Topping with a mower

[Monty]

I've been experimenting and topped half our night grazing field with the mower on saturday. I'm a bit concerned with the 2 bale to the acre of feg, thistles and cow muck left in a swath on top. The grass doesn't look bad but they're not touching it. Is it worth running through with the tedder to spread it out evenly to rot down or raking/baling to clear it or will it be ok left alone?

 

[hilux]

Bale it. All that dead stuff will suffocate whatever is underneath it.

 

[bobk]

Buy some sheep

 

[RobFZS]

make hay, sell to gypo's

 

[spin cycle]

mow it again to mulch it up quicker?

 

[JD-Kid]

I've been experimenting and topped half our night grazing field with the mower on saturday. I'm a bit concerned with the 2 bale to the acre of feg, thistles and cow muck left in a swath on top. The grass doesn't look bad but they're not touching it. Is it worth running through with the tedder to spread it out evenly to rot down or raking/baling to clear it or will it be ok left alone?

View attachment 166084

lost me why did you top it with way too much cover ?? and looks too low

mowing it again might work or run a mulcher over it .. rake it in to rows and burn it it's not going to be much good as hay etc if it's had cattle sh!t on it bale it wet stack it and put the hose on it to make compost may work

 

[Pasty]

if you have decent OM levels it should be gone within a fortnight.

 

[Pan mixer]

I have tried spreading this sort of thing, you knock all the growing tips off the grass, I would now rake it and bale/compost the result leaving the grass to get on with it, you can have as much OM as you like in the soil (mine has loads) but that amount will still stuff the fresh growth.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Row it up and get it gone, forager or baler

 

[focussed]

I had similiar issues so did some part exchanging and got a flail topper

 

[Scholsey]

Let the cows out in it, they will kick it About and will be surprised how they will pick at it especially as it dries, there won't be much left in week or so.

 

[Monty]

lost me why did you top it with way too much cover ?? and looks too low

mowing it again might work or run a mulcher over it .. rake it in to rows and burn it it's not going to be much good as hay etc if it's had cattle sh!t on it bale it wet stack it and put the hose on it to make compost may work

It's a very old ley. The idea was to get rid of the feg so it freshens up and gives better regrowth. I thought they had grazed it down well to be fair. It looked like the right side before mowing, short and very dense.

 

[Monty]

The cows will be on here every night for the next 2 months regardless. I think I'll have another look in a few days time to see how much they eat/ spread around but I can't see them eating much.

 

[RobFZS]

It's a very old ley. The idea was to get rid of the feg so it freshens up and gives better regrowth. I thought they had grazed it down well to be fair. It looked like the right side before mowing, short and very dense.

time to get a plough bought

 

[Monty]

time to get a plough bought

All the grazing fields want reseeding really but the boss insists they're fine. Maybe someone will accidentally use roundup instead of thislex in the autumn

 

[Tarw Coch]

You're sort of on the right lines with your mowing, pre now, leave to wilt for 24 hours then strip graze, I tried a bit of it last year and was amazed how the cows ate practically every blade of grass, stuff they'd never graze. It will then grow back like a silage aftermath so cows graze it better next time.

 

[RobFZS]

All the grazing fields want reseeding really but the boss insists they're fine. Maybe someone will accidentally use roundup instead of thislex in the autumn

haha my dads keen on getting everything reseeded, make the most from the fert

 

[HasthorpeGrange]

If the cows are picking at it leave it, should push up butter fat a little as it drys then when it's no longer edible chain harrow it to drag the much and remaining grass evenly across the field and it will freshen up nicely

 

[jerseycowsman]

I've been experimenting and topped half our night grazing field with the mower on saturday. I'm a bit concerned with the 2 bale to the acre of feg, thistles and cow muck left in a swath on top. The grass doesn't look bad but they're not touching it. Is it worth running through with the tedder to spread it out evenly to rot down or raking/baling to clear it or will it be ok left alone?

View attachment 166084

Bale it up and feed it to the dry cows, we do it all the time. First year I tried I thought they would never eat it, it will be full of sh!t etc. amazingly they loved it, cleared it up. Not much sh!t in it at all. Just rake it a bit higher maybe, doesn't matter if you leave a little behind, the main thing is that in 3 weeks you will have lovely, clean re growths that they will clear up!

 

[Farmer Keith]

I've tried a bit of pre mowing and have came to the conclusion that the trick is not to mow areas where the cows have had access to recently. The fresh cow pats splatter everywhere! We have smallish fields so they move around in a rotation, scraped the night field idea and they go to a set field until it's sufficiently grazed then move on. They naturally don't eat it all so if you cut that next time round it's clean as all of the muck dries up and they'll gobble everything up. You need the grazing area split up some how for it too really work I'd say, horses for courses i suppose.