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

[JohnGalway]

I honestly thought we'd see alot more electric fencing strung about the place...... mind there was this one bloke who probably asks for polywire for xmas and birthdays

Hmmmmmmm

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I honestly thought we'd see alot more electric fencing strung about the place...... mind there was this one bloke who probably asks for polywire for xmas and birthdays

Then you arrived and the sheep had a whole paddock to themselves

at the neighbour's

Yeah, you certainly don't see a lot of intensive grazing management outside of the winter months or the dairy industry, I'd rather go work in the city than try and farm that way now.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

If it was fairly new ryegrass then yes maybe a bit more? Older 'weed grass' would likely measure higher because it's more dense and not open at the bottom

That's what I reckoned, I'd eyecrometer it at around 2900 ish now and hopefully 3150 or so when I graze it.
What's interesting with the variety of pasture types here is what "take half and leave half" would actually measure out at on a platemeter vs visual assessment, vs cutting it and weighing it.

It varies so much, and each grazing has it's own concerns throughout the seasons

 

[Kiwi Pete]

100mm should be no bother, little bit of heat will dry it out nice, cows love lying on wood chip. Putting it down @ 12" to 18" outside, but chipped low grade thinnings has less green in than tree surgery residue.

Run your overground water pipe through your woodchip/compost heap, will stop it freezing up if out wintering.

Surprises me just how that warmth lasts, our bedding has been in for 2½ years and it's beautifully warm. We just put the stock in occasionally so their pee feeds it a little bit of N and it keeps "working" although it won't be very aerobic anymore.

I would like to maybe give it a pull through with my subsoiler, when my mate returns it, but I also don't want my shed to burn down - not sure what to do there. It isn't hard to get a compost heap pretty hot

 

[hendrebc]

That's what I reckoned, I'd eyecrometer it at around 2900 ish now and hopefully 3150 or so when I graze it.
What's interesting with the variety of pasture types here is what "take half and leave half" would actually measure out at on a platemeter vs visual assessment, vs cutting it and weighing it.

It varies so much, and each grazing has it's own concerns throughout the seasons

I find that too. A new ley looks great but measures not so well. An old permanent ley will suprise you with how much the platemeter says it has on it and it's surprising how accurate it is if you go and feed it out like that certain times of the year, spring especially, but not so much now. It's only ever going to be a guide for me otherwise I'd have nothing to calibrate my eyeometer with. If I only had one type of pasture it would be easier but I have grass leys between 6 months old and 100+ years old and they all look completely different when they are ready to graze it would be a job to know where to start planning without something to work off.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

i have noticed my fencer has a slow pulse speed so there’s a lot of time between shocks

Voss?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I find that too. A new ley looks great but measures not so well. An old permanent ley will suprise you with how much the platemeter says it has on it and it's surprising how accurate it is if you go and feed it out like that certain times of the year, spring especially, but not so much now. It's only ever going to be a guide for me otherwise I'd have nothing to calibrate my eyeometer with. If I only had one type of pasture it would be easier but I have grass leys between 6 months old and 100+ years old and they all look completely different when they are ready to graze it would be a job to know where to start planning without something to work off.

Exactly that, I find the newer pastures just seem to melt when you put the stock in them . Except the new cocksfoot one, it grows more than meets the eye!

 

[hendrebc]

Exactly that, I find the newer pastures just seem to melt when you put the stock in them . Except the new cocksfoot one, it grows more than meets the eye!

Yep all fluff and no substance. They have to breed these new ruegrao to grow quicker because it doesn't last as long
Have some of a new cocksfoot variety in this 6 month old ley so not sure what I think of it yet. Came highly recommended anyway.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Yep all fluff and no substance. They have to breed these new ruegrao to grow quicker because it doesn't last as long
Have some of a new cocksfoot variety in this 6 month old ley so not sure what I think of it yet. Came highly recommended anyway.

It takes a while to get out of its infancy, I would recommend just grazing it with cattle for the first year or more, so it gets a chance to become big grass.
If you keep it looking trim then it learns how to be short grass, lots of leaves but shorter internodes which mean the leaves can stay small too.

Dairy near here is all cockfoot+clover+herb pastures and they get impressive grazings off it, they phased out the ryegrasses when they phased out the N fert and just regrass with 8kg cocksfoot, 8kg clovers and 1 kg each chicory and plantain.

eta. per hectare

 

[hendrebc]

It takes a while to get out of its infancy, I would recommend just grazing it with cattle for the first year or more, so it gets a chance to become big grass.
If you keep it looking trim then it learns how to be short grass, lots of leaves but shorter internodes which mean the leaves can stay small too.

Dairy near here is all cockfoot+clover+herb pastures and they get impressive grazings off it, they phased out the ryegrasses when they phased out the N fert and just regrass with 8kg cocksfoot, 8kg clovers and 1 kg each chicory and plantain.

Too late there is lambs on it now but it hasn't been grazed hard at all yet I'm still babying it so far. It's last grazing of the year will be with cattle though I don't think there have been any cattle on it at all yet this year. Well not intentionally
It's mostly a ryegrass and white clover mix but I added a kilo each of Timothy and cocksfoot and half a kilo each of plantain and chicory. It's come very well so far well impressed with the herbs especially not grown them before.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I honestly thought we'd see alot more electric fencing strung about the place...... mind there was this one bloke who probably asks for polywire for xmas and birthdays

It'll be geared reels this year....

 

[Kiwi Pete]

It'll be geared reels this year....

No sir. This year I are mostly asking Santa for tee joiners and arrowposts

 

[Rob Garrett]

Surprises me just how that warmth lasts, our bedding has been in for 2½ years and it's beautifully warm. We just put the stock in occasionally so their pee feeds it a little bit of N and it keeps "working" although it won't be very aerobic anymore.

I would like to maybe give it a pull through with my subsoiler, when my mate returns it, but I also don't want my shed to burn down - not sure what to do there. It isn't hard to get a compost heap pretty hot

The lad with the woodchip BBQ here tipped tree surgery residue in the shed about 12" deep, then some straw, then some cows. Got a bit shitty so cleaned it all out after a few weeks, made a massive heap of it in his covered muck shed i.e. I've got a teleporter & I'm gonna use it! Steam turned to smoke, smoke turned to panic.

You'd think mature stuff in a shed spread out would be no different to muck in those big poultry sheds, so no bother, but never tried it.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I think I'd be Ok to give it a few rips to let the air in, but I certainly wouldn't want to stir it up in there!

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

No sir. This year I are mostly asking Santa for tee joiners and arrowposts

Is there a a tread in type reel post/ anchor post on the market? I have rappa hand reels which I do like, but the handreel posts need knocking in with a sledgehammer. There's some time to be saved I feel.

Or will I have to make something?

Anybody got any design ideas or failures?

Please don't say I have bought the wrong make!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Is there a a tread in type reel post/ anchor post on the market? I have rappa hand reels which I do like, but the handreel posts need knocking in with a sledgehammer. There's some time to be saved I feel.

Or will I have to make something?

Anybody got any design ideas or failures?

Please don't say I have bought the wrong make!

I'll have a picture of the ones I made. Bear with me while I search 2700 photos.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

I'll have a picture of the ones I made. Bear with me while I search 2700 photos.

Thanks that would be brilliant

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Just a couple of recycled waratahs/star pickets or whatever you call them, couple of short lumps of ¾ pipe and a link of chain welded up. Works a treat, I made them short so that
1. You can tow the line out with the reel on the stand and it's all under the height of the cross fence
2. Less weight, I can hold it as well as the reel while I wind it up
3. Cows don't lean over the cross fence and scratch their goitres on it

Depending on your needs, you could put an extra couple of links for hanging another reel, or just put 2 strands on one reel.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Apparently this old stuff

is growing at between 55 and 60kg/ha at the moment.
Farmax says we should be growing about 19-24kgDM/ha over the week.... so there is your "blaze of growth", and even weed grasses do it

It also showed a brix of around 17, FWIW

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Apparently this old stuffView attachment 913903
is growing at between 55 and 60kg/ha at the moment.
Farmax says we should be growing about 19-24kgDM/ha over the week.... so there is your "blaze of growth", and even weed grasses do it

It also showed a brix of around 17, FWIW

How much stock have you left on farm Pete? I'm thinking you destocked a bit as winter has progressed?
Are you still in stockpiled feed, or grazing new growth now?