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

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
years ago we would never get all the dung spread here as it was to wet to get to where it was heaped, we would spread what could be got and the heap grow year on year, when we bought the slew and a bigger spreader I spread the lot, it was like spreading soil, I put it on some of the poorer fields that didn't get dung to often and it made it grow like mad
 

Crofter64

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Quebec, Canada
I just had a quick look at @Clive 's "book" thread.
FFS - this really is a sad & miserable place isn't it. If this is truly representative, then U.K. Ag really deserves to collapse
I just can't believe the attitudes expressed, these sort of mindsets are just completely outside of my own agricultural experiences I find it hard to believe it's not just some sick joke or lame stereotype. Unfortunately, it appears to be real

I think I'll just retreat back out of here into the reality of a more open & vibrant agricultural industry I'm familiar with

See ya . . .
Yourcomment directed me to Clive’s thread. Thanks Roy.
Don’t forget’ Rome wasn’t built in a day’.
 

jonnyjon

Member
I've been working towards it for a while, but really only found an easier system a few months ago to get them bunched up a little better, it's made quite a difference without spending a lot of time "doing"
Could you give a thick like me an easy to understand formula to follow re mob grazing? Currently arable and feeding beef in sheds during winter, mostly to produce fym. Thinking of putting a field down to a herbal ley and another down to sainfoin for silage but have more questions than answers. I see this as the quickest way to heal my soils, have no interest in producing food with poisons going forward
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
Could you give a thick like me an easy to understand formula to follow re mob grazing? Currently arable and feeding beef in sheds during winter, mostly to produce fym. Thinking of putting a field down to a herbal ley and another down to sainfoin for silage but have more questions than answers. I see this as the quickest way to heal my soils, have no interest in producing food with poisons going forward
That's the trouble! We all like an "easy to follow formula" but nature doesn't work that way (I'm learning) :rolleyes:.

The most basic principles are easy:
Sward diversity
Limit access to any one patch to no more than 2 days and leave it afterwards to recover for as long as it needs
Bunch the stock together tightly enough that they become less-selective in which forage they eat
Put them in to much longer forage than you are used to
Only allow them to eat 1/3 of the height
Let them trample the rest into the soil hence the high stock density

But, to make it work well you need to closely observe the forage growth and maturity and the soil condition and adapt the management daily in accordance.

That's the simple version ;)
 
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onesiedale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
That's the trouble! We all like an "easy to follow formula" but nature doesn't work that way (I'm learning) :rolleyes:.

The most basic principles are easy:
Sward diversity
Limit access to any one patch to no more than 2 days and leave it afterwards to recover for as long as it needs
Bunch the stock together tightly enough that they become less-selective in which forage they eat
Put them in to much longer forage than you are used to
Only allow them to eat 1/3 of the height
Let them trample the rest into the soil hence the high stock density

But, to make it work well it all you need to closely observe the forage growth and maturity and the soil condition and adapt the management daily in accordance.

That's the simple version ;)
155533944735556908574.jpg

Errr, is this looking ok HC?
 

texas pete

Member
Location
East Mids
Update on the water skid.

Good news:
  1. It works!
  2. The trike does move it when full
  3. The cows like it already

Less good:
  1. The water slops into the mineral trough
  2. It's a bit much for the trike really
A few small mods needed but overall (y)

View attachment 788182

This is what I've moved them off. Their cell measures at 1700 square metres.
View attachment 788180

Wheels..(with brakes:rolleyes:) and some kind of lid?
 

bitwrx

Member
Glad it works. Had to move the lick bucket for our local shepherd's sheep yesterday (on our land) l. The buggers had trampled the grass to bare earth. Really need to do the same with the trough...

As for splashing, baffles would work - reduce the extent of any one free surface area.

Or if it's too heavy as well, just drop the water level... Two birds, one stone. :)
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
Glad it works. Had to move the lick bucket for our local shepherd's sheep yesterday (on our land) l. The buggers had trampled the grass to bare earth. Really need to do the same with the trough...

As for splashing, baffles would work - reduce the extent of any one free surface area.

Or if it's too heavy as well, just drop the water level... Two birds, one stone. :)
Baffles is a good idea, thanks. (y)
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Could you give a thick like me an easy to understand formula to follow re mob grazing? Currently arable and feeding beef in sheds during winter, mostly to produce fym. Thinking of putting a field down to a herbal ley and another down to sainfoin for silage but have more questions than answers. I see this as the quickest way to heal my soils, have no interest in producing food with poisons going forward
That's the trouble! We all like an "easy to follow formula" but nature doesn't work that way (I'm learning) :rolleyes:.

The most basic principles are easy:
Sward diversity
Limit access to any one patch to no more than 2 days and leave it afterwards to recover for as long as it needs
Bunch the stock together tightly enough that they become less-selective in which forage they eat
Put them in to much longer forage than you are used to
Only allow them to eat 1/3 of the height
Let them trample the rest into the soil hence the high stock density

But, to make it work well you need to closely observe the forage growth and maturity and the soil condition and adapt the management daily in accordance.

That's the simple version ;)
This is pretty much spot on.

As always, it depends to an extent "what you want to do" - that's the point of establishing your "holistic context", as then you can tune everything that you do as to how it aligns with your goal, from the big decisions right down to the little details.

My context is different to yours, to Sam or Steve or anyone - so the decisionmaking will be slightly different.
Here I want to really improve my ability to soak water in, and so I leave as much cover as I can afford to, think "conservation" rather than "utilisation".
This has several spinoffs for livestock, ie they aren't eating every last worm larvae as they attempt to feed themself, longer stalkier rough grass in the sward helps maintain a good level of spiders to predate worm larvae, control flies etc

So if you want less poisons, these can be considerations.
 

Inky

Member
Location
Essex / G.London
Mine took about 3 months, by which time they were proper big baconers, about 70kg?
I probably put about half a ton of peas in, as pea hay, and let the cattle moosh it right down before turning them out, so the piggies had plenty to go bobbing for! 16 hesston bales between 4 pigs

How do you work out an ideal stocking rate / feed amount to smoosh in? I have a 700sqm outside concrete area that I've thought about using after the cattle go out but the closest I've got to a pig is on the frying pan.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
How do you work out an ideal stocking rate / feed amount to smoosh in? I have a 700sqm outside concrete area that I've thought about using after the cattle go out but the closest I've got to a pig is on the frying pan.
I worked on 4 pigs with an average weight of about 40 kg, that they'd want fed a similar amount to any other animal.
And 16 bales fit on a truck so that was what I used :LOL: not very scientific but science doesn't get you everywhere
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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