

[Whitewalker]

@gadgewalker are we related?

 

[bendigeidfran]

Ok, so what's the collective's thoughts on drainage?
The largest group of cows have certainly revealed the wet spots in their current field. After about 100mm of rain in the last week there is water rising in a few places. Possible there's some old drains in there, and you can see the rushy bit further down over as evidence of the wet area.

Drains are certainly not a natural phenomenon, but would you drain it on the premise we're still looking at a managed environment, or see what happens in time if the soil improves and is better able to hold the moisture.
Last pic to show it is just patches - its not all like it!
View attachment 912931View attachment 912932View attachment 912933

Id drain it myself, them rushes at the bottom will soon be were you took the photo.
And it looks like it's in the middle of the field.

Iv'e been thinking about doing some thing about this corner of the field, water comes out just under the top hedge and wets the best part of 5 acers in winter and a couple in summer.
That photo was taken 2018 after the dry summer and id cut the rushes. Tractor had'nt been on that bit for ten years.
50 m drain at the top should sort it out.
Other thing going through my mind is to plant willows there and use them for tree fodder or fire wood or chip them to mix in compost.

Lot of water flowing in old drains, thousands of litrs in24 hrs.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Ideal cheers for that. Farm must be working well with the amount of posts you have up [emoji6]. Cheers for all the info so far. Appreciated

Not a problem! Hopefully there's some diamonds in the rough.

I don't do very much on the ranch, the main reason I post so much though is because of my job, takes a fair bit to fill in an 8-10 hour workday when we're not up to much. Hello internet!

(I hacked the office WiFi password a while ago)

 

[Kiwi Pete]

@Henarar said to breed white calves - they are easier to spot .

Bingo is his name-o

 

[Henarar]

@Henarar said to breed white calves - they are easier to spot .View attachment 913129View attachment 913137
Bingo is his name-o

Ahh
So what breed are bull and cow ?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Ahh
So what breed are bull and cow ?

Dairy cross shorthorn (beef shorthorn, not the milky ones). I think!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Got to look over the lambers today... gosh there's some lambs!

 

[texas pete]

View attachment 913149Got to look over the lambers today... gosh there's some lambs!

And not a water bucket in sight...

Proper Spring pic.

 

[ShooTa]

thanks for the comments - lambs all drenched with a multi vit - will likely bolus them too but have kicked them off to a hill block for a few weeks set stocked. -- ewes will get the same over tupping then at scanning im going to bolus.

RE BLOODS - had some done 2 years ago at tupping time but showed nothing - in hindsite they had been on the seaweed quite hard... FML - remember to remove supplements prior to bloods.

 

[bendigeidfran]

Amazing how it responds to a bit of litter left behind.View attachment 912736
Need to leave a lot more, when you look at the land we're still leaving it hungry... and I tried my level best to leave enough to last til spring.
Spring's here, and the cupboard is bare

Next year, Rodney

Remids me of a saying grandfarther used to say,
"Starve the land and it will starve you"

 

[Farmer Roy]

Some interesting comments here on “weeds”
I know it’s Australian, but I think it’s relevant no matter where you are

https://www.facebook.com/256766707836631/posts/1610975679082387

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Some interesting comments here on “weeds”
I know it’s Australian, but I think it’s relevant no matter where you are

https://www.facebook.com/256766707836631/posts/1610975679082387

It's very relevant, in fact "weeds" are more important in a damper climate than a semi-arid one, where the plants all have decent roots (or they die). When you get over about 800mm precip. "that depends", and thus your nutrient cycling suffers without diversity of species.
Likewise the deeper soil can suffer from starvation, without their sugar supply, which then affects the water cycle.