mob stocking

[Samcowman]

Also, we've got a five year set-stocking vs mob-grazing trial going on here (and 11 other farms) being run by ADAS. They are taking all sorts of measurements on both the set-stocked ground and the mobbed area. All ours is on new herbal leys, so it'll be interesting to see what difference there is in the soil after 5 years of the different regimes, as well as annual results of live-weight gain/acre etc.

I won't prejudice the research by leaking crucial information, but an early lesson for me has been being reminded what a menace set-stocked cattle are...every time I've had the 'cattle out' phone call this year, it's been them. Luckily there's only sixteen of them.

Are there any preliminary results for the research yet?

 

[Nick Adams]

How are you getting on with this, @martian ?

We've had quite a change around this year

What changes have you made please Pete??

 

[Kiwi Pete]

What changes have you made please Pete??

Urrm.. a lot more infrastructure in place now, so a lot more paddocks and a lot less time means we can use higher density and still have a life

getting into the taller grass grazing now

gave up sheep probably the best move we ever made

 

[DanM]

Urrm.. a lot more infrastructure in place now, so a lot more paddocks and a lot less time means we can use higher density and still have a life

getting into the taller grass grazing now

gave up sheep probably the best move we ever made

in terms of giving up sheep Pete; what were the advantages?

 

[Poorbuthappy]

in terms of giving up sheep Pete; what were the advantages?

Can't think of many disadvantages

 

[DanM]

Can't think of many disadvantages

Well I quite agree was thinking makes fencing simpler and therefore quicker which is a huge positive. Soil wise cattle will trample more and better and poo everywhere to get it all working. However, monetarily is there an advantage?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

in terms of giving up sheep Pete; what were the advantages?

Just getting the density up over the hump, and less noise regarding "is everone getting enough to eat" really Dan

with sheep it's a battle to get the round out as they tend to make tracks through the grass/thistles whereas the dairy yearlings just smash it over flat, crush the stems and move on

 

[Woolless]

I am just beginning to consider the future of my sheep flock. Although proven to be profitable and having spent 13 years building them up, I wonder if I might be better off cattle only on this type of system with fewer inputs and less work. There's certainly scope to improve sheep KPIs by using the recently-purchased cattle to do the hard work but if that doesn't work out as expected the hard questions will be asked. Running cattle only to improve our owned ground and running sheep away from home would be a possibility but a struggle timewise with a job in the mix as well.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I am just beginning to consider the future of my sheep flock. Although proven to be profitable and having spent 13 years building them up, I wonder if I might be better off cattle only on this type of system with fewer inputs and less work. There's certainly scope to improve sheep KPIs by using the recently-purchased cattle to do the hard work but if that doesn't work out as expected the hard questions will be asked. Running cattle only to improve our owned ground and running sheep away from home would be a possibility but a struggle timewise with a job in the mix as well.

Hard to achieve the right "grazing picture" with browsing animals when you have limited time to throw into it. I'm actually considering retiring earlier than planned... and being a teacher

 

[DanM]

Hard to achieve the right "grazing picture" with browsing animals when you have limited time to throw into it. I'm actually considering retiring earlier than planned... and being a teacher

Teaching kids… or fellow farmers and graziers?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Teaching kids… or fellow farmers and graziers?

Both! I want to leave as a legacy, people who are free to have fun with their lives, instead of being confined by what they already know, or know they don't know

after seeing the best that "the group think" can come up with, it terrifies me TBH that we have all that brain and don't use it

 

[Woolless]

Hard to achieve the right "grazing picture" with browsing animals when you have limited time to throw into it. I'm actually considering retiring earlier than planned... and being a teacher

My experience during lockdown suggests that teaching is definitely not an alternative career for me!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

keeping the neighbour's sheep out is enough sheepwork for this guy

 

[Crofter64]

My experience during lockdown suggests that teaching is definitely not an alternative career for me!

I took my children out of school for a couple of years in order to let them learn to think for themselves. Its the best thing we did for them.Teaching ,per se, is another issue altogether.

Both! I want to leave as a legacy, people who are free to have fun with their lives, instead of being confined by what they already know, or know they don't know

after seeing the best that "the group think" can come up with, it terrifies me TBH that we have all that brain and don't use it

I hear you Pete! I think it is an admirable idea and you don’t have to teach in a classroom either.

 

[Crofter64]

I am just beginning to consider the future of my sheep flock. Although proven to be profitable and having spent 13 years building them up, I wonder if I might be better off cattle only on this type of system with fewer inputs and less work. There's certainly scope to improve sheep KPIs by using the recently-purchased cattle to do the hard work but if that doesn't work out as expected the hard questions will be asked. Running cattle only to improve our owned ground and running sheep away from home would be a possibility but a struggle timewise with a job in the mix as well.

I agree that the fencing is more difficult for the sheep, but I find that I can more easily reach and impact the edges of the property and underused corners of the farm with the sheep. Also their grazing complements the cattle grazing. With longer rotations I don’t worry about parasites as much but having sheep, cattle and layers on the pastures at different times is a real plus in that department. I like having the different income streams. The sheep cause less mud and mess in years like this when we have lots of heavy freezing and then complete thawing cycles.( this is the worst year I can think of - I sank to almost my knees this morning. Tomorrow, heavy frost)

 

[Woolless]

I agree that the fencing is more difficult for the sheep, but I find that I can more easily reach and impact the edges of the property and underused corners of the farm with the sheep. Also their grazing complements the cattle grazing. With longer rotations I don’t worry about parasites as much but having sheep, cattle and layers on the pastures at different times is a real plus in that department. I like having the different income streams. The sheep cause less mud and mess in years like this when we have lots of heavy freezing and then complete thawing cycles.( this is the worst year I can think of - I sank to almost my knees this morning. Tomorrow, heavy frost)

Yes, I know, it would be a big decision and I'm a long way from making it. But it is at the back of my mind as an option. Selling breeding rams is just about the most profitable, and satisfying, thing I do at the moment and not doing that would be difficult.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

View attachment 1003633
keeping the neighbour's sheep out is enough sheepwork for this guy

It's now greener on his side of the fence

 

[martian]

Are there any preliminary results for the research yet?

Not really. The set-stocked mob were a menace all year, they ran out of grub a while back and we moved them off. To be fair, they were probably slightly too many in the mob for the acres. They grew ok, so did the others. We housed the moving mob last week, on weighing it looks like they had similar daily gain to the set-stocked ones, but a longer season, so put more weight on. And didn't need worming.

That is a small part of all the measurements that the guys are doing so you'll have to wait another four years for the report...in other news our main mob are doing a really nice job on the permanent pasture. Got a good wedge of forage in front of them and it's dry enough that they can clean it up well without making a mess. Moving them twice a day. Now it's light enough I'd better go and give them their morning break. Too depressing listening to the cricket

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Not really. The set-stocked mob were a menace all year, they ran out of grub a while back and we moved them off. To be fair, they were probably slightly too many in the mob for the acres. They grew ok, so did the others. We housed the moving mob last week, on weighing it looks like they had similar daily gain to the set-stocked ones, but a longer season, so put more weight on. And didn't need worming.

That is a small part of all the measurements that the guys are doing so you'll have to wait another four years for the report...in other news our main mob are doing a really nice job on the permanent pasture. Got a good wedge of forage in front of them and it's dry enough that they can clean it up well without making a mess. Moving them twice a day. Now it's light enough I'd better go and give them their morning break. Too depressing listening to the cricket

Any further matters arising from this?

Our cows have just finished the block pictured above, quite a change in those 2 years.
The block has been made an acre smaller due to refencing this part of the farm, and we got 8 days out of it instead of 3 or 4.

They're grazing about 1.08ha per week, officially in drought now, but really relaxed here.
We brought in 46 store cattle to follow the heifer calves on the other block, they are going this week so our stocking rate will be more realistic, to reflect the soil moisture levels.

Both sides of the farm are on around a 100 day rotation but we'll poke that out a bit now

 

[ShooTa]

need more sheep there pete./