Boards Beef Discussion Group

are you going to open it up to menbers who didnt get in on the BTAP Program?

Reilig, is today or tomorrow the start date for this 'discussion group'?

I think you should take on the role of discussion group facilitator and make the decisions regarding what and when topics are to be discussed or your idea, as excellent and all as it is, is going to loose focus and momentum.

Can I also suggest that there be a 'buy in' from everyone checking this tread. Ie. everyone try to give as much as they take from it :rolleyes: I think this is the way most discussion groups work.... in theory anyway

Backgound
This year is the first year that I am making a major commitment to paddock grazing. Mostly drystock this year, only a handful for AI.. so no excuses:rolleyes:

Stock would always have been rotated, but the farm would have been in 3- 4 big divisions as opposed to paddocks. Each division would have had a 'runback' to the yard for AI'ing.

New additions
In the last month I have erected about 3km of permanent electric fencing. Most of this is main boundary. What has this got to do with paddocks? Well my thinking is that it's no good trying to get cattle to eat paddocks bear and them eyeing up the grass in the neighbours! Also it is facilating the breakup of fields into paddocks with temp fencing. I have more confidence in the rattle being brought to every corner of the farm. The plastic stakes and tying wire that was being used around boundary is now being used to create new paddock divisions at no extra cost

I was lucky enough to have worked briefly with a fencing contractor years ago, and so was able to erect alot of the fence myself. A digger and driver were got in for 2days to clean back briars and set stakes.

Fencing
One row of HT wire was used set at ~850mm. I used wooden pressure treated stakes and old concrete stakes I found hidden in corner of yard. I am lucky that the majority of my land is flat. Stakes were spaced between 25m and 30m and I used as long strains as possible (~300m) when erecting the wire. With a long strain you take advantage of the elasticity in the wire. The wire is taught enough so as not to sag, but still has a great spring in it. If a bush/tree were to fall or cattle were to run into it, it will 'give' and not snap.


These are the PEL insulators that I have used on the wooden posts. My plan is that I will be able to pull the pins and drop the wire to the floor if hedge needs to be cut. But I'm hoping that if I leave the hedge alone it will go bare in the bottom and earthing problems should be few.

I tried tec7 to stick these to concrete stakes...FAIL:D. So I cut 6" lengths of old 1/2" hydrodare offcuts as insulators and fixed to stakes with tying wire.

Water
I buried ~200m of HD 1'2" hydrodare and fitted 3 additional water troughs in an 8acre field away from house. It is serviced by a group water scheme. Paddocks that are only serving one paddock (both sides of trough in paddock), I only used JFC DT30. DT90 gallon used in middle of a large field to service 4 paddocks. The field is now divided into 6 paddocks. This suits my farm and stocking size. Obviously paddock and trough size will be different for bigger farmers.

Pictures speak louder than words. I hope to put pics up of fencing (permanent and temp), water troughs and paddocks we are using this year. Just bear with me. Might be towards end of the week. Is Sunday the last day so to post on this topic Reilig?

reilig wrote: »

- Minimum of 6 grazing divisions per grazing group

I would advocate a much lower number, for the last few years here anyway summer has disappeared and it has being all either spring or autumn grazing conditions. Cattle need space in harsh conditions unless you want to be moving cattle every 24 hrs. If you are going paddocking fields make sure each paddock has some shelter from the prevailing wind.

As Tipp Man and bob charles have said, paddocks have pluses and minuses.
My cattle "walk the wire" too, but usually only when they can see you.
Agree with reilig that the benefits are docility and much easier handling, but then they are seeing more of you and usually for a good reason...fresh grass:D.
Shelter is main problem and it can play hell with a rotation if you only have a few sheltered paddocks. As an elderly neighbour said, "There's no shelter behind a string of wire!" This Spring has seen me have to move youngstock back to recently grazed paddocks just to get away from the NW wind. Last Autumn it was the E wind. I seem to be set up for SW mainly:)
To counter this I put in permanent fencing with hedging in the middle of one larger paddock this Spring. Hope to have shelter there in a few years.
Main benefit of paddocks is grass growth/management, but this can be done easily enough with temporary fencing.
Great thread to start, reilig, thanks.

cjpm wrote: »

Half inch?? Or inch and a half?

We have stopped using 3/4 inch hosing, 1" all the way now.

Half inch is only used for drinkers in the shed, sure it's even useless at driving cows... Have used a fair bit of it fencing although someone here posted that it conducts electricity!!! :eek:

half inch. It's not the size but what you do with it cjpm :rolleyes: This is only in the one field away from house. Good pressure, short distance and there will only ever be one trough being served at a time (one group). It's all about matching supply with demand.

A neighbour pulled up and more or less said I should have gone bigger too. He has 90+ milking cows..... I have a handful of yearling heifers :rolleyes: