If you’re real smart your misses has a baby in the middle of itCome up for a 2 week crash course in sleep deprivation if you want.
150 block calving on your own is a decent task.
If you’re real smart your misses has a baby in the middle of itCome up for a 2 week crash course in sleep deprivation if you want.
150 block calving on your own is a decent task.
Don’t be sorry it’s difficult to understand ,do you have a cow track to your away land ?How do you mean sorry?
The farm is only 1 field wide and at the edge of the field is a dirt track (only 1 cow wide) leading from the parlour to the second to last field (they go through that field to get to the last one)
On the other side of the track is the hardcore driveway
I've tried to draw it to hopefully helpDon’t be sorry it’s difficult to understand ,do you have a cow track to your away land ?
Front loaded the block hereIf you’re real smart your misses has a baby in the middle of it
Obviously didn’t hold first service hereFront loaded the block here
GotchaI've tried to draw it to hopefully help
It's obviously not to scale
The purple is the parlour
The orange is the cubicle shed and feed passages which they walk through to get to grazing
The green are the fields with the acerage inside
The brown is the cow track
The black is the farms driveway
The yellow is the landlords driveway
The blue is the road
Single trackMain road? Or single track?
How do you go about crossing it on your own safely and easily? The last thing I would want is someone in a car not seeing the baler twine and driving straight through it then the cows coming out and buggering offSo easy to cross on your own.
Either you've got to work or the cows. Its easier to get the cows to work
Because there isnt enough grazing ground to grow enough grass. Where I would be growing the grass/maize to buffer feed is 20 minutes away. Anything I can graze I will graze.
My aim is to be able to grow enough grass on the grazing to keep 2 cows/acre on the good ground and 1.5 cows/acre on the poorer ground for grazing.
I genuinly cant think of a way that I can budget any higher than that? I would be doing twice daily fence moves, 50kg of fertiliser/acre/grazing (except on red clover) and a splash of dirty water as well. Plus all seeds would be a maximum of 5 years in the ground.
My only other option is if I cross the road with the cows. But that land is over half a mile away. Is this realistic? To me it seems a massively long way for them to walk every day and will just cause me problems with feet, fertility and lower milk yields. Not to mention the time it would take to walk them there and the fact it's a minimum of a two person job?
My other thought process was that if there is a drought I'm already budgeting on feeding 10-15kg/head/day so it's less of a forage shortage. Plus by buffer feeding the cows have consistent feed all the time that they can rely on whereas grass quality varies depending on weather, ley, time of year etc
What would you do assuming keeping numbers the same?
You will be in front not behind they move quickly if there hungry.How do you go about crossing it on your own safely and easily? The last thing I would want is someone in a car not seeing the baler twine and driving straight through it then the cows coming out and buggering off
I hadn't considered zero grazing just on the basis that I cant afford a wagon and didn't think it would work with a baler.What would I do?
Cut grass or clover on the off ground, round bale it (no string or wrap) stick it in a feed trailer and leave the trailer in the cows overnight paddock. When I could afford one, I'd get a wagon. Or a Double chop
It seems to me that you are in one of the best grass growing areas in the UK but you think your farm can't grow grass.
I agree but I'm fairly confident the cows should suit the system as the ones I'm buying supply the same contract as me and would be run the same way I would want to run themWhy wouldn't it work with a baler? It's just a machine that rolls up grass.
I'd also suggest it might be an idea if you take advice on the type of cows you keep. If you are running a grazing herd on a solids based contract, 700kg B/W cows may not suit the system-better to get cows that suit the system rather than try to make the cows suit the system.
Take a drive around and see what other local Dairy farmers do and what type of cows they keep. If possible join a discussion group-far cheaper to learn from other people's mistakes!
Thanks, it's not the work that scares me as such it's more that I thought that was the only option as such.Walk them, sorry but it's a no brainier. I cross 550 over a road 300 days a year and walk 1500m in either direction. It's not an issue.
Buffer feeding grazing cows is making hard work and you won't be able to manage the grassland efficiently. If you want to run a high stocking rate then I would flat rate feed 6kg of cake in the parlour over buffer feeding
Just to add as well, I think the cows would be closer to 600 rather than 700Walk them, sorry but it's a no brainier. I cross 550 over a road 300 days a year and walk 1500m in either direction. It's not an issue.
Buffer feeding grazing cows is making hard work and you won't be able to manage the grassland efficiently. If you want to run a high stocking rate then I would flat rate feed 6kg of cake in the parlour over buffer feeding
Just to add as well, I think the cows would be closer to 600 rather than 700
In regards to the baler I thought the grass would heat too quickly