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

[Kiwi Pete]

what dosage of APV did you use @Kiwi Pete - we tried some on our pet lambs a while back but they didnt go for it....i think we put a cap ful in a standard black bucket.

we're coming up to doing our second batch of weiging (just short of 100 days on the lambs) as it works out on the moves before they head out over some fairly leggy but 90+ day rested stuff for the next week or so.

I was putting about a litre in per day for 450ish lambs, unsure if it has any defined advantages for stock but I have always used it, dairy cattle especially.

But "free", the price is right, and I enjoy making concoctions, as most of these things could be quite costly to make a habit of.

 

[Farmer Roy]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1872876242772614

 

[hendrebc]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1872876242772614

I bet its better for grazing over winter and will grow with less fertilizer and less diesease and be more resilient to bad weather than new varieties as well

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I bet its better for grazing over winter and will grow with less fertilizer and less diesease and be more resilient to bad weather than new varieties as well

It would have had to
I don't think anyone's great greats bothered with 11 sprayer passes per crop back in them therr days, people farmed to make money once.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

It would have had to
I don't think anyone's great greats bothered with 11 sprayer passes per crop back in them therr days, people farmed to make money once.

Many of those old varieties had much more "character" than modern ones. They had flavour and their straw had mush more "body" when used as bedding.

I remember the variety Norman (from the 1970's) was a game changer in terms of yield but had horrible greasy dust that was a bu66er to wash off.

 

[BobTheSmallholder]

Did I miss a link on tonic tea bags in my skimming? Or is it in a video because I don't usually watch those due to data.

Was in one of the videos... using a mash bag to wrap up seaweed etc and dunk it in a water trough to gradually feed the cows.

 

[Nick Adams]

Mob/strip grazing in the arid grasslands of Derbyshire.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Looking good, @Nick Adams
Looks hot!

 

[Henarar]

Lucky to have anything to strip graze

 

[SilliamWhale]

the central Pacific is worse. can't abide the disposable lifestyle of today

I think there is nothing terrible about disposable as long as whats disposed can be recycled. But again the energy to recycle...

 

[Nick Adams]

Looking good, @Nick Adams
Looks hot!

Thanks. Only playing at it yet, but thinking necessity will compel and may go ‘cold turkey’ this year. Fully out winter and move further towards zero input. Already very low input. Been about 30 most days so hotter in the paddocks, plenty of shade and water. Had 6 weeks with no rain. Not as bad as ‘76 or ‘95 or maybe it’s because the farm is more resilient?

 

[Nick Adams]

Lucky to have anything to strip graze

I am. It was going to be next winters silage! Decided better to graze it and put the money saved into forage rye and overseeding when it rains.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Beautiful afternoon for a wander around the place.
Last week's paddock greening up nicely already - they came out of here 3 days ago.
We had 420 lambs arrive this morning so we will need a bit of growth, although I have plenty of supplement for them.
Will use them to de-thatch the area for my spring covercrops, and a bit of cashflow .

 

[Henarar]

I have seen the ground far more cracked than it is, about the only places it has cracked is bare ground gateways etc
shows the importance of cover
our grass is still shooting a little bit but no where near enough to keep the cows going
watching a small group of dry cows we have on some keep land and its surprising what they are still finding among the rushes in the damp spots though it looks like there is nart there, they seem happy apart from the bloody flies

 

[Farmer Roy]

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I took these while walking round the cows earlier today. This was set stock grazed 5 weeks ago. The land is trying to tell me something as it's lovely and green under the trees but burnt dry in the open. Ideas?

Received wisdom is that trees "suck and run for up all the moisture"

 

[Agrispeed]

I took these while walking round the cows earlier today. This was set stock grazed 5 weeks ago. The land is trying to tell me something as it's lovely and green under the trees but burnt dry in the open. Ideas?

View attachment 694744

View attachment 694746

Received wisdom is that trees "suck and run for up all the moisture"

Time to plant some more trees!

The 16ac we planted this spring will willow in an attempt to break up a field and create some shade looks a tad crispy now, but the pre-existing areas of agroforestry look fantastic, you can really see how the shade has benefited the ground.

Being set stocked, the cows will probably lie under the trees more and so theres probably an area of high fertility there too.

 

[Henarar]

Will they eat what's under the tree
I noticed only today some nice green grass thats in the shade of a high hedge on the south side of a field the sheep wont eat it
High hedges are ok if they run north south but are a pain in the arse if they run east west
We have some land with forestry to the south side of it. It takes a year like this to get it anything like dry for a fair way out for the hedge and even then the animals dont like the grass

 

[Agrispeed]

Will they eat what's under the tree
I noticed only today some nice green grass thats in the shade of a high hedge on the south side of a field the sheep wont eat it
High hedges are ok if they run north south but are a pain in the arse if they run east west
We have some land with forestry to the south side of it. It takes a year like this to get it anything like dry for a fair way out for the hedge and even then the animals dont like the grass

Using electric fences I never have a problem with animals not eating stuff. If they want to be picky they can stay there until they decide not to be.

 

[Henarar]

in field trees are good but they want to be trimmed up so the sun gets in under them at some point in the day, same with trees in a hedge
grass needs sunshine