When to graze grass

What is the best grazing height and residual length?


  • Total voters
    36

Slowcow

Member
Buy the plate meter now, don't worry about the grant, have a look on eBay, borrow one the day someone else isn't using, anything to get your hands on one!

Once a week minimum I would say, if you have rain or a change in the weather this time of year things change really quickly.

It's the sort of thing that will pay for itself really quick without you noticing, as long as you use it!

I reckon it took me 3 seasons to get a decent handle on it, still bugger it up every so often now.

Plus the discipline of doing it makes you look at your fields regularly and it's a nice walk around with the dog.

Good luck!
 

Spudley

Member
Location
Pembrokeshire
I measure every 4 or 5 days this time of year, it changes so fast. I think the ec09 platemeter which both kiwikit and pasturetec sell is about £500. There may be cheaper models elsewhere 😁. It's something you have to be very flexible with. Every year, month, and week is different.
 

Sid

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South Molton
SN: 111, SD: 10-May-22, FPD: 519, AB: Pass, LACT = 4.49, BF: 4.38, P: 3.30, B: 21, SC: 290, U: 144
SN: 149, SD: 09-May-22, FPD: 515, AB: Pass, LACT = 4.51, BF: 4.00, P: 3.21, B: 38, SC: 166, U: 158

One sample is from farm going into much lower covers than the other.
 

sidjon

Member
Location
EXMOOR
Thanks everyone, I've only now gotten around to reading this. On the butterfat side of things, I'm more worried for a cow health perspective and also because I don't want roddas to be breathing down my neck telling me I'm being naughty.
It has risen since they've been on higher covers, up to 3.8% - strangely the silage didn't do as much as I expect, I think it needs to be more like haylage
I would ideally like to stick above 4% if possible just so I know my cows are healthy and it will keep roddas smiling. Its not the monetary value I'm worried about - pays me to make more litres than it does to make less litres but higher butterfat.

I guess the honest answer is I need to do more plate metering (currently rely on a rep who comes out every 2-3 weeks and does half a dozen fields), I've applied for one under the grant but haven't actually ordered it yet. How often does everyone plate metre? I guess it's something that needs doing weekly to stay on top of things?

Cake wise, they're on a 16% HDF nut, fibre is high but so is me. Autumns are having 2kg and springs are on 8kg.
Ive been wanting to drop the springs back because I don't think they need that much now they're grazing day and night but I've held off as we haven't had any rain for a month.
I'm tempted to drop it back now we've had a bit of rain and next week looks nice and wet, but I really need to know grass will keep up with demand if I do.

I know it will depend on weather more than anything, but if I planned to graze it for the first time at around 3000kg (february-march) and then for second round increase that to 3400 (late march-april) would that be such a bad thing? Then if it rains I can drop them to 3000 for third round but if not keep them at 3400 in May?

Grazing is far more difficult than silage that's for sure.
I don't need to take any silage off the grazing platform. If there's the opportunity to do so then great but I don't need to rely on that. I did do 20 acres this year which I regret cutting, and in future I'll graze that field first (february) and then won't plan on cutting it unless theres plenty of rain around - in which case I'll cut it at the end of May and bale it instead of chopping it (my silage ground wadsready to cut at the end of april)

you don't really need a plate meter, walk the farm yourself at least weekly or every 5 days now grass growth is fast, simple sward stick would give you a basic guide and you would train your eye for covers, I don't measure even time I walk the farm, but I do see how the farm is growing and can make decisions for just walking.
 

Tirglas

Member
Location
West wales
you don't really need a plate meter, walk the farm yourself at least weekly or every 5 days now grass growth is fast, simple sward stick would give you a basic guide and you would train your eye for covers, I don't measure even time I walk the farm, but I do see how the farm is growing and can make decisions for just walking.
it's not just the measuring, more the decision making and action taken. Priority now if it's growing fast must be to maintain quality.

Ex boss (nz) used to say something like - whats the difference between a good farmer and a top farmer?



......about a week
 

sidjon

Member
Location
EXMOOR
it's not just the measuring, more the decision making and action taken. Priority now if it's growing fast must be to maintain quality.

Ex boss (nz) used to say something like - whats the difference between a good farmer and a top farmer?



......about a week
And probably this time of year it's probably less than a week. Walked the farm today and set up paddocks to silage quickly to keep wedge correct, hopefully that will keep grass and milk quantities correct 🤞
 

DairyNerd

Member
Livestock Farmer
Definitely buy a platemeter, if you use it well you will make 500 quid back in no time. You can put cows into the right covers without one but that is only a small part of its use. It gives you so much more information both long and short term that its the best investment you can make in my opinion. At this time of year i find it gives me confidence to take the right amount of grass out of the rotation for silage, which keeps grass quality high and also improves silage quality/quantity. At the shoulders or other pinch points you put the right supplements in at the right time which saves 500 quid in no time.

I walk every 5 days at the moment, less when growth slows, probably average once a week through the year.
 

Slowcow

Member
Just had a look, I must admit I didn't realise twas £500! You can tell there's a grant on them.
Try the bloke at Handley, he's very helpful and may know of or have a second hand one? I got mine off eBay for just under £100 thinks I was lucky.
 

Dead Rabbits

Member
Location
'Merica
I use a plate meter for training and to keep my eye in. Also do DM cuts on various crops and time of year. The return on anything to get you better at grazing is better than anything else you could ever buy.

Get a measuring app on your phone so you can know the area and back calculate as well.

Feed is your number 1 cost. Don’t ever forget it
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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