Grazing 2021

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118116856#Comment_118116856

Your land looks to be dry land. While fields closed a month ago ( before the 7th October are too early to close everything from that on should not be regrazed. Normally I use 7th October but this year I am going back to Oct1st. Heavy covers grazed over the last 2-3 weeks will be slow to recover over the winter.

You have land capable of being grazed in late February if it is anyway dry. I have been tempted to leave covers like that. I definitely would leave all covers after 7th October especially with the way fertilizer is going to be in price

Easten

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118116916#Comment_118116916

I know what you are saying, my system I tend to calve all the cows from the 1st of March onwards so they'll be in sheds for the month of March regardless of the weather, and they'll be in a month before calving too. The system works for me as I can start letting cows and calf out 10 days after calving.

I have a share of dry land but also some higher up land which I have cattle still out on.

I had issues before with ground conditions in the past and it was down to being overstocked.

cute geoge

I got milking cows yesterday for a few hours just about in one of my drier paddocks ,no damage so might chance 4 hours grazing today

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118116916#Comment_118116916

Sheep are on land here that was grazed six weeks ago. it has lay down and rotting from the bottom, It'd be some mess if left another two mths, previous paddock has recovered well already and will be grazed again

funkey_monkey

Weather has taken an upturn here too. Looks like we might get another week at least out of it. The ground is holding the water though so getting it ate down clean is a problem. Might keep out some of the lighter cattle for longer.

At what stage should you take them off the ground for the winter so as not to screw yourself in the spring? Our cattle start going out in April.

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118117116#Comment_118117116

We’d close off from October with cattle and let ewes clean off, no damage and lovely fresh grass in spring

Easten

Sheep are a great job for cleaning the ground over the winter. Unfortunately it's not an option for me as there are too many household dogs in the area

funkey_monkey

We don't have sufficient sheep to manage the excess grass. Might have to offer a field to someone, but would it need to be cleaned down by a certain date?

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118117513#Comment_118117513

If you were going by the book it needs a hundred days , but if you're lowly stocked it won't make much difference if you don't rest a percentage of your land long enough.

If you let someone in make sure to tell them they have to strip it when you say,

Have you huch available, land for sheep grazing is worth €1/week per ewe.

Donedeal usually ahve lots looking for sheep grazing

https://www.donedeal.ie/farming?words=sheep%20grazing

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118117730#Comment_118117730

Thanks. It's only a couple of paddocks so if we can't get the cattle onto them we'll see about offering to a relation who we call on for help or a loan of stuff from time to time. Not enough to think about the financials.

In saying that the sun is out and it is another lovely day here - majority could still be out until middle of month if the long range forecast is correct. Middle of month looks to be getting prolonged days of rain which could spell the end. It's been a remarkable end to the year for grass growth.

Easten

Looking at the long range forecast it looks like high pressure for the next week so not much rain. Also there's a chance that the high pressure might form a blocking high to the NE of Ireland next week. If that happens we could get up to another 3 weeks of dry settled weather!!

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118118094#Comment_118118094

Jayus I’d nearly let the cows back out.

Jimbo789

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118117730#Comment_118117730

Should sheep winter grazing on a cattle farm be treated differently in terms of parasites than if they stayed at home?

Would it be less worse than them grazing on a different farm that had sheep grazing on it?

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118120265#Comment_118120265

There'd be no sheep worms on an all cattle farm, don't know about fluke,The sheep would love an all cattle farm with nice grass for the winter, they love a change

Timmaay

Fantastic ground conditions still, but running outa grass very quickly here, despite renting some grazing for all the incalf heifers and afew cows, the SR is still 3lu/ha on the milking block, which would be a demand of 48, not a hope growth anywhere near that, so I may just ration out the 20ac left and try not go back on paddocks I've closed up for feb lol. Good complaint to have.

Easten

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118120418#Comment_118120418

Could you not do the same as spring time whereby you only let cows out to graze for a couple of hours (all depending on your setup of course)

Timmaay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118120443#Comment_118120443

Trying to leave them out fulltime, don't have enough cubicles in the home yard to house all the milkers. No point trying to give the cows say half an acre per grazing, they will just stand at the gap waiting to come in lol. Instead I'm gonna let them back out on some of the silage ground on covers of 600 or so, that I most likely won't be able to graze early next year. I of course probably should of stuck to my autumn rotation planner and not gone through the area as fast lol, but then if oct and Nov are wet you got too much grass. Overall a good problem to have here ha.

Mooooo

Out by day in by night about a week left. Will keep a field or two for yearlings to keep em out another few weeks. Incalf heifers housed with 10 days.

Will use the dry week to dry off a batch of cows and leave em outside to soak up

morphy87

I moved the cattle today and this is the field after them, how well did they skin it do you think and should I top it?

Easten

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118133727#Comment_118133727

Looks good enough. Next impossible to get a really tight graze down without cutting up the ground this time of the year. 12 weeks from now and you'll be into Feb where you can re-graze again weather permitting

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118134165#Comment_118134165

I might top it as I don’t want to drive the quality next spring,are your cattle giving it a good skinning?

one poster said here that if the ph is right it won’t effect quality next spring

I won’t be grazing this till early April

_Brian

Was listening to the hammering rain earlier waiting for light and was thinking stock might be ready to go in.

checking on a group of smaller runner types that have access to the shed and field they are munching away with the rain hammering on their backs rather than seeking shelter from the rain.

It reminds me that sheds are often for the human rather the stock. Heavier cattle will graze away here once damage under foot can be avoided.

funkey_monkey

Anyone still out?

Final move for them yesterday. Hopefully they'll get it eaten down before poaching too much - we won't make it into December, but done well this year. Some younger stock need to go in and also get a good dose too.

ABitofsense

I've 3 cows with calves out still but their not happy. Load of grass but they want in with the rest. All will be in Tuesday when the last bull weanlings are sold. Grass still growing here but ground conditions are gone bad now. I'll have good cover in spring for them when they get out in March anyway

Bass Reeves

2/3rd of stored still out will be into December before being housed.

endainoz

All in since yesterday, will hopefully be letting out the weaned heifers in a couple of weeks again. Ground holding up reasonably well but it could get torn up quite quickly too.

straight

Colder from Sunday. Snow next week maybe.

Timmaay

Milkers onto their 12th rotation on some of the paddocks here lol hmmm.

Mooooo

Cows finished today, cover of around 530 on farm. Calves will be out for another bit weather permitting. Between 8 and 9 grazings on all paddocks, bar 1 at 10.

Bass Reeves

This lot went into last paddock. There is 24 in the bunch. Grass is usually very strong inside gap as water trough is there as well. It's a 4 acre paddock. I expect them to get at least 10 days out of it. I have another 14 outside 12 in a bunch that have at least a week in it probably a bit with it.

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This autumn has been brilliant. Now I did spread an extra bit if Urea this autumn. As well I carried less finishing cattle into October than last few years I started to feed the last if the cattle 2-3 weeks earlier. On average I reckon I will be it 5-6 weeks longer.