The Grass Measuring Thread

Mooooo

alps wrote: »

Here the detail
Last cover done 25th Mar. .surplus of 9623
Today deficit of 55..so say zero...
Over the period we grew at 46kg/ha/day
With a demand of 51kg/ha/day.
This excess demand would reduce the deficit by 2449..
We entered that the cows would be eating 14kg grass with 4kg meal..so
The excess of 9623
   Less               2449
Should still leave excess of 7174...but it's gone...

Which means the cows consumed 4.92kg/day in excess of their allocated 14kg..
Measurements done with plate meter...

A lot of diets when indoor would be done up to 23+kg of DM. What type of cow have you 600kg?

Buford T. Justice XIX

alps wrote: »

Here the detail
Last cover done 25th Mar. .surplus of 9623
Today deficit of 55..so say zero...
Over the period we grew at 46kg/ha/day
With a demand of 51kg/ha/day.
This excess demand would reduce the deficit by 2449..
We entered that the cows would be eating 14kg grass with 4kg meal..so
The excess of 9623
Less 2449
Should still leave excess of 7174...but it's gone...

Which means the cows consumed 4.92kg/day in excess of their allocated 14kg..
Measurements done with plate meter...

Would you have overestimated the DM% on your covers?

C4d78

alps wrote: »

I'm beginning to think cows can consume far more than 18kg dm....on 4gk of feed, ours cleared 12.5kg in last night's grazing..

9tonne grass surplus last week, gone by this week.
Needs more careful look. 
Serious milk at 29l and 2.2ms..

Definitely agree with you on that's Alps.
I'd say much closer to 20 or even 21 for 600 kg Holstein cows.
I'm not sure why people work off this figure of 18.
I'm currently offering 3kg ration and reckon they're eating 17 grass, judging by plate meter.
Currently milking 31L at 4.11f & 3.46P
Give them enough and they will perform.

alps

Yes..up to 600, but not much more. 60%Fr 40% Ho...not as tall as Ho herds...started with ho herd and went 2 Br Fr crosses and back with more NZ type Ho...some Jerudo..XDO and likes this year..
Irish friesian club have taken straws from their own Bulls this year and are available to all to use, so looking forward to them.

But when you drop the strip wire...man can they hoover up grass...

alps

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Would you have overestimated the DM% on your covers?

Done by plate meter Buford.....but maybe that's overestimating covers...Im open to all suggestions here...

stretch film

What formula are people using when measuring with the plate metre .

alps

125/600..then minus 1550

ted_182

Got a clippers over the winter, the platemeter has been parked up since, platemeter was overestimating a good bit once you go over 1000

Brown Podzol

Lincoln University Dairy Farm offer 21 kg/dm to cows yielding 2.33 kg/ms and weighing 480kg, also complaining that plate meter is overestimating dm yield.

Weekly notes from 25 Oct here.

http://www.siddc.org.nz/assets/Farm-Walk-Notes/Combined-Farm-Walk-Notes-October-2016.pdf

alps

Bang on timing BP.....Top class summary, and lots to ponder..

Some output from 480kg cows

And take particular note of 25.b.

50kgN/ha applied to date, ie start of AI...long ways under what we are being advised to do here...

charolais0153

Done today. Growth has been good and will let out more stock over next few days

RobinBanks

What technique are you using for measuring char?

charolais0153

RobinBanks wrote: »

What technique are you using for measuring char?

Plate meter when I have it, (not often though ...only when I get the loan of it from the teagasc man) I estimate the rest and cut and weigh a few paddocks every time just to make sure my estimates aren't too far out

shamrockvilla

Driving south of Nantes yesterday and today, saw a field with round bales of covered silage.Saw several lads out turning the hay.How far are they ahead of home? would they do 4 cuts a year? Temperature at the moment approx 21c during the day.

freedominacup

shamrockvilla wrote: »

Driving south of Nantes yesterday and today, saw a field with round bales of covered silage.Saw several lads out turning the hay.How far are they ahead of home? would they do 4 cuts a year? Temperature at the moment approx 21c during the day.

I was just east of dungarvan on Mon evening and met a keltec loaded with unwrapped bales so not that far ahead.

pedigree 6

freedominacup wrote: »

I was just east of dungarvan on Mon evening and met a keltec loaded with unwrapped bales so not that far ahead.

The fusion baler was busy around this area today.
I was just saying to the oul lad that we've come a long way when people are making silage in April.

charolais0153

pedigree 6 wrote: »

The fusion baler was busy around this area today.
I was just saying to the oul lad that we've come a long way when people are making silage in April.

The auld lad was saying that this farm local to us was part of a teagasc type thing and that they were cutting silage in April. Wouldn't of been too recent either 20+ years ago

rangler1

shamrockvilla wrote: »

Driving south of Nantes yesterday and today, saw a field with round bales of covered silage.Saw several lads out turning the hay.How far are they ahead of home? would they do 4 cuts a year? Temperature at the moment approx 21c during the day.

A lot of France wouldn't have good growth in july or August... they have to get winter feed sorted before June, indeed I saw ground burnt in France at the end of june with stock being fed....temperature was 35degrees plus.

Keepgrowing

Balers going around here last week. A few guys building numbers and not quiet there yet.

Milking area here just about feeding cows with 3 kg of nuts. Heifer block will see a baler next week

Mooooo

PullING out of silage ground today, covers gone too strong at 2500, starting second round. Covers about 1400 in first paddock due to delayed turnout. Will be tight for a bit but should get away with it. Pulling culls and sending them after heifers and will burn off 15 acres next week for reseeding Have circa 80 units out. Debating whether I should bale the ground I didn't graze which would be silage ground anyway and cut again before end of may or just fertilise and cut in may

freedominacup

Mooooo wrote: »

PullING out of silage ground today, covers gone too strong at 2500, starting second round. Covers about 1400 in first paddock due to delayed turnout. Will be tight for a bit but should get away with it. Pulling culls and sending them after heifers and will burn off 15 acres next week for reseeding Have circa 80 units out. Debating whether I should bale the ground I didn't graze which would be silage ground anyway and cut again before end of may or just fertilise and cut in may

Cut now. Fertilize as grazing area. Aftergrass on the fifth of May. Take out paddocks to go with first cut as aftergrass feeds back into rotation. Aim to have first cut completed by 15th of May at absolute latest. Second shot of aftergrass coming in on fifth of June at the latest.

Mooooo

freedominacup wrote: »

Cut now. Fertilize as grazing area. Aftergrass on the fifth of May. Take out paddocks to go with first cut as aftergrass feeds back into rotation. Aim to have first cut completed by 15th of May at absolute latest. Second shot of aftergrass coming in on fifth of June at the latest.

Could do that with some of it alright, the rest is awkward as crossing two roads for one and walking along another public road to get to the other bit. The extra standing around and walking would negate the aftergrass effect

GrasstoMilk

Last of Silage fert going out next week. Couldn't stop dad yoking up the roller

Muckit

A pure sign he hasn't alot else for doing!

The grass wants to grow up and he's pushing it down!

Keepgrowing

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Last of Silage fert going out next week. Couldn't stop dad yoking up the roller

Yoking my eldest to the roller tomorrow. Rolling any paddocks that got FYM as they'll all be mowed at least once and with our own mower

MF290

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Yoking my eldest to the roller tomorrow. Rolling any paddocks that got FYM as they'll all be mowed at least once and with our own mower

Ffs to the young lad, would you not at least let him hitch it to the tractor!

Wildsurfer

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Last of Silage fert going out next week. Couldn't stop dad yoking up the roller

Smashing stuff. Some waste of diesel rolling that though!

sea12

MF290 wrote: »

Ffs to the young lad, would you not at least let him hitch it to the tractor!

Brilliant post. Gave me s great laugh. 😀

GrasstoMilk

Wildsurfer wrote: »

Smashing stuff. Some waste of diesel rolling that though!

A it was grazed in Feb and got dung after so god knows where there could be a stone lying in it

Wildsurfer

One rule I have here(a lesson learned the hard way) is never spread FYM on silage ground in the spring. Either wait till Autumn when you will get plenty chances to walk the ground to check for stones/concrete or better still wait to plough it in at reseeding time.