The Grass Measuring Thread

freedominacup

Keepgrowing wrote: »

I'd be more in Freedoms camp on grazing targets with the souls we have. Want first round finished before April 1 and buffer then if necessary rather than bollixing with bales now or for 3 weeks in March while trying to get cows to graze out paddocks. I've no problem going to 60% hi quality bales for a week or 10 days in April

Freedom doesn't have a camp. That was the point of my post. You have to play the game that's in front of you. The guidelines are just that. Last year because of weather we were under pressure to hit 30% because of weather restricting grazing this year we are well ahead of target. In an average year I would probably be panicking by now but urea was out very early and growth has been phenomenal since we started grazing. We'll be buffering hard through Mar. We've got 50% calved now so along with carryovers demand is high. We won't have much more than half cows dm requirements available daily based on 1300kg covers. Along with 6kg of meal we'll still need 4kg of forage dm going in at min. They'll wipe out a buffer that size between 2 and 4 in the afternoon plus a run through the shed after morning milking.

Keepgrowing

visatorro wrote: »

0% grazed. On/off grazing doesn't work when working off farm. No fert out. Anywhere that got slurry out has moved well in last few days. Depending on next weeks weather if il get out or not. Was out last year on 19 Feb so disappointed but work won't allow me come home to bring in cows before a shower!!

Allows you time for Boards I see
Look into a Batt Latch. You can lock out cows and set timer that will open gap and allow to the shed

yewtree

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Allows you time for Boards I see
Look into a Batt Latch. You can lock out cows and set timer that will open gap and allow to the shed

Where did you get that one? Have heard a few lads say they are a good job

Keepgrowing

yewtree wrote: »

Where did you get that one? Have heard a few lads say they are a good job

Stradbally Fsrm Services, Co Laois

http://stradballyfarmservices.com/

simx

Any advice to help lads? Where ya shove up the milk sock, the rubber lad on the top of the coil is getting caught in it when pulling it out its quiet annoying anything to help?

pedigree 6

simx wrote: »

Any advice to help lads? Where ya shove up the milk sock, the rubber lad on the top of the coil is getting caught in it when pulling it out its quiet annoying anything to help?

It shouldn't really get caught when the filter sock is on when you open it to take off the sock. The filter sock should keep the rubber stuck on the coil when pulling out.

Then when washing turn the coil upside down and have the rubber on the bottom.

But if it ever did get stuck, I have a wire handle of a bucket with a crook to pull it down.
But since turning it upside down when washing it's more of a non issue.

whelan2

simx wrote: »

Any advice to help lads? Where ya shove up the milk sock, the rubber lad on the top of the coil is getting caught in it when pulling it out its quiet annoying anything to help?

You can get a replacement rubber bit. We had a length of bull wire with a crook on the end to fish it out

darragh_haven

yewtree wrote: »

Where did you get that one? Have heard a few lads say they are a good job

You can get one that you can text and it'll open the gap. I think its €570- ish

visatorro

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Allows you time for Boards I see
Look into a Batt Latch. You can lock out cows and set timer that will open gap and allow to the shed

Work hours vary. If ground is dry I can give them abit and it doesn't matter what time they come back in. It doesn't work like that if it's wet. If I damage paddocks cows will be inside on hay for the year!!
No boards at work it's only when herself is giving out to me I might glance through!!

GrasstoMilk

Grass growth wicked high here.

33% grazed to day
Should be 38% come the 1st

Farm cover 1280
70% calved
Opening cover was 1240

ted_182

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Grass growth wicked high here.

33% grazed to day
Should be 38% come the 1st

Farm cover 1280
70% calved
Opening cover was 1240

Long may it last for ye you should hit 16ton grown handy enough if spring growth continues like that

GrasstoMilk

ted_182 wrote: »

Long may it last for ye you should hit 16ton grown handy enough if spring growth continues like that

Getting it allgrazed for April 5thmight be a challenge

Signpost

In the last 24 hours alone I've grown 16mm of rain and now covering of snow blanketing out any green on the grounds. All in all I'm on target for 0% grazed by March 17th, can't beat farming in wet land.

charolais0153

Cleanout is good. Growth is good . life's good

freedominacup

I had to go to a funeral in Dublin today. I had a friend of mine in the car with me. He works in agribusiness but not in an area where he would have any awareness of the greenfields farm. The cows were in a paddock close to the motorway. His only comment was that "the animal welfare crowd wouldn't want to see that". To be fair it probably wasn't as bad as it looked to the lay man but not a great advertisement for Irish dairying either.

Keepgrowing

freedominacup wrote: »

I had to go to a funeral in Dublin today. I had a friend of mine in the car with me. He works in agribusiness but not in an area where he would have any awareness of the greenfields farm. The cows were in a paddock close to the motorway. His only comment was that "the animal welfare crowd wouldn't want to see that". To be fair it probably wasn't as bad as it looked to the lay man but not a great advertisement for Irish dairying either.

Had you been on another motorway today you'd have seen ours and again tonight, not a bother on them. It could be the last night for a few by the forecast

CloughCasey1

charolais0153 wrote: »

Cleanout is good. Growth is good . life's good

Let out a few of those tonne weight cows ye have and we'll see will it be as tasty looking.☺

degetme

Lads I've a few cow's pucking and rooting up patches in paddocks. Never like this before. Only 3hr grazings at the moment or else there housed. Any way of stopping this? Will they stop when ground hardens up when out fulltime?

Mooooo

degetme wrote: »

Lads I've a few cow's pucking and rooting up patches in paddocks. Never like this before. Only 3hr grazings at the moment or else there housed. Any way of stopping this? Will they stop when ground hardens up when out fulltime?

Are they licking the ground as well? Could include a bit of phosphorus in the meal?

degetme

No licking. Just acting the bollix

ellewood

freedominacup wrote: »

I had to go to a funeral in Dublin today. I had a friend of mine in the car with me. He works in agribusiness but not in an area where he would have any awareness of the greenfields farm. The cows were in a paddock close to the motorway. His only comment was that "the animal welfare crowd wouldn't want to see that". To be fair it probably wasn't as bad as it looked to the lay man but not a great advertisement for Irish dairying either.

You should have seen it this morning 😆 - to be fair it probably looked worse than it is
They have them further in from the motorway this evening so maybe more were saying it to them 😉

Timmaay

Like much of the country I've wayyy too much grass here, most years I try to graze everything once before closing up for silage, but that's going to be a real struggle this year. I've 14 acres that was grazed out in dec by heifers, it has a nice cover of about 900 on it now. Should I bite the bullet and close that up for silage ground now?

Mooooo

Timmaay wrote: »

Like much of the country I've wayyy too much grass here, most years I try to graze everything once before closing up for silage, but that's going to be a real struggle this year. I've 14 acres that was grazed out in dec by heifers, it has a nice cover of about 900 on it now. Should I bite the bullet and close that up for silage ground now?

If there is no dead material do, just make sure and cut it the first week of may or before to get the most quality out of it and have aftergrass back for breeding

Timmaay

Mooooo wrote: »

If there is no dead material do, just make sure and cut it the first week of may or before to get the most quality out of it and have aftergrass back for breeding

Actually more importantly, Wtf do I do about 20 acres or so of this, heavy dead butt on the grass. On ground that I've just after rented, must be an afc of 1800 on the whole lot of it, and wasn't grazed since early last autumn. I can walk milkers across to it for the next few weeks, but I'm obviously not expecting them to eat that down. Also what will it do for my solids/yeilds?

Keepgrowing

Timmaay wrote: »

Actually more importantly, Wtf do I do about 20 acres or so of this, heavy dead butt on the grass. On ground that I've just after rented, must be an afc of 1800 on the whole lot of it, and wasn't grazed since early last autumn. I can walk milkers across to it for the next few weeks, but I'm obviously not expecting them to eat that down. Also what will it do for my solids/yeilds?

Dry cows?

Mooooo

Timmaay wrote: »

Actually more importantly, Wtf do I do about 20 acres or so of this, heavy dead butt on the grass. On ground that I've just after rented, must be an afc of 1800 on the whole lot of it, and wasn't grazed since early last autumn. I can walk milkers across to it for the next few weeks, but I'm obviously not expecting them to eat that down. Also what will it do for my solids/yeilds?

Have you all other stock out? Could put other stock on it to clean it down. Or do the best you can with cows and then use the devils tool, I mean topper, to clean it off and set it for the rest of the year. Pic doesn't look very bad tho, if twas a mat horizontal on the ground it would be tougher

White Clover

Timmaay wrote: »

Actually more importantly, Wtf do I do about 20 acres or so of this, heavy dead butt on the grass. On ground that I've just after rented, must be an afc of 1800 on the whole lot of it, and wasn't grazed since early last autumn. I can walk milkers across to it for the next few weeks, but I'm obviously not expecting them to eat that down. Also what will it do for my solids/yeilds?

You could buy 100 ewes and lamb them, let em graze away ahead of the cows for the year, you'd have great lambs in August to sell!!

charolais0153

White Clover wrote: »

You could buy 100 ewes and lamb them, let em graze away ahead of the cows for the year, you'd have great lambs in August to sell!!

Additional cost of fencing and timmays lack of facilities for sheep would be a major stumbling block

White Clover

charolais0153 wrote: »

Additional cost of fencing and timmays lack of facilities for sheep would be a major stumbling block

He should prioritize these jobs, put them top of the list for Monday and get them doneðŸ˜

whelan2

White Clover wrote: »

He should prioritize these jobs, put them top of the list for Monday and get them doneðŸ˜

Why wait until Monday?