Grazing 2021

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118202852#Comment_118202852

Nice cattle, nice grass and a nice long winter coat

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118202863#Comment_118202863

Nothing like a few Black and White minstrels coming up to December as well.

Easten

Weather is just too mild for cattle in sheds. Grass is still growing at rates you'd see in early September. I have a bunch of Springers housed now as they are Calving at the moment. I opened up the doors on the sheds to allow more airflow in. Have some that calved and let out, the calves are flying it, cows have plenty milk too. I put mineral buckets with them and they are using them so the grass might be lacking a bit this time of the year.

I've reduced the amount together outside, the biggest bunch is 6 cow pairs and the bull, the rest are all in 3s and 4s and grass is making a good battle so i haven't given them any supplementary feeding yet.

893bet

Will this autumn be “free” as such or as are soils going to be next da hungry next year due ti the additional grazings people got?

Easten

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118202912#Comment_118202912

I'd say no, this is free grazing. If the land was getting badly poached then there is a price to be paid in Spring but as it is the ground conditions are excellent for this time of year.

The only issue I can see lads having is if we get a hard frost down on this soft growth, any place not grazed will have a coat of frost bitten brown grass to deal with in Spring

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118202912#Comment_118202912

It is free grazing as Easten says ground conditions still excellent. Only catch is that heavy covers do not recover as fast as lighter covers would have. However heavy covers grazed in later October/ early November have greened up.

The other factor is that I had 40+ bales left over last year. I Normally would have 60+ bales gone at this stage between any finishing cattle and cattle housed. Unless I still have cattle housed in late April I think I will be looking at up on a 100 bale surplus.

With fertlizer prices I think I can reduce my first cut area by 5 acres and keep it in the grazing platform. 150 bales will probably be enough to add to the 100+ for winter 22/23.

I am gauging that I can gamble buying fertlizer as well and cut back my order by 2-3 ton.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118202944#Comment_118202944

Do not worry about frost or even feavy frost on grass. All it dose is increase the DM of the grass. Ya if you are a dairy farmer then you do not want it. However drystock will graze and thrive on this in springtime. Even if they run into late March/April before being grazed cattle are better off on them than inside in a shed. After 3-4 months on concrete cattle always do better outside.

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118202912#Comment_118202912

It's the same as a cover crop in tillage.

The longer it stays warmer and dryish the longer the leaching nutrients stay in the soil root depth. The leaching nutrients being nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, boron.

Longer grazing more dungpats too which have their own carbon element to store those nutrients.

funkey_monkey

Did anyone who house their stock have more problems with pneumonia this year?

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118202852#Comment_118202852

Those are great shapes of cattle there Bass and a good field of grass too. Do you have any problem with handling the bullocks or them roaming?

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118203364#Comment_118203364

That the beauty of traditional breeds they are no hassle. I had to.mive them from one field though a paddock to this one. I ran a fence with pigtails and string along a ditch to this one. I went into the paddock they were in and they came to me( the paddock was well grazed out) I allowed them all to come to me and they were on the far side of the gap to the direction they would travelling along the pigtail fence. I opened the gap and they ran out the gap, I was out ahead to stop them breaking straight out.

I had them move in ten to fifteen minutes and that was including putting up the temporary fence roadway.

As long as there is any current in a fence they stay in the paddock they are in.

kevthegaff

I had the cows in for a week, I was looking at a paddock I reseeded that wasn't strong enough to graze but is now. Should I let them back out for a few days

endainoz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118206460#Comment_118206460

Depends on how the ground would hold up I suppose, wouldn't it be a bit more susceptible to poaching if it has recently been reseeded?

kevthegaff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118206856#Comment_118206856

Ya I think I'll leave it

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118206460#Comment_118206460

Would putting them out and then back in again not also make them a bit more susceptible to pneumonia? I'd graze the paddock first with some sheep until it gets firmed up.

funkey_monkey

We'll be going in next dry day. It's an awful day here and some of the calves are standing in a sheltered area with a bit of a hump on them. No joy for man nor beast at this stage.

valtra2

Ah that brings a end to this year's grazing. Just let last of the autumn calfers in.

CHOPS01

What month of the year is it at all ?

20211127_161656.jpg

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232390#Comment_118232390

Hard to know,

orchard farm

Is the old prophecy coming true “man won’t know the seasons but for the leaves on the tree”

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232468#Comment_118232468

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232650#Comment_118232650

Never heard it, but makes sense I supose.

funkey_monkey

All in, backs clipped and some with Rispoval.

Field looked fine, but didn't want them out with weather turning at start of the week.

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232650#Comment_118232650

There was a spell in the 90's with very mild winters.

People are forgetting spring this year though with frost continuing well into the year. So we've still spring next year to look for.

But higher co2 levels do mean more plant growth providing the other parameters for growth are met.

Easten

The smaller groups work better, idk why it is but they are not looking to be in a big group. Maybe they know that grass is running out and less is more.

Growth has definitely eased a good bit but it's still there at the moment. I think the next frost will bring it to a halt but we are almost n December now. I wonder will we see some December Silage being made, I have meadows in an out farm that are fit to be cut, not that I will but I'm sure you'll get some that will go for it.

Base price

Brought the last of the cows and calves in today, 19 in total - I sold some of the weanlings over the past few weeks. I've 7 dairyXbeef heifer calves still out and I hope to keep them out for the Winter. They are on 16 acres of good grass and getting 3 parts oats to 1 part maize meal daily. The bull is also out with a pb heifer on 12 acres for the moment.

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whelan2

How are the pedigrees doing for you?

Base price

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118286017#Comment_118286017

Well of the original 2 pbr heifers that I bought, 1 went in calf to a runt of a AAx runner (not planned) and she had a heifer calf and the other I had problems getting in calf. She eventually had a bull calf by SH4319 (Hussar of Upsall) that I sold this year (pbnr) at a year and a half for €1350. The AAx heifer is heading to the factory within the next week or so. Both are back in calf to the pbr SH bull that I bought in Autumn last year. I've sold a good few SHx/LMx, CHx/SHx, CHx, LMx, HEx, AAx crossbred cows that I bought in last Winter either in calf or with calves at foot and they were in calf to the same bull.

memorystick

20 bullocks on 8 acres of beet tops and 2 of grass. It’s not looking great having them out for the new year.

whelan2

Bringing in a group of 10 today

Danzy

Have 5 acres that badly need to be fed, while strip graze with weanlings for a few hours a day if there is cold dry conditions in Jan or Feb.

Fields grazed bare by sheep the last week in November are well setup now.

Bass Reeves

Killed the last two today. They were in the shed for the last 6-7 weeks. Both HO bullocks bought last year for 550 & 600 euro . They average 1425 euro, both P+3=. They used most of what was left in the bin, 7-8 bags of barley and 5-6 bags of maize.