mob stocking

[Kiwi Pete]

need more sheep there pete./

My old shearing boss told me he "would rather deal to green sticky buds than green sticky sheep, eh Pete?" about 3 lifetimes ago

Sheep would get green and sticky... and lost

Got quite a wedge in front of the cows.

Just halved the pasture demand on the other side of the farm, too dry now for carrying big numbers; we've cut back to 5 dairy calves/ha, they don't eat much and we can slow them right down.

Been so hot, a week of mid-30 temperatures and people's pasture just disappeared.

looking at this slope today

vs 6 years ago, the long rotation has power

 

[DanM]

My old shearing boss told me he "would rather deal to green sticky buds than green sticky sheep, eh Pete?" about 3 lifetimes ago

Sheep would get green and sticky... and lostView attachment 1094409
Got quite a wedge in front of the cows.

Just halved the pasture demand on the other side of the farm, too dry now for carrying big numbers; we've cut back to 5 dairy calves/ha, they don't eat much and we can slow them right down.

Been so hot, a week of mid-30 temperatures and people's pasture just disappeared.

View attachment 1094410looking at this slope todayView attachment 1094411vs 6 years ago, the long rotation has power

Hi Pete

the pictures above are clear vindication in your step change. You’ve posted previously on replacing sheep with cattle as being a better/easier fit for the developing ethos; however in the interests of not taking the easy option how would, you apply your ethos (not calling it a system as I know it evolves and don’t want to be constrained by rules ) to sheep?? Have you not been tempted by a “safe to fail” experiment

 

[martian]

Any further matters arising from this?

Well, the most obvious thing is that the cricket is no longer too depressing to listen to!

I gave the set-stocked mob a bit more ground and made the mob smaller (15 rather than 17 animals) fot the summer of 2022 and they just about came through the drought with enough grass, the moving mob (on the same LU/acre) went two months further into the winter before I brought them in and the grazing is recovering much faster than the shell-shocked set-stocked acres. Pretty similar LWG whilst at grass, haven't really analysed it...that's what the boffins are for.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Well, the most obvious thing is that the cricket is no longer too depressing to listen to!

I gave the set-stocked mob a bit more ground and made the mob smaller (15 rather than 17 animals) fot the summer of 2022 and they just about came through the drought with enough grass, the moving mob (on the same LU/acre) went two months further into the winter before I brought them in and the grazing is recovering much faster than the shell-shocked set-stocked acres. Pretty similar LWG whilst at grass, haven't really analysed it...that's what the boffins are for.

Thanks! I just wondered how you were getting on with it, or if you'd altered any part of it; it's been hard work experimenting here as we have never really had similar stocking from one year to the next to really compare animal performance properly.

That is often what seems to matter in a broader farmer context, offering smaller areas with more feed in them obviously makes the farm area effectively larger, "but show me if it's worth it"

 

[Samcowman]

Well, the most obvious thing is that the cricket is no longer too depressing to listen to!

I gave the set-stocked mob a bit more ground and made the mob smaller (15 rather than 17 animals) fot the summer of 2022 and they just about came through the drought with enough grass, the moving mob (on the same LU/acre) went two months further into the winter before I brought them in and the grazing is recovering much faster than the shell-shocked set-stocked acres. Pretty similar LWG whilst at grass, haven't really analysed it...that's what the boffins are for.

Are you going to continue the trial this year on the same paddocks to see if there is any further improvement on moving vs set stocked?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Hi Pete

the pictures above are clear vindication in your step change. You’ve posted previously on replacing sheep with cattle as being a better/easier fit for the developing ethos; however in the interests of not taking the easy option how would, you apply your ethos (not calling it a system as I know it evolves and don’t want to be constrained by rules ) to sheep?? Have you not been tempted by a “safe to fail” experiment

Not really tempted here!

Will be pretty similar with sheep - it's just like filling your bowl with a very small spoon, instead of a ladle.

 

[martian]

Are you going to continue the trial this year on the same paddocks to see if there is any further improvement on moving vs set stocked?

It's a 5 year ADAS trial, they are doing similar on a dozen farms around the UK. Got a year or two to go. The plan is to use the same fields as set-stocked/mob grazed over the five years and chart any changes, they are measuring everything from nitrous oxide emissions to above ground biodiversity, cattle health/parasite burdens to SOM levels. The results should be interesting

 

[Woolless]

Not really tempted here!

Will be pretty similar with sheep - it's just like filling your bowl with a very small spoon, instead of a ladle.

The sheep are on notice here. New job equals less time. No doubt even functional sheep are more work than cattle and certainly less suited to a regenerative-type approach @DanM. We'll make a decision after lambing.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Always keen to turn down the drought on offer.

 

[Nsoiled]

View attachment 1094744
Always keen to turn down the drought on offer.

Any pics from your place during?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Any pics from your place during?

Yep! Here is 20th of Feb at ours

 

[The Ruminant]

Well, the most obvious thing is that the cricket is no longer too depressing to listen to!

I gave the set-stocked mob a bit more ground and made the mob smaller (15 rather than 17 animals) fot the summer of 2022 and they just about came through the drought with enough grass, the moving mob (on the same LU/acre) went two months further into the winter before I brought them in and the grazing is recovering much faster than the shell-shocked set-stocked acres. Pretty similar LWG whilst at grass, haven't really analysed it...that's what the boffins are for.

You spoke too soon about the cricket....