Beef grazing 2024

Anto_Meath

Talking to a lad last week, he told me he put in his cattle 15th September 2023 & was hoping to let them out the weekend just gone...7 months that's a long winter that none of the experts would give you advice on.

Bass Reeves

Not strictly beef grazing. This was a scarfice paddock about an acre in size that was used by different bunches of cattle from mid December on. When the weather was really ad in March there was 10-12 bullocks in it for a fortnight.

Went at itvtiday with the chain harrow. It came up OK. Must pick the few stones, spread a bit of grass seed and fertlizer, roll it and it should be ok. Forgot to take a before photo.

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limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122058606#Comment_122058606

that’s some job looks like a perfect seed bed. It must have being a dry acre all the same. How many runs of the harrow did that you?? Is this an acre that gets the same treatment every year ??

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122058606#Comment_122058606

Good job bass. Simple way of reseeding

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122058675#Comment_122058675

Have not had to really scarfice a paddock in years. I did it in over lappimg runs about 4-5 approx. Around the edges (about 2') I could not drive hard at becase I would hit a pole I reversed the frame harrow 2-3 time and it roughened up the ground and I ran it around it again slowly after. I did the same with the corners and around the ESB pole. That is a Jarmet frame chain harrow I have it over 15 years. Ya happy enough with it. Must try to get grass seed without clover as I will have weeds in it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122058930#Comment_122058930

Ya cheap and cheerful, bag of seed, it will not need much fertlizer as plenty of cattle sh!t on it over the last couple months. A bit of gran lime, snail pellets, maybe one dag of 18.6.12 and when it starts to grow 30-40 units of N

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122059394#Comment_122059394

I’m borrowing one of them next week to harrow some poached ground wouldn’t be as bad as yours was was just badly damaged in December last year with the cows. Gona give it fertiliser one pass and roll it. Maybe mole plough it or I can do that in the summer after a cut of hay off it. I will be buying a harrow next year. Wasn’t sure which type to go with. But I’m looking forward to trying the same type as yours next week.

How does it work when there is abit off grass in a field does it pull it up? As I fertilised a meadow on Monday that’s was poached and I didn’t leave some tracks unfortunately was going to roll it next week but maybe I should harrow it first

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122059520#Comment_122059520

Hardest part if there is a bit of grass is keeping the front down. However it should just work away. It can be a bit sevear and bare the ground a bit. If you want to stop that lift the front slightly. Give it welly 8-10 MPH sometime a bit of grass seed in bare patches however ideally if you do that you need to be cutting it in 6-8 weeks

limo_100

I suppose that’s where the pin type Harrow would be easier in them kind of conditions. But they are two different types of harrows. I see the advantage in your type in terms of levelling land and getting rid of mole hills. I’m in no hurry to return it as all the pasture ground could do with a run of it this year but I will do them as there grazed. That would be heavy enough Harrow to still level in dry conditions wouldn’t it ?? Would you normally follow up with the roller or do u just Harrow bar when you seed.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122059673#Comment_122059673

If I put out seed I try to roll. Remember the three R's when putting out seed, Roll, roll and roll again

Packrat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122059673#Comment_122059673

Great info lads and that's a good job Bass.

Just a question Limo, when you say molehill do you mean from moles or just lumps from ants or in general.

As far as I knew we don't have moles here but I'm open to correction on that one?

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122060524#Comment_122060524

do you not we have loads around us 😉 only messing it’s what we call the holes left with cattle’s feet in bad weather that just fill and hold water. Also makes a travelling a field more difficult

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122059394#Comment_122059394

did 8 acres myself this week. Finished rolling at 9:30pm last night. It was rough enough so gave it two runs of land leveller and then 2 of chain harrow and came up pretty good.

The reseeding is probably the easy bit. The trick is in the grass management hereafter. Light and frequent grazings to keep down the old grass to allow new grass to establish.

Hershall

Last of the cattle went out yesterday morning they were six months in the shed. Dont know who was more fed up of it myself or the cattle. First of them went out two weeks ago and thriving away.

Conversations 3

How long after spreading protected urea until grazing?

24 units, good shot of rain since.

12 days ok?

Cavanjack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122086859#Comment_122086859

Ii hope so. Moved cattle into a paddock yesterday that got urea last Tuesday. Think it’s no harm. Heard of lads that spread with cattle in the field.

Conversations 3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122086911#Comment_122086911

Grand, I thought so but was doubting myself.

Hopefully the grazing kicks off the growth.

Thanks

Cavanjack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122086924#Comment_122086924

yeah regrowth’s have been non existent. Have cattle coming round to second rotations and grass is tight.

Dunedin

went out to a field this evening to shake fertiliser. It was a re seed from last September that was too wet to graze all winter and got too strong to graze so cut it for silage last Thursday. It was bone dry and never left a mark with drawing in the bales or the slurry when it went out afterwards.

Spots of it had water lying on it this evening. Hard to turn back when the shaker is full and I just want to get it done but some sickner to be firing good fertiliser into pools of water in places.

Cavanjack

Wass at the same carry on myself. Thought it dried a lot today.

Dozer1

Regrowth still very slow here, a few paddocks I baled as they were too strong to graze a few weeks back got a good coat of slurry and not great regrowth. At this stage might have to graze a meadow I had closed real prick of a year so far.

Packrat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122114767#Comment_122114767

Yes. Similar but it's hay/silage ground which was grazed, got a serious amount of slurry and is very slow. What grass is there in my grazing ground is putting up a great battle though.

mr.stonewall

Similar here, getting tight on grass, but the odds would be stack in our favour at this time of the year. The weather at the moment is a help

Siamsa Sessions

I offloaded a few yearling bullocks this week to reduce grass demand. I'd be grazing paddocks stopped for silage other than that.

Grass seems to have started to come thou in the last two days, not before time.

Cavanjack

Probably a very novice question but I’ve a good bit of urea and can spread on grazing ground after the first round but had to put cattle back into the paddocks quicker than I’d have liked. Maybe two weeks after the last grazing. Will the nitrogen still work after it’s grazed or does it go in the leaf of the grass that has been eaten?

mr.stonewall

The N goes to the soil and then the plant, should be there in the background to drive growth.

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122115396#Comment_122115396

off topic but what weight were your yearlings?

Good loser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122115525#Comment_122115525

Bit of both. 'Is being eaten' rather than 'has been eaten'. Effectively you will get most of the benefit that's in the urea.

Dozer1

Powerful burst of growth here today!

tractorporn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122132944#Comment_122132944

Tis badly wanted, i have about 10 days grazing in from of the finishing heifers and up until this weekend no regrowth even with 2 bags of pasture swarth gone out.

mr.stonewall

Completely turned for the better especially over the past 3 days. Heat is in the ground now after a bit of sunshine. Grass is starting to bomb