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

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Still not quite sure how protagonist or perpetrators, practiscers :unsure: of 'regenag' ( what an assuming title that is :oops:) can at the same time, do air travel ...:unsure:

Deffinatly not a 'holistic view' being taken by some thats for sure, is a polite way of putting it ...:sneaky:
Our "instinct" to consume often takes over.

Then again, you see the smoke pouring out of a volcano 1000 miles away and it makes you realise a few things, also; such as the relative footprint of what we do and what we save is really a drop in a bucket.
A few tons of CO2 tucked away per annum isn't really going to save the world while land lays bare "because it works out on paper", however the strength of regen ag lies in the small communities and between the ears of consumers themselves.. that choices do matter.
And, a great waking-up of the masses as they realise the extent to which they've been conned
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
Our "instinct" to consume often takes over.

Then again, you see the smoke pouring out of a volcano 1000 miles away and it makes you realise a few things, also; such as the relative footprint of what we do and what we save is really a drop in a bucket.
A few tons of CO2 tucked away per annum isn't really going to save the world while land lays bare "because it works out on paper", however the strength of regen ag lies in the small communities and between the ears of consumers themselves.. that choices do matter.
And, a great waking-up of the masses as they realise the extent to which they've been conned
Yeah anything extra to basic needs is .......going to cost as you always say.

But the 'instinct' to want to go and explore , look over the hill , see what's around the corner, or broaden ones mind, yes its beyond basic , needs, but even then internet cant satisfy that one :unsure: darn quick way to learn as well even if yer not too academic.
Different kettle of fish 10 days package to tenerife or the canary s :sneaky:

Pity planes are so ineffiecient.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Yeah anything extra to basic needs is .......going to cost as you always say.

But the 'instinct' to want to go and explore , look over the hill , see what's around the corner, or broaden ones mind, yes its beyond basic , needs, but even then internet cant satisfy that one :unsure: darn quick way to learn as well even if yer not too academic.
Different kettle of fish 10 days package to tenerife or the canary s :sneaky:

Pity planes are so ineffiecient.
I think I've adapted OK, but I always was a scrooge, I'm often up late at night exploring/stalking other countries via the web.
But it's not a basic need, we're fairly well in control of most of them.

Going to work in a fert truck does pose an interesting ethical dilemma though, some folk sure do make generating cash from sunshine and rain an awfully inefficient process when all is counted.
But I am sought to continue, I see it from the farmer's point of view (too stretched to graze the land properly, but don't need big skidmarks on the fields) as well as a contractor's (need to maintain good workflow without having the gear rolled/broken) and so I get it done and don't think about all the contract-killing I'm doing.

I guess flying off to a climate conference/regen seminar is much the same thing.
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
I think I've adapted OK, but I always was a scrooge, I'm often up late at night exploring/stalking other countries via the web.
But it's not a basic need, we're fairly well in control of most of them.

Going to work in a fert truck does pose an interesting ethical dilemma though, some folk sure do make generating cash from sunshine and rain an awfully inefficient process when all is counted.
But I am sought to continue, I see it from the farmer's point of view (too stretched to graze the land properly, but don't need big skidmarks on the fields) as well as a contractor's (need to maintain good workflow without having the gear rolled/broken) and so I get it done and don't think about all the contract-killing I'm doing.

I guess flying off to a climate conference/regen seminar is much the same thing.
So having prepped yourself :nailbiting: , if you did travel you probably wouldn't be surprised at a lot of what you would see :cautious:

Still,.. there's a fair bit of good to see as well........

Happy days :unsure::)
 

Crofter64

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Quebec, Canada
O/T to current discussion, but I hope someone can help

At some time in the last year or so I've watched a video about rotational grazing that ends with a quote from a Scottish agriculturalist about dividing your farm up into paddocks and moving the beasts around daily so that the grass has grown back by the time you get to the first paddock (or something like that). I thought it was the Jim Gerrish wasting grass vid, but it appears not.

The videos was probably posted from this thread, so hoping one of you will know what I'm on about. Thinking about it now, it may have been a grassfed exchange vid... Hmm. Anyway, any ideas?

Planning for Profit Case Study Video - Iain Malcolm. Is it this?
 

Blaithin

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Alberta
Still not quite sure how protagonist or perpetrators, practiscers :unsure: of 'regenag' ( what an assuming title that is :oops:) can at the same time, do air travel ...:unsure:

Deffinatly not a 'holistic view' being taken by some thats for sure, is a polite way of putting it ...:sneaky:
You're presuming everyone who practices Regenerative Ag does it because:

A) They believe humans are affecting or causing climate change.
B) They want to be more environmentally neutral/beneficial.

Farmers here are some of the most staunch deniers of anthropogenic climate change, for whatever their reasons. Probably various. That doesn't mean they don't want to be more environmentally friendly or beneficial, but that desire doesn't mean they believe they're impacting or contributing to any current climate crisis.

Much like religion, people can't apply their climate beliefs to others, others rarely hold similar opinions. Doesn't make the others wrong.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
You're presuming everyone who practices Regenerative Ag does it because:

A) They believe humans are affecting or causing climate change.
B) They want to be more environmentally neutral/beneficial.

Farmers here are some of the most staunch deniers of anthropogenic climate change, for whatever their reasons. Probably various. That doesn't mean they don't want to be more environmentally friendly or beneficial, but that desire doesn't mean they believe they're impacting or contributing to any current climate crisis.

Much like religion, people can't apply their climate beliefs to others, others rarely hold similar opinions. Doesn't make the others wrong.
I just want our business to be more resilient, adaptable, and profitable - that is, a better proposition to entice one of the boys to take it on.

It certainly isn't going to be much fun if we cry drought every time we have a dry month and run out of feed
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
This is what I call a bit of an up and down fence,, so used 2 wires, @onesiedale - sort of one for the lambs and one for the cows 'coz of the big dip over the brow, there.
20191210_185622.jpg

Flat contour, I just use one on the 3rd clip with these stakes, and this one
20191210_190522.jpg
on the plastic fantastics. Love these ones.
So many options and last for ages if you don't bend the steel peg, that begins the rust time-bomb ticking. At least half of these will be 20-30 years old
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
for me it's about outcomes. Sadly, few of the high level climate conferences of the last 2 decades have done well on that front!
Basically, what they've achieved to date, is resistance... and fear.

Unless they have a plan to alter the course of the solar minimum, via taxes, I can't see a bunch of suits really doing very much about climate change.

Maybe they could stop paying for people to rip up the land and burn down the forests, stop subsidising food and energy and let everyone realise their true cost vs the benefit they bring to the planet?
Really surprised they're still sponsoring people who cultivate more than half an acre per year TBH
 

Gulli

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
Basically, what they've achieved to date, is resistance... and fear.

Unless they have a plan to alter the course of the solar minimum, via taxes, I can't see a bunch of suits really doing very much about climate change.

Maybe they could stop paying for people to rip up the land and burn down the forests, stop subsidising food and energy and let everyone realise their true cost vs the benefit they bring to the planet?
Really surprised they're still sponsoring people who cultivate more than half an acre per year TBH
Are you? All they care about is keeping the economy ticking over, low input grazing doesnt do much for the wider ag community in financial terms
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Are you? All they care about is keeping the economy ticking over, low input grazing doesnt do much for the wider ag community in financial terms
But, the fly in their ointment is that "their way" is almost in global collapse. They just want to bend over for Big Ag and if that means bankrupting small farmers and swallowing them up then so be it.

The flaws in their cunning plan is that

1. It's bloody working, farm bankruptcies are peaking
2. Their approach is just the same, ie nuke the biome and destroy the free natural capital, make food reliant on abundant inputs and energy supply and centralise processing even further

At least it will serve as effective selection pressure on our race
 
Are they going to be housed at some point ? If so how about shearing them at that point , then apply pouron.

Whatever, I wouldnt let them get to the point of rubbing off wool, else they will get wet and cold as it takes a while to grow back decent cover on those bare patches dont forget.

I don't house anything, I'll keep an eye on the weather, may well dip them ? I like the DE sulphur idea, but there is a lot of wool on sheep this time of year ?

Must order the cattle crush and get shot of a lot of these sheep ?
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Their looking "ansome" KP & the grass , keeping them on a high stocking density I see ;) Are they new ones ? Where are the calves? Or are they in calf ones, Closest one has a big belly ?
I saved the girls a wee corner off a paddock, it was very poor there last year so I kept the big mob off it this time to help keep it covered and cool.

All the calves were hiding down the bottom by the springs from me there, man, can they scoot now!
20191210_173436.jpg

They're filling out nicely, as are their mums; I only got those two photos before my phone went flat , sadly, because the eldest two calves will come right up for a rub on the chin

Slowly we're getting these old paddocks to grow again, we went over them fairly quickly in an attempt to leave a bit behind - but still give it a good stomping.
The chart said put them in, so we did.
20191209_212348.jpg
20191209_212321.jpg

Right behind them (24 hours) it's really mashed down, but the next day it seems to just perk up, so I think they are beginning to rebuild their strength after me whopping off all that silage and then cooking in the summer heat.

I think raising the SD helps with the herd's ability to non-selectively graze, it's hard to get it right but we're getting it less wrong than before
 

Treg

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cornwall
What worried me most when I started my suckler herd was whether I could keep the calves quiet enough but they are really quiet even the Vet has said to me I've got the quietest herd she's come across.
I find the calves go through stages start off quiet then get independent & more shy , then just when they get near weaning they get really tame & like being petted.
Time petting cows & calves is time well spent.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 78 42.9%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.6%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.5%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 5 2.7%

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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