Zero Grazing

rdr123

Member
Location
Cornwall
We're looking at possibly starting zero grazing again and due to only having 1 tractor and no front linkage/PTO we would buy a zero grazing forage wagon with a mower infront of the pickup.

Does anyone have any experience with these and know how good a job they do? After looking online it seems that the Grass Tech and Bonino machines are the most common in the UK with a few second hand ones available.

Thanks.
 

Conrod96

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Co. Antrim
Also a company called zero grazer make ones too there’s a thread on zero grazing somewhere on the forum with the guys who do it and run machines be the best place to get an answer
 

Bald Rick

Moderator
Livestock Farmer
Location
Anglesey
Just bought this

1646740671681.jpeg


If it saves one load of cake, it pays for itself outright

And before anyone starts blowing, don’t have the field infrastructure to graze
 

Suckndiesel

Member
Location
Newtownards
We're looking at possibly starting zero grazing again and due to only having 1 tractor and no front linkage/PTO we would buy a zero grazing forage wagon with a mower infront of the pickup.

Does anyone have any experience with these and know how good a job they do? After looking online it seems that the Grass Tech and Bonino machines are the most common in the UK with a few second hand ones available.

Thanks.
How many cows are you planning to cut for ? Had an ab80 then changed to a zg100, night and day difference between the 2 machines but it all depends how much you’re planning to cut to what machine would do you.
 

rdr123

Member
Location
Cornwall
How many cows are you planning to cut for ? Had an ab80 then changed to a zg100, night and day difference between the 2 machines but it all depends how much you’re planning to cut to what machine would do you.
120 milkers, got some steepish ground as well so ideally nothing stupidly big
 
Last edited:

pappuller

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
M6 Hard shoulder
120 milkers, got some sheepish ground as well so ideally nothing stupidly big
Are your cows housed or do they graze/loaf ?
We tried zero grazing for 4 yrs, love feeding the grass to the cows but we could just never get it right, cows were always dirty and didn't maintain condition.
Its another job to do especially if you are still planning on feeding silage/maize etc.
We had a bonino ag80 which was fine but in an ideal world I would have a machine without a conveyor as they don't particularly like wet grass.
 
Just bought this

View attachment 1021483

If it saves one load of cake, it pays for itself outright

And before anyone starts blowing, don’t have the field infrastructure to graze
Whats the plan going foward? You've run out of silage in march, after an exceptional growing year 2021. How will you build stocks when your going to need 300 acres in front of this machine to keep you going until June?
 

Bald Rick

Moderator
Livestock Farmer
Location
Anglesey
Whats the plan going foward? You've run out of silage in march, after an exceptional growing year 2021. How will you build stocks when your going to need 300 acres in front of this machine to keep you going until June?

Actually it wasn't a particularly good growing year for grass last year. Prolonged drought after 1st cut sent subsequent cuts to head pdq so to try and retain some quality, cuts were light and ran the risk of high residual N.
Plenty of maize though

The idea is to ZG highs only due to time from now until land is not fit to travel. Cut pm and trailing shoe watery slurry on cut bit following morning

May work, may not
 

idgni

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Armagh
Actually it wasn't a particularly good growing year for grass last year. Prolonged drought after 1st cut sent subsequent cuts to head pdq so to try and retain some quality, cuts were light and ran the risk of high residual N.
Plenty of maize though

The idea is to ZG highs only due to time from now until land is not fit to travel. Cut pm and trailing shoe watery slurry on cut bit following morning

May work, may not
Done the other way round here, keep highs on TMR and get them back into calf and performing well at peak,
put Low yielders onto Zero Grazing, gives them an extra boost and no meal needed.

we found Fertility is very hard to control on Zero grazed cows no matter how much the grass was managed
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 35.0%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 28 15.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

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

  • 1,286
  • 1
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/
Top