Paddock grazing

[Tom19]

Im looking for advice on a new paddock based grazing system Does anyone know on average how much a bull yearling and finishing bullock graze of an acre per day, I would hope to keep the cattle in a paddock for only 3 days to graze it to 4cm move them on and by the time there back in that same paddock the grass will be at 12 cm anyone have an opinion on this

 

[Kiwi Pete]

We're grazing an acre per day with 116.2 Animal Units if that helps, on daily shifts though.

1 cow + calf (for 12 months) = 1 AU
Yearling = 0.7 AU
Sheep = .2 AU
Fattening bull =1.5 AU

 

[Tom19]

We're grazing an acre per day with 116.2 Animal Units if that helps, on daily shifts though.

1 cow + calf (for 12 months) = 1 AU
Yearling = 0.7 AU
Sheep = .2 AU
Fattening bull =1.5 AU

Thanks that’s great exactly what I was looking for
Do you mind me asking what your procedure would be per paddock grazed
Eg.

1. Graze tight
2. Spread manure/fertiliser
3. Graze again
4. Top grass back

Would that sound about right to you?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Thanks that’s great exactly what I was looking for
Do you mind me asking what your procedure would be per paddock grazed
Eg.

1. Graze tight
2. Spread manure/fertiliser
3. Graze again
4. Top grass back

Would that sound about right to you?

Yes, that would be about right!
We skip steps 2 and 4, I only topped about 3 acres this year (thistles too thick).

The main thing is to graze fast when the grass grows fast, slow them down when the grass slows down, otherwise you can soon dig yourself into a huge deficit (or it all gets away from you!).

Ideally you'd put them behind a wire and move them on daily rather than put them in a paddock for several days, which can double how much feed an area will grow in a year. This place hasn't seen lime or fert since the early 80's.

 

[Tom19]

Yes, that would be about right!
We skip steps 2 and 4, I only topped about 3 acres this year (thistles too thick).

The main thing is to graze fast when the grass grows fast, slow them down when the grass slows down, otherwise you can soon dig yourself into a huge deficit (or it all gets away from you!).

Ideally you'd put them behind a wire and move them on daily rather than put them in a paddock for several days, which can double how much feed an area will grow in a year. This place hasn't seen lime or fert since the early 80's.

so strip grazing is the way

 

[Kiwi Pete]

so strip grazing is the way

Yes, definitely, we would have to drop our numbers by 40-50% otherwise, or use quite a bit of N

I use portable troughs so that I can use a backfence to keep them off the regrowth (sheep are great at nipping regrowth!!)

and in 4 days there is plenty of regrowth

 

[Tom19]

Thank you very much for all the information it really helps are u using portable water troughs? What is your stocking rate and Also how tight would you like to graze

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Sorry Tom, I never saw your reply !

Yes, portable troughs in the meantime because we have sheep on here.
We're going to take it all a bit further over the next 12 months; 70ac is getting subdivided into a multi-paddock system with single wires and piped water to every acre, meaning we can use lots of small permanent drinking points (kiwitech micro's) for the bulk of it.

Grazing height is both season- and goal-dependent.
The ideal high utilisation/long recovery system is probably the most resilient to focus on, although short rotation selective grazing can be used as a tool to get comfortable with using stock density and get your land to grow "more" by helping repair done by other grazing practices.

Have a peek at this https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/farm...eration-producing-more-than-just-good-returns
as I see you are looking at taking the big step up

regular systems have quite a few constraints, for example running friesian bulls on your land while also having some beefx heifers or a grazing mob
This may give you an ultimately far better system to consider than "strip grazing" as the stock density can be maintained throughout periods of fast pasture growth as opposed to "opening them up" and then losing quality (baling, topping, etc)

 

[Tom19]

Sorry Tom, I never saw your reply !

Yes, portable troughs in the meantime because we have sheep on here.
We're going to take it all a bit further over the next 12 months; 70ac is getting subdivided into a multi-paddock system with single wires and piped water to every acre, meaning we can use lots of small permanent drinking points (kiwitech micro's) for the bulk of it.

Grazing height is both season- and goal-dependent.
The ideal high utilisation/long recovery system is probably the most resilient to focus on, although short rotation selective grazing can be used as a tool to get comfortable with using stock density and get your land to grow "more" by helping repair done by other grazing practices.

Have a peek at this https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/farm...eration-producing-more-than-just-good-returns
as I see you are looking at taking the big step up

regular systems have quite a few constraints, for example running friesian bulls on your land while also having some beefx heifers or a grazing mob
This may give you an ultimately far better system to consider than "strip grazing" as the stock density can be maintained throughout periods of fast pasture growth as opposed to "opening them up" and then losing quality (baling, topping, etc)

Thanks for that, it's all things to look at