Go on then, I can tell your dying to tell usGoat-less again today
Long story but quite funny really
Go on then, I can tell your dying to tell usGoat-less again today
Long story but quite funny really
Goat curry?Go on then, I can tell your dying to tell us
Or @farmerclare s sheep followed the goat home & really did become theavesGoat curry?
farming evolves and changes constantly, and 30/40 years back, the latest 'trend' in dairy grazing systems, was to have 21 paddocks, and graze 1 a day, on a 21 day cycle, not hugely different to what we now do, it went 'out' of favour because it was inflexible, spent hours putting up the ht wire for them, then hours more, taking them down ! Pretty certain the next 'trend' was set stocked, 45 acres by night, and 40 by day, that died away, following some very foggy weather, and the time it took, to get them in. We then went back to big paddocks, and strip grazing, much as we do now. So going back to 'evolving' trends, we only had 21 paddocks to take down, so perhaps @Kiwi Pete he had better hope trends don't alter, as he would have 320 to take down !Waste is a good thing at times. I try to leave a little waste where it would benefit from it, and leave it nice and clean where it would benefit from the extra traffic and poop
most of the slopier parts I don't wipe too clean at this time of year because of low sun angle etc, and because those parts might get targeted in a springtime rain event or something, the extra litter is good then.
Kinda the joy of looking out the window at 320 paddocks where it used to be 12, we can try lots of stuff now
l think your last bit, was spot on, s/stocking was pre quota, and we aimed to produce as much milk as we could, cowman was paid 1.5ppl. Cake was 18 ton every 14 days, fert use was 'excessive' to say the least, we injected urea for several years, to give all season 'coverage', 76 knocked that out. Profits were good, more milk, more income, more profit, and more tax, which meant more shiny paint, to avoid some of it. Then milk quota's hit, which, in their time, took £millions out of the dairy industry, but they served their governmental aim, to reduce milk production. The positive side of quota, was that we learnt all about costing per litre, rather a shock, especially to cowmen on a ppl contract. As we move into yet another period of the 'unknown', with global trade, and more different ag imports, it is even more important to 'know' cost of production, but even more important, is to learn how to reduce cost of production, by either money value, or by increased production per hectare, at the same cost. Then, of throw in all the 'green' regulations fast approaching, makes life interesting, personally l think this thread can teach us a way to achieve those aims, without spending a fortune in the process, and pass on a better balanced farm to the future generations, who probably won't need it, as they will farm in skyscrapers, a different crop on each floor, and the country side will be a gigantic wildlife park, with all types of predators, looking for their next group of 'greens' to stalk and eat.I would have quartered 21 paddocks if they were all the same size and shape, I reckon. It wasn't going to work well with what we had in place, now glad (stoked in fact) that we just took it out, sold it off, and started over.
Our land is just too "straightforward" not to go straight across and back!
However we still won't be "done", what we intend to do is just keep a 20 metre tape with each mob so we can cut the 280 big cells in half, then they'll be 498m², same as the cow's system up the top.
It'll give us the option to double it again for very little cost or hassle, swing the tape through to the next fence, and put a pigtail by the handle.
Then there's always a drafting mechanism to hand
I love the idea of setstocked dairy herds though sounds like a recipe for more lorries carting in the gate, than milk going out..
I am doing the same.I've decided to keep the cattle off the grazing land for a few weeks while the grass builds a bit. The constant frosts and low rainfall has turned this year into another, like 2020, when the April/May flush just doesn't happen. We have 43 acres that isn't in the grazing rotation as it used to be cropped for hay by another farm. We stopped that last year and I grazed part of it once when we were short of grazing but made the rest into silage and hay myself.
This time it has a reasonable bite on it as it has rested since May last year so that's now electric fenced and supporting the herd.
View attachment 958070
Any idea how much rainfall, May-May? Nice looking cows/heifers BTWI've decided to keep the cattle off the grazing land for a few weeks while the grass builds a bit. The constant frosts and low rainfall has turned this year into another, like 2020, when the April/May flush just doesn't happen. We have 43 acres that isn't in the grazing rotation as it used to be cropped for hay by another farm. We stopped that last year and I grazed part of it once when we were short of grazing but made the rest into silage and hay myself.
This time it has a reasonable bite on it as it has rested since May last year so that's now electric fenced and supporting the herd.
View attachment 958070
sorry cant help - i can just about solder things together......not necessarilly in the right order
looking at your YT did you ever get to the bottom of the LIVE plastic post?
Any idea how much rainfall, May-May? Nice looking cows/heifers BTW
Really interesting,, try picking a pattern out of that!
It's "getting interesting" to run a farm here....Really interesting,, try picking a pattern out of that!
I almost said last night “try making a plan for that!” It’s the randomness that makes it so “interesting” isn’t it? At least in brittle ecosystems you can plan for years of dry and if you get a wet year, it’s a bonus. You are on a monthly rollercoaster!It's "getting interesting" to run a farm here....
At least if you make it brittle by your own actions, then you can cease those actionsI almost said last night “try making a plan for that!” It’s the randomness that makes it so “interesting” isn’t it? At least in brittle ecosystems you can plan for years of dry and if you get a wet year, it’s a bonus. You are on a monthly rollercoaster!
Both really. Increase productivity of the land, many of my leys are 20+ years old so there's a bit of all sorts in there.Do you want to change the main species, or just jump it up a notch?