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strip grazing vrs paddock grazing for dairying

  • 04-07-2016 7:48pm
    #1
    dungfly
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 349 ✭✭


    I intend in changing to paddock grazing. I already have a good road network. Any advice on how to manage grass effectively?


Comments

  • #2
    Wildsurfer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,517 ✭✭✭Wildsurfer


    dungfly wrote: »
    I intend in changing to paddock grazing. I already have a good road network. Any advice on how to manage grass effectively?

    Can we take it that at the moment you are not managing it effectively?? It's a fairly broad question to ask especially as the best of grassland managers struggled after this seasons growth explosion and subsequent lack of quality in swards. My tuppence worth:Don't get caught up in restrictive paddocks, I've had to increase paddock sizes three times since I began farming and ditches are now an obstacle in increasing paddock size. Better to go and buy a handful of geared reels, pigtail posts and oh yeah... A quad!! That way you can adjust your area to suit and won't get caught with changing herd size. Then get yourself on agrinet/pasture base and walk your farm once to twice weekly. After that its experience and getting brave with your decisions.


  • #3
    freedominacup
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,920 ✭✭✭freedominacup


    Wildsurfer wrote: »
    Can we take it that at the moment you are not managing it effectively?? It's a fairly broad question to ask especially as the best of grassland managers struggled after this seasons growth explosion and subsequent lack of quality in swards. My tuppence worth:Don't get caught up in restrictive paddocks, I've had to increase paddock sizes three times since I began farming and ditches are now an obstacle in increasing paddock size. Better to go and buy a handful of geared reels, pigtail posts and oh yeah... A quad!! That way you can adjust your area to suit and won't get caught with changing herd size. Then get yourself on agrinet/pasture base and walk your farm once to twice weekly. After that its experience and getting brave with your decisions.

    +1000. Fence your bounds, fence your roadways, put in enough water troughs and gaps on roadways.End of thread.


  • #4
    Timmaay
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,396 ✭✭✭✭Timmaay


    freedominacup wrote: »
    +1000. Fence your bounds, fence your roadways, put in enough water troughs and gaps on roadways.End of thread.

    By far the best grassland system I've seen is a local chap with 2 robots, he basically has one single continuous paddock, almost in a donut shape, with a roadway the inside, he keeps on moving along a front and back pigtail fence in a circle all the time.


  • #5
    Buford T. Justice XIX
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,633 ✭✭✭✭Buford T. Justice XIX


    Timmaay wrote: »
    By far the best grassland system I've seen is a local chap with 2 robots, he basically has one single continuous paddock, almost in a donut shape, with a roadway the inside, he keeps on moving along a front and back pigtail fence in a circle all the time.

    I saw something similar in Clonakilty with a leader/follower system for grazing calves and in calf heifers. A single big field with an internal fence from one end to the other with two opening at each end and water along the middle.

    They moved the calves when the heifers had finished and left the heifers clean out before moving again.


  • #6
    Sam Kade
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,313 ✭✭✭✭Sam Kade


    Timmaay wrote: »
    By far the best grassland system I've seen is a local chap with 2 robots, he basically has one single continuous paddock, almost in a donut shape, with a roadway the inside, he keeps on moving along a front and back pigtail fence in a circle all the time.

    So the grazing area is in a circle with the robots in the middle? Some NZ farmers do that with the parlour in the middle, it cuts walking time for the cows but you!d want a nice level block of land with no ditches to do it.


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  • #7
    Timmaay
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,396 ✭✭✭✭Timmaay


    Sam Kade wrote: »
    So the grazing area is in a circle with the robots in the middle? Some NZ farmers do that with the parlour in the middle, it cuts walking time for the cows but you!d want a nice level block of land with no ditches to do it.

    Nay not quite a full circle, and far from a perfect geometric circle haha, but ya get the idea. More donut than circle also (house etc inside also), them NZ farms are more like a pie, with permanent paddocks in the shape of slices. Fair few trees in the middle of the paddocks on that farm and obviously some ditches removed at some stage.


  • #8
    Muckit
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,173 ✭✭✭✭Muckit


    Timmaay wrote: »
    By far the best grassland system I've seen is a local chap with 2 robots, he basically has one single continuous paddock, almost in a donut shape, with a roadway the inside, he keeps on moving along a front and back pigtail fence in a circle all the time.

    Does one robot move the front fence and the other lad move the back fence? Or are you talking about the milking machines?


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