are you still topping?

whelan1

well?

Tipp Man

whelan1 wrote: »

well?

Yeah, have a bit of a build up of grass when the aftergrass from first cut came back so some of the paddocks got a little strong (despite taking quite a bit of paddocks out for second cut)

Found the cows were dropping quite a bit in milk when we tried to make them graze a bit lower so still going it with the topper, be finished with it though fairly shortly i hope

farmer1

I think its gone too late for topping now.
Am trying to begin building up grass covers, grass doesnt loose its value as quickly this time of the year so topping is a waste of good grass IMO

snowman707

cleaning off with the sheep, have a good bank of quality grass in front of the cows and yields holding up very well, no meal at present

Sanchez6

topper has been put away for the year.that said it hasnt been very busy this year doing less topping that ever.

blue5000

I'll probably do a few paddocks that haven't been topped so far this year. I did a lot less than other years, baled and wrapped strong paddocks instead.

whelan1

ye i did a few paddocks for bales also , great job , much better than topping imo

irishh_bob

whelan1 wrote: »

ye i did a few paddocks for bales also , great job , much better than topping imo

always thought the idea of taking bales of an over grown paddock was impractical and expensive , you might end up only getting three bales per acre yet you still have to fork out 18 euro per acre to the guy who mows it , ok for someone who has thier own mower but less so for those who dont

whelan1

its not the cost its the fact that you are getting lovely fresh grass afterwards

blue5000

depends when he gets the 18e.

It worked well for me this year anyway, by taking out a paddock it allows cows to skip further along the rotation to better quality grass, and cows have after grass in the following rotation.

The alternative would have been a lot more topping and cows eating/walking in poorer quality grass. I think its a win win situation, higher quality grass, extra silage and less topping to do. :cool:

pakalasa

I think it is a good sign that your grass management is working when you dont have to top.
Must be nice to have the luxury of being able to take out paddocks for silage if grass gets too strong. Killing 2 birds with one stone, if you ask me.

dar31

its been used once in the last forthnight, but not put away yet,
two paddocks to be baled end of next week, will do well to get 3-4 bales/ac off them