Pasture for life

[tinsheet]

Pasture for life, any members here? Pro's-Con's!
What do they actually do(what benifits) bar give you an inspection take your money and certifiy you?
Genuinely interested thanks.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

What is it...

 

[Cowgirl]

Yes we are members but not yet certified- working on that at the moment. Pasture for Life is an organisation for farmers who produce 100% grass / forage fed meat and dairy (no grain at all). Many of their producers are also organic but don’t have to be. Advantage to me is being a member of their Google group with lots of educational topics discussed. Certified producers can sell meat directly via the website and sell stock to other producers. We believe that for people like us it is the only way to go with a niche product hopefully considered environmentally friendly.

 

[Agrivator]

Yes we are members but not yet certified- working on that at the moment. Pasture for Life is an organisation for farmers who produce 100% grass / forage fed meat and dairy (no grain at all). Many of their producers are also organic but don’t have to be. Advantage to me is being a member of their Google group with lots of educational topics discussed. Certified producers can sell meat directly via the website and sell stock to other producers. We believe that for people like us it is the only way to go with a niche product hopefully considered environmentally friendly.

It sounds like cruelty to cows. Why on earth would anyone decide not to feed a small amount of grain or protein supplement to cattle in times of need. It can have an enormous benefit in terms of efficiency of roughage use, it can improve health and wellbeing, and cattle love that bit extra addition to their diet.

And can the same animals be bedded on straw grown by wicked arable farmers? And if they can, are they allowed to eat any grain still remaining in it.?


Such stupid draconian systems shouldn't be allowed.

 

[JP1]

It sounds like cruelty to cows. Why on earth would anyone decide not to feed a small amount of grain or protein supplement to cattle in times of need. It can have an enormous benefit in terms of efficiency of roughage use, it can improve health and wellbeing, and cattle love that bit extra addition to their diet.

And can the same animals be bedded on straw grown by wicked arable farmers? And if they can, are they allowed to eat any grain still remaining in it.?


Such stupid draconian systems shouldn't be allowed.

It's not draconian, it's a production and marketing option. Many native breeds take at least 28-30 months to finish of grass. You are allowed to feed fodder beet but no cereals

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

It sounds like cruelty to cows. Why on earth would anyone decide not to feed a small amount of grain or protein supplement to cattle in times of need. It can have an enormous benefit in terms of efficiency of roughage use, it can improve health and wellbeing, and cattle love that bit extra addition to their diet.

And can the same animals be bedded on straw grown by wicked arable farmers? And if they can, are they allowed to eat any grain still remaining in it.?


Such stupid draconian systems shouldn't be allowed.

why on earth would you feed grains to cows that are as fat as butter when they come in for the winter you have a pile of silage?

 

[tinsheet]

why on earth would you feed grains to cows that are as fat as butter when they come in for the winter you have a pile of silage?

Hence why I'm asking, my cows have never seen concentrate!
Youngstock get clover silage, looking for alternative marketing options that suit my system!

 

[JP1]

Hence why I'm asking, my cows have never seen concentrate!
Youngstock get clover silage, looking for alternative marketing options that suit my system!

I know a few PFLA farmers if you wanted a few phone numbers to ask

 

[Macsky]

Would you be allowed to feed beet pulp to sheep in winter?

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

Would you be allowed to feed beet pulp to sheep in winter?

don't take my word for it, (we were thinking of joining) but I believe as long as the lamb was entirely pasture it would be fine, maybe a better authority could clarify, but I think ewes could be supplemented.

(sorry for such a vague post)

 

[exmoor dave]

Pasture for life, any members here? Pro's-Con's!
What do they actually do(what benifits) bar give you an inspection take your money and certifiy you?
Genuinely interested thanks.

@tinsheet are you on the hill farm network mailing list?

The next PLA event locally is at the end of august i think near countisbury


If you're not on the list, pm me your email and I'll forward you the event details

 

[Wooly]

We champion the restorative power of grazing animals on pasture - Pasture for Life - Certified 100% grass-fed meat, milk and dairy

Grazing animals on 100% pasture brings positive impacts for biodiversity and carbon, human health and wellbeing, and animal health and welfare. Pasture for Life works on the ground, every day, to restore ecosystems, implement positive change in our food and farming systems, and demonstrate the...

www.pastureforlife.org

A great idea, but hasn't caught on much here in the UK so far.

America has a good following now that the science is beginning to prove that feedlot beef is actually not very healthy for you. Grass fed beef has better amino acids and a different and more healthy fat apparently.

I personally can't see that feeding 20kg of creep feed to lambs to produce a carcass that is 20kg is very environmentally sustainable anyway !

 

[S J H]

Can you have the sheep in without the beef being in @JP1 ?

 

[MDL POWERUP]

We champion the restorative power of grazing animals on pasture - Pasture for Life - Certified 100% grass-fed meat, milk and dairy

Grazing animals on 100% pasture brings positive impacts for biodiversity and carbon, human health and wellbeing, and animal health and welfare. Pasture for Life works on the ground, every day, to restore ecosystems, implement positive change in our food and farming systems, and demonstrate the...

www.pastureforlife.org

A great idea, but hasn't caught on much here in the UK so far.

America has a good following now that the science is beginning to prove that feedlot beef is actually not very healthy for you. Grass fed beef has better amino acids and a different and more healthy fat apparently.

I personally can't see that feeding 20kg of creep feed to lambs to produce a carcass that is 20kg is very environmentally sustainable anyway !

What sheep need 20kg of creep to get to that weight?

 

[Wooly]

What sheep need 20kg of creep to get to that weight?

Sorry got it wrong ...... 40Kg. Makes it very unsustainable now !!

From the EBLEX website :

Beef & Lamb | AHDB

Beef & Lamb Sector Landing Page

beefandlamb.ahdb.org.uk

The EBLEX-funded sheep key performance indicator (KPI) project has found that lambs on well-managed, re-seeded grazing can match the performance of lambs supplemented with creep feed on permanent pasture. Strategically feeding creep to some management groups can compensate for grass quality rather than feeding to all lambs.
Lambs introduced to creep in the first two to three weeks after turnout can be expected to eat 40-50 kg per head if offered ad lib when grazing is kept at around 4-4.5 cm in height. On restricted grazing, lambs with limited creep feeding will gain on average an extra 1kg liveweight for every 5-6 kg of creep feed compared to unsupplemented lambs

 

[JP1]

Can you have the sheep in without the beef being in @JP1 ?

I don’t know tbh

 

[Cowgirl]

It sounds like cruelty to cows. Why on earth would anyone decide not to feed a small amount of grain or protein supplement to cattle in times of need. It can have an enormous benefit in terms of efficiency of roughage use, it can improve health and wellbeing, and cattle love that bit extra addition to their diet.

And can the same animals be bedded on straw grown by wicked arable farmers? And if they can, are they allowed to eat any grain still remaining in it.?


Such stupid draconian systems shouldn't be allowed.

Haha I’m sure my cows would love some extra feed but if you could see how fat they are, you would not think it’s draconian! And yes you are allowed to bed them on straw.

 

[Cowgirl]

Hence why I'm asking, my cows have never seen concentrate!
Youngstock get clover silage, looking for alternative marketing options that suit my system!

Sounds ideal for you!

 

[MDL POWERUP]

Sorry got it wrong ...... 40Kg. Makes it very unsustainable now !!

From the EBLEX website :

Beef & Lamb | AHDB

Beef & Lamb Sector Landing Page

beefandlamb.ahdb.org.uk

The EBLEX-funded sheep key performance indicator (KPI) project has found that lambs on well-managed, re-seeded grazing can match the performance of lambs supplemented with creep feed on permanent pasture. Strategically feeding creep to some management groups can compensate for grass quality rather than feeding to all lambs.
Lambs introduced to creep in the first two to three weeks after turnout can be expected to eat 40-50 kg per head if offered ad lib when grazing is kept at around 4-4.5 cm in height. On restricted grazing, lambs with limited creep feeding will gain on average an extra 1kg liveweight for every 5-6 kg of creep feed compared to unsupplemented lambs

I wouldn't creep feed it it took that much! My experience is more around the 10kg mark but maybe I'm doing it wrong...

 

[Agrivator]

It's not draconian, it's a production and marketing option. Many native breeds take at least 28-30 months to finish of grass. You are allowed to feed fodder beet but no cereals

But the tactical feeding of supplementary feeds at certain times could save a significant amount of time in the time taken to finish. It can have a big effect on the amount of conserved grass needed and can help compensate for variations in roughage quality and availability. It can allow cattle to be marketed at an earlier date if market prices and demand dictate.

Supplementary feeding to meet the above objectives is completely different to mainly grain diets, and I can't see why anyone would want to deny themselves its use. A sound motto in farming is always to allow yourself as much flexibility as possible. And don't forget that cereals are grasses.