Strong autumn grass

Alibaba

What's the best thing to do now with strong autumn grass.

I have about 10-12 acres of good grass left to graze but the ground now is almost saturated from all the rain over the last few days.

I was thinking should I just leave it till the Spring and maybe try and get them out early or will I try and graze it. I have about 20 suckler cows.

mahoney_j

Alibaba wrote: »

What's the best thing to do now with strong autumn grass.

I have about 10-12 acres of good grass left to graze but the ground now is almost saturated from all the rain over the last few days.

I was thinking should I just leave it till the Spring and maybe try and get them out early or will I try and graze it. I have about 20 suckler cows.

If it's heavy grass I'd say the actual ground under it is in very good knick unless it's very heavy peaty land.my advice get 2 reels of wire and a few pig tails.split it into blocks and graze a square every day using a front and back fence.trick is to provide enough grass just for 24 hours and move stock and use back fence so they can't go back to ground previously grazed.if left till spring but will start to rot and be harder graze clean and recovery will be a lot slower

DarByrne1980

mahoney_j wrote: »

If it's heavy grass I'd say the actual ground under it is in very good knick unless it's very heavy peaty land.my advice get 2 reels of wire and a few pig tails.split it into blocks and graze a square every day using a front and back fence.trick is to provide enough grass just for 24 hours and move stock and use back fence so they can't go back to ground previously grazed.if left till spring but will start to rot and be harder graze clean and recovery will be a lot slower

the ground is only saturated where theres poor soil underneath. if theres decent drainage in ur fields the advice of mahoney_j will serve you perfectly. ur heart will be broken with that grass in the spring between it dying away and new growth coming up

I said

mahoney_j wrote: »

If it's heavy grass I'd say the actual ground under it is in very good knick unless it's very heavy peaty land.my advice get 2 reels of wire and a few pig tails.split it into blocks and graze a square every day using a front and back fence.trick is to provide enough grass just for 24 hours and move stock and use back fence so they can't go back to ground previously grazed.if left till spring but will start to rot and be harder graze clean and recovery will be a lot slower

Thought I had grass under control(new to trying grassland management).looking at it this morning I fear I'll have grass rotting in spring would I be as well off to get a few lighter stores weanlings and do what you suggest for the winter to clear out stronger regrowths over the last few weeks .

Brass Tag

Unreal rain here over past 10 days. Now left with several small paddocks which are wet and heavy covers.
Several articles in the media lately correlating atmospheric and sea current conditions to that of the same time pre our last two hard winters.
So I'm banking on hard frost cover from Christmas onward. Great time to get out a few early calvers with their calves to mop up the grass.

Deepsouthwest

Brass Tag wrote: »

Unreal rain here over past 10 days. Now left with several small paddocks which are wet and heavy covers.
Several articles in the media lately correlating atmospheric and sea current conditions to that of the same time pre our last two hard winters.
So I'm banking on hard frost cover from Christmas onward. Great time to get out a few early calvers with their calves to mop up the grass.

That's if it doesn't get burnt off in the frost before u get them out!

Willfarman

Baaabara and Maaary are always grateful lads! Any sheep farm neighbouring you op?

Brass Tag

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

That's if it doesn't get burnt off in the frost before u get them out!

Very true. I might lose it to frost, but I'll definitely loose it by trying to graze off now on very wet underfoot conditions.
Frost damage or not, I've always seen cattle very settled grazing off covers burned or not, and doing no poaching in the process. Bit of nuts and bale of hay goes a long way to keeping up the nourishment requirements. Very healthy for calf to be out if shed. You also find sooner cow outdoors sooner you get her back in calf.