nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

Grazing 2021

memorystick

Thought I’d start a thread so lads can share what’s going on on the grass front. Grass starting to move and place starting to dry out. Hoping to let cattle out next weekend to graze off silage ground. Still have bales left. Anyone with cattle out?

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

whelan2

At least you have feed for them

mayota

whelan2 wrote: »

At least you have feed for them

My brother has plenty pit left over. A week should make a great difference.

Alibaba

Fine set up.
I had to do the same last Saturday.
Disaster... but at least I've plenty of bales.
Supposed to get warm last week in May.. here's hoping huge burst of growth.

Hershall

mayota wrote: »

Put them in this evening. Grass very tight.

Put in some bks on monday to give fields a chance to recover. Theyre settled grand now hoping to get them back out next week as fields are greening up.

memorystick

It’s getting messy now. How are calves doing this year? Very hard on them with cold rain and no growth.

Dunedin

Dunedin wrote: »

I let 16 back into the bird cover again with a round bale. There’s a pick grass init too . Normally have it sown by now so glad I haven’t. Got a ton of sulpa can to shake on 16 acres of reseeded paddocks so a week in bird cover will give that a chance

Field was swimming after last night rain with zero dry lying for them so into the shed this evening. Hated doing it but no choice.

cacs

Dunedin wrote: »

Field was swimming after last night rain with zero dry lying for them so into the shed this evening. Hated doing it but no choice.

How are you finding grass this week. My farm cover is dropping like a stone at 550kg today. The cold weather and rain over the last week sent me into a tail spin. I may have to rehouse again.

Alibaba

cacs wrote: »

How are you finding grass this week. My farm cover is dropping like a stone at 550kg today. The cold weather and rain over the last week sent me into a tail spin. I may have to rehouse again.

Growth seems very slow.
Also ground very wet

Jb1989

Alibaba wrote: »

Growth seems very slow.
Also ground very wet

Its moveing here in monaghan. Old Ground I slurried 7 days ago is booming.

Bass Reeves

Jb1989 wrote: »

Its moveing here in monaghan. Old Ground I slurried 7 days ago is booming.

Ground really needed extra p&k this spring.

Jb1989

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Ground really needed extra p&k this spring.

I'd say your 100 percent right.

Alibaba

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Ground really needed extra p&k this spring.

Looks like a very good point ..

Dunedin

cacs wrote: »

How are you finding grass this week. My farm cover is dropping like a stone at 550kg today. The cold weather and rain over the last week sent me into a tail spin. I may have to rehouse again.

Grass not too bad and cattle let back out this evening. They’re on reseeded ground which got 2.5k slurry in March followed by 2 bags/acre of pasture sward and then got 1.25 bags/acre of sulpha can two weeks ago so it’s doing very well again.

I was all set to give them another bale this evening which would have left them in til Thursday but walked through it going herding the others and couldn’t believe how it dried so let them out again.

memorystick

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Ground really needed extra p&k this spring.

I need to do soil samples. I’m tight for grass. Tis one of the negative aspects about having sheep for the winter.

cacs

Dunedin wrote: »

Grass not too bad and cattle let back out this evening. They’re on reseeded ground which got 2.5k slurry in March followed by 2 bags/acre of pasture sward and then got 1.25 bags/acre of sulpha can two weeks ago so it’s doing very well again.

I was all set to give them another bale this evening which would have left them in til Thursday but walked through it going herding the others and couldn’t believe how it dried so let them out again.

I only have a small farm.
I went out with store Cattle on the 24 of Feb. I had them in for 17 days since. The cows and calfs have be in and out more times than i know. I am well into my third rotation. But it has been a very tough few months. I am based in the west and not in good ground. The land got Slurry in Early Feb followed by 30 Units of Nitrogen to the acre in March followed by 2 bags of 18.6.12.3S in April and now i am going back in with Prtoected urea 27 Units / acre every 20-25 days. My grass is mainly old and this is my real problem its nots not weather. It does not have the power. On my reseeded paddocks i have grown 4500kg of DM/ ha and on my old pastures i have grown 1800-3000kg / dm/HA.

Dinzee Conlee

cacs wrote: »

I only have a small farm.
I went out with store Cattle on the 24 of Feb. I had them in for 17 days since. The cows and calfs have be in and out more times than i know. I am well into my third rotation. But it has been a very tough few months. I am based in the west and not in good ground. The land got Slurry in Early Feb followed by 30 Units of Nitrogen to the acre in March followed by 2 bags of 18.6.12.3S in April and now i am going back in with Prtoected urea 27 Units / acre every 20-25 days. My grass is mainly old and this is my real problem its nots not weather. It does not have the power. On my reseeded paddocks i have grown 4500kg of DM/ ha and on my old pastures i have grown 1800-3000kg / dm/HA.

Not having a go now, but does it pay to be going out that often with fertilser?

I'm in the same boat myself a small bit, and maybe the answer is to reduce stocking rate rather than spending more money on fertilser...

Kevhog1988

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Not having a go now, but does it pay to be going out that often with fertilser?

I'm in the same boat myself a small bit, and maybe the answer is to reduce stocking rate rather than spending more money on fertilser...

Found that worked for me. reduced ewe numbers and had a higher lambing percentage. Better sending one ewe to the ram in great order and getting twins than two ewes in poor order and getting 2 singles is my way of looking at it.

ABitofsense

Walked the land this evening, paddocks finally starting to take off. Cows in nearly 2 weeks now so plan on letting them back out this Friday. Hopefully it stays this way for awhile

Alibaba

cacs wrote: »

I only have a small farm.
I went out with store Cattle on the 24 of Feb. I had them in for 17 days since. The cows and calfs have be in and out more times than i know. I am well into my third rotation. But it has been a very tough few months. I am based in the west and not in good ground. The land got Slurry in Early Feb followed by 30 Units of Nitrogen to the acre in March followed by 2 bags of 18.6.12.3S in April and now i am going back in with Prtoected urea 27 Units / acre every 20-25 days. My grass is mainly old and this is my real problem its nots not weather. It does not have the power. On my reseeded paddocks i have grown 4500kg of DM/ ha and on my old pastures i have grown 1800-3000kg / dm/HA.

I'm in a similar position. Been a really tough few months.
Still have around 30 stores inside , land swimming , grass very slow to grow on my old pastures also.
I'd say I was spoiled the last 3/4 years as loads of grass everywhere and thinking every year would be the same.
How quickly we forget the bad Springs.
Too many cattle now , will have to cut back.
Not going through this again.

Kevhog1988

Guaranteed a hape of sun now for at least a week lads, I spread 2 bags of fert last night and it never rains for a week after i do it

Reggie.

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

Guaranteed a hape of sun now for at least a week lads, I spread 2 bags of fert last night and it never rains for a week after i do it

Keep spreading for another while

_Brian

While grass has started moving on grazed ground we’re finding it still slow compared to other years.
With weather over last few days I’d expect it to be better. Even the lawn is growing very little.

Dunedin

Reggie. wrote: »

Keep spreading for another while

Jayus I’d nearly buy it for you

Dunedin

[quote="_Brian;117280512"[Even the lawn is growing very little.[/quote]

If the lawn grew a bit faster, I’d let a few stock in it........

Mooooo

cacs wrote: »

I only have a small farm.
I went out with store Cattle on the 24 of Feb. I had them in for 17 days since. The cows and calfs have be in and out more times than i know. I am well into my third rotation. But it has been a very tough few months. I am based in the west and not in good ground. The land got Slurry in Early Feb followed by 30 Units of Nitrogen to the acre in March followed by 2 bags of 18.6.12.3S in April and now i am going back in with Prtoected urea 27 Units / acre every 20-25 days. My grass is mainly old and this is my real problem its nots not weather. It does not have the power. On my reseeded paddocks i have grown 4500kg of DM/ ha and on my old pastures i have grown 1800-3000kg / dm/HA.

This winter soil test the farm to see where you are. See if any drainage is needed and after that then reseeding can be planned on if need be.

Bass Reeves

Mooooo wrote: »

This winter soil test the farm to see where you are. See if any drainage is needed and after that then reseeding can be planned on if need be.

Reseeding with drystock is very marginal. Reseeding will rule you out of GLAS for tradition pastures. As well next environmental scheme looks like it will have payments for mixed herbal type leys. I would hold tough. This year was an anomaly.....I hope a one in 6-7year event. I be slow spending money. Intensive drystock is not profitable

Ya soil test the farm, if it needs lime as well as P&K sort that. Stay away from reseeding

memorystick

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Reseeding with drystock is very marginal. Reseeding will rule you out of GLAS for tradition pastures. As well next environmental scheme looks like it will have payments for mixed herbal type leys. I would hold tough. This year was an anomaly.....I hope a one in 6-7year event. I be slow spending money. Intensive drystock is not profitable

Ya soil test the farm, if it needs lime as well as P&K sort that. Stay away from reseeding

I think our only option is to pursue a more traditional type of farming but with improved methods. No point in being a busy fool.

Mooooo

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Reseeding with drystock is very marginal. Reseeding will rule you out of GLAS for tradition pastures. As well next environmental scheme looks like it will have payments for mixed herbal type leys. I would hold tough. This year was an anomaly.....I hope a one in 6-7year event. I be slow spending money. Intensive drystock is not profitable

Ya soil test the farm, if it needs lime as well as P&K sort that. Stay away from reseeding

Point was soil test and drainage would be first port of call, reseeding after that if required/ worth it.
With regard to this spring, we've had worse in the last 5 years tbh, imo

Bass Reeves

Mooooo wrote: »

Point was soil test and drainage would be first port of call, reseeding after that if required/ worth it.
With regard to this spring, we've had worse in the last 5 years tbh, imo

Drainage only really pays if you are doing a large area to get economies of scale. What will cost 1K/ acre on a large scale project may cost 2-3k/ acre on a smaller scale. If you drain you generally reseed. For what to keep an extra Suckler cow or an extra 2-3 bullocks across 50-60 acres.

Yes I agree soil test and fertility first.I reseed 8+ years ago it along with the rules of GLAS prevented me from doing LIPP my scheme payments were 1800/ year instead of over 4k. Over 2k per year with GLAS running for 6-7 years that's 14-15k.

That's the profit from 8-12 bullocks per year and if I had lower stocking rate I would have a lower fertlizer bill. As well every time beef farmers reduce stocking levels it reduces price pressure on them when replacing stock

Profit not efficiency is what you should look at. Least punt of effort for maximum gain. The last 10% you make nothing out of

CloughCasey1

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Reseeding with drystock is very marginal. Reseeding will rule you out of GLAS for tradition pastures. As well next environmental scheme looks like it will have payments for mixed herbal type leys. I would hold tough. This year was an anomaly.....I hope a one in 6-7year event. I be slow spending money. Intensive drystock is not profitable

Ya soil test the farm, if it needs lime as well as P&K sort that. Stay away from reseeding

Jaysus Bass I don't know. I would have been absolutely fooked this spring if it wasn't for the performance of the reseeded ground. Point in case 7.6 acres of reseeded ground giving me back 87 bales with 28hrs wilt, cut with conditioner and tedded twice before raking. All my old ground is closed up for hay and is damn slow growing and it having 3.5 bags 18s +s. The grazing ground got bag urea in Feb and a bag 18s since and with the growth the last few days with the first bit of warmth of summer, has left me with a lot of daylight in front of me. I see lads paying stupid money on big tractors and jeeps an complaining that they have no grass. A small bit every year would make itself back when conditions for grass growth is tough. Reseeded 2 acres with a mixed species this spring on recommendation from a cousin so we'll see how this does for what the potential future holds.