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

[jack6480]

My undersow is coming now to,This looks hopeful!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I’m cheerful

It's a choice we make....

 

[JohnGalway]

It's a choice we make....

How was it put the way I saw it, " Be the change you want to see"

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Wow. I do like that.

 

[Johnny Whiteheads]

I bale grazed 40 bales of silage on 15 acres from Dec to March this year & have rested since. I am happy with recovery of the land- EXCEPT the area worst affected ground around where the bales were is being dominated by docks. Its like I seeded Docks there. What should I do next? I had planned to return in December as its miles away from the rest of my land.

 

[hendrebc]

I bale grazed 40 bales of silage on 15 acres from Dec to March this year & have rested since. I am happy with recovery of the land- EXCEPT the area worst affected ground around where the bales were is being dominated by docks. Its like I seeded Docks there. What should I do next? I had planned to return in December as its miles away from the rest of my land.View attachment 889230

Go round with something and cut the docks? They won't flower and go to seed then and make it worse. But if your thinking of leaving it until December I'd be tempted to do nothing.

 

[Johnny Whiteheads]

Go round with something and cut the docks? They won't flower and go to seed then and make it worse. But if your thinking of leaving it until December I'd be tempted to do nothing.

Do nothing sounds good, sold my mower last year.

 

[Whitewalker]

Do nothing sounds good, sold my mower last year.

It’s a bit like two weather forecasts one wet and one dry . I go with the best one suits ?.

 

[Henarar]

They’d rather just send death threats

you are kidding ?

 

[JohnGalway]

Brave. From 11,000 miles away

Had £300 offered for my home address one time. Spent a while debating would I turn myself in for the reward. Since, I amuse myself by thinking of the two hardy bucks in a crusty auld landrover exploring the highways and byways of Galloway in Scotland looking for me, instead of Galway in Ireland.

As a lad I know said, if someone is trying to make you mad, laugh at them, tips them over the edge.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I bale grazed 40 bales of silage on 15 acres from Dec to March this year & have rested since. I am happy with recovery of the land- EXCEPT the area worst affected ground around where the bales were is being dominated by docks. Its like I seeded Docks there. What should I do next? I had planned to return in December as its miles away from the rest of my land.View attachment 889230

The docks are telling you something, including that the ground is compacted. Their natural role is to help break up that compaction with their roots. Cut or spray them and they'll be back. Change the management and they'll just slowly be out competed.

There would have been dock seed in the soil anyway.

 

[Beekissed]

You could roll out some bales over that overly compacted ground and let the microbial life soften it back up for you and the hay will also mulch and reseed that area as well.

 

[CornishTone]

Had £300 offered for my home address one time. Spent a while debating would I turn myself in for the reward. Since, I amuse myself by thinking of the two hardy bucks in a crusty auld landrover exploring the highways and byways of Galloway in Scotland looking for me, instead of Galway in Ireland.

As a lad I know said, if someone is trying to make you mad, laugh at them, tips them over the edge.

"Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much!" Think it was Oscar Wilde that said that.

 

[JohnGalway]

"Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much!" Think it was Oscar Wilde that said that.

Good advice ?

 

[bendigeidfran]

View attachment 889214
It's a choice we make....
Lost mother when i was 20, decided then i was going to do what made me happy.
Money never really botherd me at all even when i bought the farm and had a big morgage i worked as a shepherd for 14 years went to and from work happy.
Biggest thing for me was going to their hill farm in elan valley me dogs thousands of open hill go to the highest point stop the bike look at the view and contemplate.

 

[Karliboy]

Out of interest How much feed value am I / are wee loosing by letting the grass get to this point of setting seed like below as I start to graze it. Seed is still milky so is still digestible

Am I letting it go to far before grazing for the time of year ?

 

[Henarar]

Out of interest How much feed value am I / are wee loosing by letting the grass get to this point of setting seed like below as I start to graze it. Seed is still milky so is still digestible View attachment 889352
Am I letting it go to far before grazing for the time of year ?

at least twill stay in them for more than 5 seconds

 

[ChrisStep]

This lad's got his own leader follower system going.

 

[Whitewalker]

Out of interest How much feed value am I / are wee loosing by letting the grass get to this point of setting seed like below as I start to graze it. Seed is still milky so is still digestible View attachment 889352
Am I letting it go to far before grazing for the time of year ?

This lad's got his own leader follower system going.

hes a nice lump or a calf

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I bale grazed 40 bales of silage on 15 acres from Dec to March this year & have rested since. I am happy with recovery of the land- EXCEPT the area worst affected ground around where the bales were is being dominated by docks. Its like I seeded Docks there. What should I do next? I had planned to return in December as its miles away from the rest of my land.View attachment 889230

They're really just a sign of heaps of localised impact, compaction, just bale-graze somewhere different next time, so you don't overimpact the one spot.
Meanwhile, your docks will replenish and remedy (by way of getting carbon down really deep into where the bare soil has kinda starved it) and give it a bloody good kickstart - there is literally no better plant from a soil's point of view than something like a dock of thistle. Such a powerful root.
Just make sure you get the cows to give them a good workout to stimulate them, the reason most people have persisting weed problems is because they attempt to "beat them out".
The damage remains so the weeds reappear - you have to love them for them to let you go!
Don't think
"I need to get them before they go to seed" but more "I need to prune this so it stays leafy and my cows will keep eating them" because that's a win-win-win situation.

The answer of course, 'depends on you' because everyone has their own take on things.