Grass measurement

just do it

Something we should all be doing I suppose. Reading the thread on who has their cows out made me realise how far ahead the dairy lads are when it comes to grass utilistation. So which are you?

Edit: Beef farmer includes everyone outside of dairy e.g. suckler, finisher etc

stanflt

just do it wrote: »

Something we should all be doing I suppose. Reading the thread on who has their cows out made me realise how far ahead the dairy lads are when it comes to grass utilistation. So which are you?

Edit: Beef farmer includes everyone outside of dairy e.g. suckler, finisher etc

i love money in the pocket:)

1chippy

I just eyeball it to be honest, but i do walk the farm every week and set out a very rough plan. even last year with all the bloody rain. Only seeing the benefits the last few years and really still only trying to learn.

bob charles

I picked the worst option and proud of it. best grass grows over night

Sam Kade

It will be easy measure grass after this week of hard frost :mad:

RobinBanks

I measured grass last year for the first time. I was doing the Teagasc on-line course at the time so I was interested in it. At the start it was great but I got sick of it very quickly. I measured the grass with the quadrant and at the beginning of the year it was fine because covers were light but as the summer went on it became a pain. Covers were heavy and it was a fairly time consuming operation. If I had a platemeter I would do it every week no problem. Its just the hassle of it all that would prevent me from doing it.

One thing I learned though was not to shake all the bag manure at the same time!

blue5000

I used to do it religiously with a plate meter, now I just eyeball it. I don't be doing it mid season, but pay more attention this time of yr and in Aug-Sept when trying to build up a wedge for autumn. Heard of a discussion group (BEEF!) who are fed up talking about grass and don't wan't to discuss it at all this year........

just do it

Yeah I can see measuring becomes a pain. I thought most lads move onto eyeballing fairly quickly and just the fact of doing it and working out your grass wedge is the main benefit. Surplus -take out one or two paddocks for round bales. Deficit - lower stocking rate or supplementary feed.

keep going

i do the grazing planners spring and autumn and just work off rotation lenght for the rest of the year.if i see the cows spending longer than 1/21 of the farm in a field i start taking out stuff if it goes less i supplement, its the cows tell me how much grass is in the field

just do it

Conclusions:
- Vast majority think it's a good idea
- Dairy farms walk the walk, beef farmers talk the talk

Hugh 2

Have been doing it for almost 10 years
Changed to plate meeter a few years ago from grastec
Uses to have to bring clipboard pen paper and calculator and used the simpler formula
Got an ipaq from kingswood and programmed in the universal formula and the ipaq tells me info but comes out on its own when hot sync ed with PC.
This year has me stumped only been out 3 times this year .
Last Sunday was beat all most of the farm measured below 4 cm
Only 4 fields gave a reading one paddock was just 1 kg per hectare and the average of these.was just 95 kg.
Farm greening up ok but from a very low base
What a year

delaval

1chippy wrote: »

I just eyeball it to be honest, but i do walk the farm every week and set out a very rough plan. even last year with all the bloody rain. Only seeing the benefits the last few years and really still only trying to learn.

That's grass measuring no equipment required