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

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Starting to get lambing again, there was a definite "halt" after the first cycle, I'm really looking forward to getting them back moving again. See all the little holes they're eating? 😒
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It helps having set-stocking neighbours, as you can see over the boundary fence... it isn't really the direction we want to be heading in 🤭🤭 and it's a big motivator to get that density back up.

I thought @exmoor dave would like to see the pretty yellow flowers, that gorse was hit with the salt+vinegar treatment 4 years ago, and needs a respray now I think. I know it's only a symptom of a problem, but it doesn't look good from the street.
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Got some extra tools today, anyway, another 41 to boost the calf mob to 90 head. Will need more yet, but it's a start. Don't look too bad:
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... and they soon fitted in just fine.

"How long does it take to train new animals to go under the fence with a pogo?" is an often-asked question.

I think if you have a degree of continuity in your herds, then the 'old hands' just teach the new ones, certainly this is our experience.
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Will be interesting to see how they are tomorrow afternoon.
 

exmoor dave

Member
Location
exmoor, uk
Starting to get lambing again, there was a definite "halt" after the first cycle, I'm really looking forward to getting them back moving again. See all the little holes they're eating? 😒View attachment 915037
It helps having set-stocking neighbours, as you can see over the boundary fence... it isn't really the direction we want to be heading in 🤭🤭 and it's a big motivator to get that density back up.

I thought @exmoor dave would like to see the pretty yellow flowers, that gorse was hit with the salt+vinegar treatment 4 years ago, and needs a respray now I think. I know it's only a symptom of a problem, but it doesn't look good from the street.View attachment 915039
Got some extra tools today, anyway, another 41 to boost the calf mob to 90 head. Will need more yet, but it's a start. Don't look too bad:View attachment 915040View attachment 915041
... and they soon fitted in just fine.

"How long does it take to train new animals to go under the fence with a pogo?" is an often-asked question.

I think if you have a degree of continuity in your herds, then the 'old hands' just teach the new ones, certainly this is our experience. View attachment 915042
Will be interesting to see how they are tomorrow afternoon.


Wow! Was it really 4 years ago we were discussing spraying gorse with salt and vinegar!

Gorse has just exploded here the last two summers, like you say, it's a symptom, trouble is that most of our gorse covered ground is very steep so remedying the problem with nutrients or lime, is difficult, but get the infrastructure in and hopefully we can get stock on in numbers...... maybe pigs is the answer
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Wow! Was it really 4 years ago we were discussing spraying gorse with salt and vinegar!

Gorse has just exploded here the last two summers, like you say, it's a symptom, trouble is that most of our gorse covered ground is very steep so remedying the problem with nutrients or lime, is difficult, but get the infrastructure in and hopefully we can get stock on in numbers...... maybe pigs is the answer
Here, the big clue is bare soil/nonexistent topsoil to erosion. So the eventual plan is to plant out the gorse areas into tree lucerne and at least the stock will maintain it - while still doing the same "jobs" as the gorse is doing (making topsoil from clay subsoil).

Can't really think now how it would have regrown if I'd used something like metsulfuron instead of salt + vinegar, but I think it's about a similar timeframe.
 
Nicole Masters was on the Working Cows Podcast, she briefly mentioned woody "weeds" including gorse for a fleeting second. Seemed to suggest that spraying molasses helps the biology break down woody "weeds" and also sends a germination signal to other species in the seed bank. Maybe someone who's also heard it can correct me if I've got that wrong.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Wow! Was it really 4 years ago we were discussing spraying gorse with salt and vinegar!

Gorse has just exploded here the last two summers, like you say, it's a symptom, trouble is that most of our gorse covered ground is very steep so remedying the problem with nutrients or lime, is difficult, but get the infrastructure in and hopefully we can get stock on in numbers...... maybe pigs is the answer
pigs will not clear gorse, we used to keep up to 100 sows, in a yard, and 4 acre steep gorse bank. They will make tracks round it, occasionally through it, but never clear it. The piggist problem we found, was if a sow unexpectedly farrowed, they would 'tunnel' in, make a nest, and farrow, no problem, getting them out was, a big one, not to bad, if you could keep the sow away, otherwise, a buttock clenching, hair-raising, experience, which was why, us 'young-uns', did it, while the older watched.
 
Have you seen the list of those who funded the EAT-Lancet "study"? It's clearly described in that article: "Corporations also donate to higher education through sponsored research. This is not exactly “philanthropy” because there are explicit agreements between researchers and industry that specify the nature of the project and its goals, the timing, funding, and so on. A substantial portion of scientific research would not be possible without such sponsorships. And there is no doubt that such research is often useful for a variety of applications beyond the intended corporate use."

I can imagine. I'm saving it for a tweet thread, which I haven't fully thought out yet. The wealthy influencing policy to make them even wealthier and the masses too busy living paycheck to paycheck to bother noticing.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
So many folk just can't seem to accept this but still like to claim the "Regenerative farmer" moniker......
It's good that we do, IMO.
Because then we will see what else can be done, what other things can be thought of.
Much of it is a shift of our 'how', our driving force behind how/why we act.

If all you want is more grass, use fertiliser!
If you want less weeds, go pull them out. Nobody is stopping you.
 
Wow! Was it really 4 years ago we were discussing spraying gorse with salt and vinegar!

Gorse has just exploded here the last two summers, like you say, it's a symptom, trouble is that most of our gorse covered ground is very steep so remedying the problem with nutrients or lime, is difficult, but get the infrastructure in and hopefully we can get stock on in numbers...... maybe pigs is the answer
Will salt and vinegar work on other weeds?
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Will salt and vinegar work on other weeds?
Yes, it's pretty much non-selective, kills your biology in the process which is why I don't use it often.
Can be quite good on pastures, like kikuyu, where the stock aren't really getting onto them.
Just plain seawater is good, give it 3 sprays a year and leave it alone for 5, ideally in a full or waxing moon.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Yes, it's pretty much non-selective, kills your biology in the process which is why I don't use it often.
Can be quite good on pastures, like kikuyu, where the stock aren't really getting onto them.
Just plain seawater is good, give it 3 sprays a year and leave it alone for 5, ideally in a full or waxing moon.
does it need to be mixed with, juice of toad, the wing of a bat, in a cauldron, along with chanting ?
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
does it need to be mixed with, juice of toad, the wing of a bat, in a cauldron, along with chanting ?
No . But I do find it's a good time to apply other stuff, like seaweed or fish or weed tea, because you're using a high volume of mineralised water it helps get these things into the plants.

I haven't used the sprayer in a couple of years, so for weeds I'm going to try 'peppering'
 

Rob Garrett

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Derbyshire UK
Nice.
Was that mix a bespoke one for you?
Yes special mix £15.43/acre. Thinking behind it was diversity of root types, canopy heights etc. Cropping was: winter barley, stubble turnips (drilled 1st week Aug, grazed March left 20% of bulbs), turnips/weed regrowth grazed with cows June/July (that dry time). Twice over with big Disc a go go, broadcast, roll cover mix, July (bit late!). Will be going into herbal ley this spring. Borage & linseed hasn't killed them yet!
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som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
herbal leys are coming in for more attention. We are trying various types/amounts, it would be helpful to know, what success farmers have had, or are trying. One thing we have learn't, plantains definitely likes our ground, where sown, have shot away, but wild plantain, is a very common plant here.
 

tinsheet

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Somerset
Wow! Was it really 4 years ago we were discussing spraying gorse with salt and vinegar!

Gorse has just exploded here the last two summers, like you say, it's a symptom, trouble is that most of our gorse covered ground is very steep so remedying the problem with nutrients or lime, is difficult, but get the infrastructure in and hopefully we can get stock on in numbers...... maybe pigs is the answer
Goats will clear gorse, just got to market the end product!, There a new venture for you dave, no charge!! :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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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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