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

[Kiwi Pete]

I've now finished "The ecology of care" and can't resist sharing a few of the final pages here.

Firstly, the argument for granting nature "person" status in law:

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And then this about how she approaches a farmer regarding changing how he farms:

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Some of our rivers and catchments have been "granted people status" in similar fashion.

One thing many don't actually realise is the difference (in legal circles) about being a citizen, and what that entails. Pete Blair is just a person, but once his birth was registered, then a person of that name became a citizen and from there on the surname (at least) is written in captial letters to make a distinction between the person and that citizen. If you've ever written out a statement for police etc then you will have seen the citizen "you"

 

[Kiwi Pete]

It bloody well rained/is raining!

Just made the comment elsewhere that I've seen some winter forage crops lately that haven't even all struck yet, so it's going to be a long winter for some folk

 

[Whitewalker]

just read an article from our vets, re fibre at turnout, fresh grass, high in sugar, and protien, low dm, and quite a few DA's, displaces abomasum, and recommend feeding high energy, and fibrous foods, hay straw etc, and yet, on the all things dairy thread, when l said about how quickly grass goes straight through, and querying how much of the food value, was actually used, by the cow, in the time it stayed in, and what would be the nutritional gain, by 'slowing' down that passage time, immediately got put down, by the spring grazers. Two very contrasting views, the spr chaps, wanted warm weather, for high protien grass, the higher the better, with no buffer, for max milk from grass. I calculate a DA would cost roughly 1 ton hay, so feeding some long fibre, slowing down internal passage, should be more beneficial, to both cow and pocket, unless l am missing something. One of the things that was very obvious to us, last summer, feeding hay as a top up, for grass shortage, was the constituent value of the milk, as the higher it is, the higher the price paid .
So if fibre is that important, what sources of fibre are available, as already said, hedge browsing is a useful supply, but not necessarily available all the time, or quantity, hay/straw obvious, what about weeds, or which weeds, do herbs, as in chickory, plantains etc, provide any ? Then we can look at where the plate metre, and regen policies actually completely agree, over wintered grass, or stock pile, both contain 'dead' grass leaf's from last autumn, which should help fibre, esp as a bit in every bite. Silviculture, never had any experience, nor will, as if we planted some now, l wouldn't see the benefit, but political interference, could cause problems there, planting trees, is politically a must do, but can see the new 'woods' being 'protected' by the 'greens'.
We have, and would again, feed 'standing hay' to dry cows, it's the ideal feed, just got to get enough grass, to do it ! but my uncle used to feed all summer, not 'quite' standing hay, to his guernsey/jersey herd, all summer, it was the only way to ensure grass was available, all summer, that herd, money wise, equalled our friesian herd, on milk sales, but changed to hols, which wouldn't graze that grass, so buffer feed, which eventually became a 'ration'! So breed, type of animal, can also affect things.

We have been grazing a month by day and 1st June silage inside at night due to the frosts . They are very content on more fibrous feed in the evening. Hopefully temperature will rise and we get them out soon

 

[som farmer]

out by day a month, another 15 feeds or so, of grass a head of them, in by night on maize, wrapped grass, and hay, not much maize left, plenty hay, and about to cut 17 acres of grass, to wrap, field is ahead of the rest of silage ground, should help out ! Plus, the sheep came out of the field, 25 feb ! Just need warm rain, and light winds. They seem quite happy on the mix, and a good job they do, although the sh1t is more fluid than l would like.

 

[awkward]

out by day a month, another 15 feeds or so, of grass a head of them, in by night on maize, wrapped grass, and hay, not much maize left, plenty hay, and about to cut 17 acres of grass, to wrap, field is ahead of the rest of silage ground, should help out ! Plus, the sheep came out of the field, 25 feb ! Just need warm rain, and light winds. They seem quite happy on the mix, and a good job they do, although the sh1t is more fluid than l would like.

Why not graze the 17 acres, the cost of rapping it v running a line of wire across it, but maybe its not as simple as that.

 

[Samcowman]

Why not graze the 17 acres, the cost of rapping it v running a line of wire across it, but maybe its not as simple as that.

A good call that.
I think if this non growing weather keeps up there will be a few people grazing silage grounds.

 

[awkward]

A good call that.
I think if this non growing weather keeps up there will be a few people grazing silage grounds.

I've had that joy over last few years, not fun come winter with half what you need.

 

[som farmer]

Why not graze the 17 acres, the cost of rapping it v running a line of wire across it, but maybe its not as simple as that.

cut only ley, and grounds a bit to tender to graze it, and water supply is a problem. We are trying not to graze cattle on 35 acres of cut only, bit of an experiment, this is yr 2, certainly looks ok, thicker than last yr.
But if it doesn't rain............... as above, it's not fun not making enough fodder, have bought for the last 3 years.
This ley was one of the first sown with ground not ploughed, just tine worked, it struggled last summer in the drought, but went 'nuts' once it rained in sep, last cut, mid oct, and came through the winter to well, and we grazed it with tack sheep, out 25 feb, it's on an 'exposed' slope, and we were concerned that cold wind would shrink it back, that move was correct, grown like stink since, but is now well a head of anything else, a 'trim' would serve several problems.
ley is a mix of IRG PRG and red clover, as said, it's a bit of a trial.

 

[gadgewalker]

Morning! Been a while since I was on here so have some catching up to do!

1st of the heifers calved and sheep are lambing away fine. Just set stocked then starting to pull the lambed ones into a fresh block to start moving them round.

The other un calved heifer has a load of flies around her teats. Teats aren't swollen but seem to have some skin splitting I asume from her kicking them.. Is there anything you guys would reccomend here?

Cheers

 

[martian]

There is indeed! Almost like the list of tags that accompany this thread - can anyone shine light on what "haptra" is? Or why there's a whole heap of irrelevant shite this thread is tagged in?
kerosene
haptra
pgr
and all the main tractor brands??

Hatra...don't you remember the great debate we had about what the Sun God should wear on his head?
pgr= parental guidance required, we don't want children reading this thread without adult supervision
Massey... an agricultural university in NZ. Not a tractor.
And on it goes

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Ah yes .

 

[Karliboy]

So in a couple of fields I have quite a heavy dock infestation
What are people’s opinions on how to reduce this easily. Is it possible via grazing
I’m really tempted to run the sprayer over it as it’s hell of a lot to spot spray as detrimental as this maybe, and my body certainly is up to pulling so many by hand

There does seem to be a hell of a lot more this year compared to the past. last year I got around this patch before they set seed and if there was any seed at all it was still at the soft milky stage so I would hope the cattle could digest them down at that point but I’m unsure on this.

 

[hendrebc]

So in a couple of fields I have quite a heavy dock infestation
What are people’s opinions on how to reduce this easily. Is it possible via grazing
I’m really tempted to run the sprayer over it as it’s hell of a lot to spot spray as detrimental as this maybe, and my body certainly is up to pulling so many by hand View attachment 954313View attachment 954314

I would have said that grass might smother them if they are still small but they look very forward for the time of year. There probably is a way to do it bit I can't tell you much about it because I haven't figured it out yet
Frost has curled docks up here and turned them all brown. I bet the buggers come back though

 

[Henarar]

So in a couple of fields I have quite a heavy dock infestation
What are people’s opinions on how to reduce this easily. Is it possible via grazing
I’m really tempted to run the sprayer over it as it’s hell of a lot to spot spray as detrimental as this maybe, and my body certainly is up to pulling so many by hand View attachment 954313View attachment 954314
There does seem to be a hell of a lot more this year compared to the past. last year I got around this patch before they set seed and if there was any seed at all it was still at the soft milky stage so I would hope the cattle could digest them down at that point but I’m unsure on this.

Sheeeeeeeep
sheep sheep

 

[Treg]

So in a couple of fields I have quite a heavy dock infestation
What are people’s opinions on how to reduce this easily. Is it possible via grazing
I’m really tempted to run the sprayer over it as it’s hell of a lot to spot spray as detrimental as this maybe, and my body certainly is up to pulling so many by hand View attachment 954313View attachment 954314
There does seem to be a hell of a lot more this year compared to the past. last year I got around this patch before they set seed and if there was any seed at all it was still at the soft milky stage so I would hope the cattle could digest them down at that point but I’m unsure on this.

Just don't let them seed & it will be fine.
How you stop them seeding is up to you , grazing or topping/ or both.
Spraying docks whatever next

 

[Guleesh]

Sheeeeeeeep
sheep sheep

That's what I was thinking.
In fact that's what i'm always thinking...

 

[awkward]

So in a couple of fields I have quite a heavy dock infestation
What are people’s opinions on how to reduce this easily. Is it possible via grazing
I’m really tempted to run the sprayer over it as it’s hell of a lot to spot spray as detrimental as this maybe, and my body certainly is up to pulling so many by hand View attachment 954313View attachment 954314
There does seem to be a hell of a lot more this year compared to the past. last year I got around this patch before they set seed and if there was any seed at all it was still at the soft milky stage so I would hope the cattle could digest them down at that point but I’m unsure on this.

Dock is a very poor computer, it thrives on compaction, reduce compaction and it will die out because the grass can get ahead, its also very high in iodine.

 

[awkward]

Should say " poor competer"

 

[Karliboy]

Sheeeeeeeep
sheep sheep

definitely considering some tack sheep on the meadow land for the winter months just a case of finding someone sensible to deal with in the respect that there wormed a few weeks before they arrive and that no other chemicals are used while there here.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I believe they don't like being trampled much either. Tight mobs perhaps.......