Autumn grazing

just do it

Now that the weather has turned and heavy land is getting wet, how're you managing?

I've cows cleaning out paddocks and closing behind them. Dry cows in at night. Weather held just long enough allowing me to get the wettest paddocks grazed. Weanlings now getting 1 day blocks using temporary fencing. Leader-follower with 3 groups 1st light weanlings, 2nd strong weanlings, and 3rd 18mo replacements. A lot of time spent moving fences though. This means each block has light stock for 3 days.

delaval

just do it wrote: »

Now that the weather has turned and heavy land is getting wet, how're you managing?

I've cows cleaning out paddocks and closing behind them. Dry cows in at night. Weather held just long enough allowing me to get the wettest paddocks grazed. Weanlings now getting 1 day blocks using temporary fencing. Leader-follower with 3 groups 1st light weanlings, 2nd strong weanlings, and 3rd 18mo replacements. A lot of time spent moving fences though. This means each block has light stock for 3 days.

If you get much more rain you might need to stop the follower system

Might be best to move each group to a new break daily.

A couple of geared reels with pigtail stakes mightn't be a bad investment

Muckit

delaval wrote: »

A couple of geared reels with pigtail stakes mightn't be a bad investment

+1 on the geared reels. Up to 3 here now.

Now to grow a third arm or make a pouch for those stakes :rolleyes: From my own experience I've found plastic stakes lighter and tend to tangle less than a bundle of pigtails. Pigtails are better if you have a corner though.

keep going

If you are grazing a largish field, drive a timber post in the middle of th field graze in quarter s off it .they dont need water this time of year

just do it

Yeah this leader follower has worked out well but it's just getting too wet now. Having said that it's dry ground and the 3rd group on the third day are what I'd describe as scratching the ground rather than poaching it. Grass utilisation has dropped though - naturally enough. I've definitely gotten an extra week out of the ground they've been in for the last 3 weeks, it's cleaned out better, and there's been no damage done.

Plenty fencing reels and pigtails around here! Forcefield has a new large reel for €22 with a wide diameter on the centre. It's just as good at the geared reels that cost around €50. I'd gone away from the tape but for this job when it's only up for a few days I think it's better. The visibility is a big thing. Even though they are moving daily now some days they take off like they're only getting out of the slatted shed after the winter!

I reckon all cows (autumn & spring) will be housed in 7 days i.e. they've 7 dry paddocks left to graze. In at night is bearing dividends. Autumn calvers are on 3kg nuts as half of them are first calvers and I want them back cycling and in good nick going into the shed. They grazed 2 of the wettest paddocks in the place this week and with this regime they didn't get poached.

Leader follower coming to an end on Saturday when the 3 groups will become two and they head into the reseed. Ligher weanlings have really benefitted from the preferential grazing and meal and have caught up with their counterparts. They'll get no meal or water when they move into reseed as the ground is tearing up around both. They'll graze in 1 day blocks moving along side by side up parallel strips if you know what I mean.

This year has been an education in grass management. We've really had everything thrown at us this year. Good early grazing, then it turned wet, then it turned cold and grass growth stopped, then we'd a glorious June to mid-Oct. And then for us with wet land one good week's rain and it's like the place was never dry. What a year!