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

[holwellcourtfarm]

Selling your mower helps, an awful lot

Now you've CLEARLY lost the plot

You'll be suggesting selling the tractor too soon

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Mower has been means of stopping them seed, but if seeds can survive in soil for years until right conditions for them, then maybe no need to worry about seed, just change management to stop them growing.

What management do docks not like?

They don't like wall-to-wall groundcover.
That's what I meant by the no-mow management, you ideally want better tiller density to plug up their habitat niche, especially in the more upright grass swards that "mower management" tends to favour

Docks love P, a squirt of DAP soon gets you winning docks, that's why you'd put buckwheat in a covercrop (P scavenger/cycler).
Here, the answer probably lies in raising the available silica level (clay soil)

 

[Johnny Whiteheads]

Now you've CLEARLY lost the plot

You'll be suggesting selling the tractor too soon

I sold my tractor this week, going to see if its possible to farm without it, for a while anyway.
Apparently there is a grant in Uganda so my Massey 575 is on its way!

 

[ShooTa]

so far - being rinsed repeatedlty by the sheep mob,,..

 

[Karliboy]

So I’m finding dung beetle larvae quite easily in a few fields but I seldom rarely see a actual beetle. This is in the land where I started rotations 2 years ago.
In the land where I have only started this year I’m seeing no beetle or larvae, would anybody chance trying to move some dung with larvae in (easy option) to the other land or try and wait until I find a nice pile off actual beetles to move( harder option) Or should I try and let them migrate naturally .

 

[Crofter64]

It’s all psychology with old boys

Its best not to tell them their old way is wrong.

 

[Henarar]

Its best not to tell them their old way is wrong.

but the old old old ways were right

 

[Samcowman]

With docks hopefully outcompeting them with plenty of grass and not giving them bare soil where the little dock longs can get a bit of sunlight would be a good way.
Have a look at extreme areas such as around where a feeder will have been and docks love it as there’s compaction and bare soil

 

[Tyedyetom]

So I’m finding dung beetle larvae quite easily in a few fields but I seldom rarely see a actual beetle. This is in the land where I started rotations 2 years ago.
In the land where I have only started this year I’m seeing no beetle or larvae, would anybody chance trying to move some dung with larvae in (easy option) to the other land or try and wait until I find a nice pile off actual beetles to move( harder option) Or should I try and let them migrate naturally .View attachment 891433View attachment 891434

You could try moving some to a corner of the unoccupied land and see how things go from there.
just seen this in the NZ dairyexporter

 

[Crofter64]

So I’m finding dung beetle larvae quite easily in a few fields but I seldom rarely see a actual beetle. This is in the land where I started rotations 2 years ago.
In the land where I have only started this year I’m seeing no beetle or larvae, would anybody chance trying to move some dung with larvae in (easy option) to the other land or try and wait until I find a nice pile off actual beetles to move( harder option) Or should I try and let them migrate naturally .View attachment 891433View attachment 891434

I know nothing of dung beetles,but I know that its easier to get youngsters to adapt to a new environment than established adults. So, I ‘d say, move them now .

 

[Treg]

So I’m finding dung beetle larvae quite easily in a few fields but I seldom rarely see a actual beetle. This is in the land where I started rotations 2 years ago.
In the land where I have only started this year I’m seeing no beetle or larvae, would anybody chance trying to move some dung with larvae in (easy option) to the other land or try and wait until I find a nice pile off actual beetles to move( harder option) Or should I try and let them migrate naturally .View attachment 891433View attachment 891434

Wouldn't hurt to move a few to the other land just to see what happens.

 

[bendigeidfran]

@bendigeidfran

Couldn't find pic I wanted yesterday so took one today.

This first one was taken in April 2018, of ground we had just bought.

View attachment 891296

Today.

View attachment 891297

This is a few miles from our house so has been on 3 day grazes followed by topper when appropriate, then long rests. Its not doing as well as home but it's coming along. Nothing applied to it whatsoever, but I might throw a bag of clover seed down at some point, there's some there but not very much.

It'd be great to do this without using a topper but in the absence of cattle I think it would take too long.

Thank's for that, good to see the results of management working to achive that result.
Be interesting to see how it will look in a few more years.
I was thinking about doing something similar, gives confidence to see it work for somebody else.

This is my before picture, looking forward to manage it diffrently from now on

 

[Rob Garrett]

but the old old old ways were right

When labour was cheap, food was scarce and super markets never existed!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

If it wasn't for that dratted illusionary force, money...

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Splashed out on some jiffy pots to [hopefully] propagate a few kowhai trees.
(Kowhai is the Maori word for yellow - you'll see why)

Kowhai seeds are designed to travela loooong way in water, so the seed needs help to germinate.

You can rub them on sandpaper to help let water soften the kernel, but it's hard on the fingertips amd my hands are small enough - so I clipped them instead.

Soak them overnight in hot water

... and they swell considerably!

note the yellow dye that comes from the seed - it's another germination inhibitor, so the water needs changed a few times until clear if possible.


And, two seeds per jiffy pot. Kowhai generally has about 60% germination, and I'm tight (they were 25c per pot ?) but I liked the idea of growing in a sterile little cube of peat, having nicked the seed open I don't want too many random bacterial infections of the embryo.
Tomorrow night's job is to pot up the tree lucernes, into PB¾ will do for now.

 

[Whitewalker]

Splashed out on some jiffy pots to [hopefully] propagate a few kowhai trees.
(Kowhai is the Maori word for yellow - you'll see why)View attachment 891664View attachment 891665
Kowhai seeds are designed to travela loooong way in water, so the seed needs help to germinate.View attachment 891666
You can rub them on sandpaper to help let water soften the kernel, but it's hard on the fingertips amd my hands are small enough - so I clipped them instead.View attachment 891667
Soak them overnight in hot waterView attachment 891669
... and they swell considerably!View attachment 891671
note the yellow dye that comes from the seed - it's another germination inhibitor, so the water needs changed a few times until clear if possible.


And, two seeds per jiffy pot. Kowhai generally has about 60% germination, and I'm tight (they were 25c per pot ?) but I liked the idea of growing in a sterile little cube of peat, having nicked the seed open I don't want too many random bacterial infections of the embryo.
Tomorrow night's job is to pot up the tree lucernes, into PB¾ will do for now.

What way we’re you composting your wool ? We’re you mixing through the other stuff ?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

What way we’re you composting your wool ? We’re you mixing through the other stuff ?

Yes, really just a matter of putting all the odds&sods on top of the pile and then pushing compost over it with a bucket - pieces, fribs, bellies, ram fleece etc.
It's not even worth my time pressing it into a bale, whereas the value of keeping it on-farm is better than giving it away. Dags, I'm going to take a bulk bag of it out and fill in holes with it (you know the ones, sheep dig into hillsides and leave a crater forever, will patch them over and hopefully plant life will start from there). Should hopefully be nettle seeds or something in dags.

 

[Whitewalker]

Yes, really just a matter of putting all the odds&sods on top of the pile and then pushing compost over it with a bucket - pieces, fribs, bellies, ram fleece etc.
It's not even worth my time pressing it into a bale, whereas the value of keeping it on-farm is better than giving it away. Dags, I'm going to take a bulk bag of it out and fill in holes with it (you know the ones, sheep dig into hillsides and leave a crater forever, will patch them over and hopefully plant life will start from there). Should hopefully be nettle seeds or something in dags.

Cheers. Just curious

 

[Crofter64]

Yeh that was just fetching cows in on a nice day last week, wanted to try get a good pic of him in case he goes with Tb next week!

How did he do?

 

[Durry cows]

How did he do?

Tb clear