grass advice needed

niallf

Hi,
I'm renting a field off a neighbour next year which due to unforeseen circumstances hasn't been touched since a cut of silage was taken from it during the summer. As a result now the field is a carpet of long grass.

I'm hoping to stock it in the spring with 400-500kg animals and was wondering if this grass will be of sufficient quality? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as its a situation I'm not too familiar with!

Thanks

Niall

_Brian

I hope your getting it cheap.
What on it now will lie down, die and a small amount of fresh grass will grow up through it but not very much.

When you put cattle on this field in the spring they will spend a lot of time mooching through this thatch looking for fresh grass and not really eating enough to be of Much use to them.

Cavanjack

Would it be any use putting sheep on it now till it's eat down?

niallf

Yea I'm getting it cheap alright ha!

I'm thinking that maybe strip grazing the field would force them to eat what's there in front of them.

niallf

Yea I'm getting it cheap alright ha!

I'm thinking that maybe strip grazing the field would force them to eat what's there in front of them.

_Brian

niallf wrote: »

Yea I'm getting it cheap alright ha!

I'm thinking that maybe strip grazing the field would force them to eat what's there in front of them.

Ask yourself, do you want these animals to eat top feed and thrive or forced to eat off this crap to clean up a field for someone else - and pay for the privilege too ?

ganmo

Had a field saved for silage a couple of years ago but with weather meant that it never got cut.
Strip grazed it with sheep jan, but there was a serious butt on it all year,
I wouldn't be putting young stock anywhere near it if at all possible

Mooooo

niallf wrote: »

Hi,
I'm renting a field off a neighbour next year which due to unforeseen circumstances hasn't been touched since a cut of silage was taken from it during the summer. As a result now the field is a carpet of long grass.

I'm hoping to stock it in the spring with 400-500kg animals and was wondering if this grass will be of sufficient quality? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as its a situation I'm not too familiar with!

Thanks

Niall

Could you strip graze it now with any stock.? or get it cleaned off in some way. At least then there would be fresh growth in the spring.

jimmy G M

Mooooo wrote: »

Could you strip graze it now with any stock.? or get it cleaned off in some way. At least then there would be fresh growth in the spring.

Yeah try get it grazed down. A bit of fert in the spring and you'll have nice fresh grass March 15th.