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I don't fancy kale but...

  • 19-12-2013 11:31AM
    #1
    locky76
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 869 ✭✭✭


    I have read all the kale threads and like the sound of outwintering cattle however I am permanently scarred from picking stones in my childhood so I don't like the idea of ploughing, anyway here's my plan for next year...
    • Graze off a rough 8 acres field we have in late August/Early September
    • Spread 1 bag of pasture sward to the acre
    • Drop in 20 bales of silage made at this time around the headland
    • Buy in 12 light weanlings in September and forward graze them ahead of the cows & calves around the rest of the farm
    • Pop them into the 8 acre field in late November and strip graze them through it giving them a bale of silage every third day
    • Give them 2kgs of meal per day also with the troughs set up in a stoney gap, I'll set up a JFC one tonne meal bin beside it so no lugging meal down the fields
    • The field has a nice bit of shelter so they should be fine in this regard
    • Move them out of the field when it is grazed off and all bales are eaten, early to mid February
    • Start grazing the rest of the farm with them
      Lime the field accordingly
    • Spray off and reseed the field by grass harrowing & land levelling
    My thinking is that it is a cheap way of wintering cattle and also of stirring up the soil a bit ahead of a reseed without tearing it asunder...
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056922472


Comments

  • #2
    jersey101
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,190 ✭✭✭jersey101


    locky76 wrote: »
    I have read all the kale threads and like the sound of outwintering cattle however I am permanently scarred from picking stones in my childhood so I don't like the idea of ploughing, anyway here's my plan for next year...
    • Graze off a rough 8 acres field we have in late August/Early September
    • Spread 1 bag of pasture sward to the acre
    • Drop in 20 bales of silage made at this time around the headland
    • Buy in 12 light weanlings in September and forward graze them ahead of the cows & calves around the rest of the farm
    • Pop them into the 8 acre field in late November and strip graze them through it giving them a bale of silage every third day
    • Give them 2kgs of meal per day also with the troughs set up in a stoney gap, I'll set up a JFC one tonne meal bin beside it so no lugging meal down the fields
    • The field has a nice bit of shelter so they should be fine in this regard
    • Move them out of the field when it is grazed off and all bales are eaten, early to mid February
    • Start grazing the rest of the farm with them
      Lime the field accordingly
    • Spray off and reseed the field by grass harrowing & land levelling
    My thinking is that it is a cheap way of wintering cattle and also of stirring up the soil a bit ahead of a reseed without tearing it asunder...
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056922472

    could do what i did this year, cut silage in august, got a disc harrow in, 3 runs of the field, put out forage rape sed in manure spinner. We grazed the 12 acres in a month alright but therd was 90 animals on 12 ac, the grass also grew back up. Come feb now i will spray it off, spread muck on it and disc it again and sow it


  • #3
    GERMAN ROCKS
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,796 ✭✭✭GERMAN ROCKS


    1 bag of pasture sward wont be enough. id go with 4 bags of 18.6.12 myself of if theres high p+ks 3 bags of pasture sward.


  • #4
    Farmer Pudsey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,326 ✭✭✭Farmer Pudsey


    An independent disc harrow may be an answer however if set on this method you should use Rape instead of kale if going late in the year. You ill need to spray off ground then graze tight. To get a fairy decent crop Rape should be planted first week in August. Disc or lightly harrow ground.

    For kale the fertilizer requirement is 80 units N 30 units P and 60 units K. If you have access to slurry 2K gallons/acre should be adequate and two bags of Can/acre one with sulphur. ( idealy spread sulphur earlier in the year to let it become available.)


    You can mix the seed with the CAN but make sure that you keep the runs tight as kale seed will not spread as far as fertilizer Do at least two runs one in each direction. I would also use a bag of gran lime/acre as ground limestone will leave ground very soft.

    If you can find a way of spreading seed without fertilizer the slurry could go on top of seed and spread can 1-2 weeks after.

    By the way you will need more than 12 weanlings to eat this down no need for meal or silage put iodine in water every day vet will tell you the rate and straw will so instead of silage. They only need a limited amount piking into a round feeder may be an option or 1-2 small square bales if prices is right or a bit of rough hay.

    If you get them out in February let it green up and spray off it will also need time to dry out problem with bales is area around feeders will be very wet/soft. I would try to disc before reseeding after wards chain harrow (frames one) will give good level bed.

    The most important thing is to post emergence spray as you may have a lot of weed seeds after kale and old pasture.


  • #5
    Username John
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,237 ✭✭✭Username John


    Farmer Pudsey wrote: »
    The most important thing is to post emergence spray as you may have a lot of weed seeds after kale and old pasture.

    hi Pudsey,

    Is rape the same for weeds? I thought rape cleared off a field, we sowed it a few times years ago on ground that was reclaimed. I always assumed it was cos it cleared the ground of weeds? :confused:


  • #6
    Farmer Pudsey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,326 ✭✭✭Farmer Pudsey


    Username John wrote: »
    hi Pudsey,

    Is rape the same for weeds? I thought rape cleared off a field, we sowed it a few times years ago on ground that was reclaimed. I always assumed it was cos it cleared the ground of weeds? :confused:

    When you broadcast kale/rape/turnips you cannot spray, rape as not too bad as it is late in the year and it will out grow them to a certain extent however I found kale a disaster for weeds and when I reseeded after I had loads of annual and perennial weeds.


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  • #7
    keep going
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,551 ✭✭✭keep going


    Correct me if im wrong but you are not setting rape just strip grazing for the winnter and then reseeding which I think is a good plan but I would round up it in the spring.cross compliance mighnt like it but you might get away with 11 years out of 12


  • #8
    severeoversteer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 871 ✭✭✭severeoversteer


    has anyone tried to bale kale?

    is it abit stemmy for the plastic


  • #9
    Sam Kade
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,297 ✭✭✭✭Sam Kade


    severeoversteer wrote: »
    has anyone tried to bale kale?

    is it abit stemmy for the plastic
    I baled rape it wasn't great as it never dried out. They used to have certain varieties of kale for baling in the UK when it was a craze over there. They sowed it in April and baled it in early July and fertilized the regrowth for a grazing before reseeding in Autumn.


  • #10
    locky76
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 869 ✭✭✭locky76


    Folks,
    Apologies but you have misunderstood me, I don't want to sow kale, I want to strip graze a heavy cover of grass over theen winter with bales of silage positioned along the headland in August/September to boost it up and 2 kgs of meal as well.
    And then spray it off and reseed it in the spring...
    Cheap way to winter weanlings and stir up a bad paddock ahead of a min-till in the spring.
    What do ye think?


  • #11
    ABlur
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 842 ✭✭✭ABlur


    locky76 wrote: »
    Folks,
    Apologies but you have misunderstood me, I don't want to sow kale, I want to strip graze a heavy cover of grass over theen winter with bales of silage positioned along the headland in August/September to boost it up and 2 kgs of meal as well.
    And then spray it off and reseed it in the spring...
    Cheap way to winter weanlings and stir up a bad paddock ahead of a min-till in the spring.
    What do ye think?

    Not sure but think you may run into problems with the Cross Compliance brigade under Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC). Doesn't Limerick have one of the highest rates of penalties under the SPS scheme?
    Something on GAEC here:
    http://www.teagasc.ie/environment/cross_compliance/GAEC.asp


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  • #12
    PatQfarmer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 597 ✭✭✭PatQfarmer


    severeoversteer wrote: »
    has anyone tried to bale kale?

    is it abit stemmy for the plastic

    I baled it years ago. Around 18-20 bale/acre, if I remember right?
    Double-wrapped after carting to yard, no punctured plastic.
    Sold it to a dairy lad, who asked me for years after would I grow it again:)


  • #13
    keep going
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,551 ✭✭✭keep going


    PatQfarmer wrote: »
    I baled it years ago. Around 18-20 bale/acre, if I remember right?
    Double-wrapped after carting to yard, no punctured plastic.
    Sold it to a dairy lad, who asked me for years after would I grow it again:)

    I enquired last year about and was discouraged on the basis its very lowdm ithink 10 to 12 %


  • #14
    severeoversteer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 871 ✭✭✭severeoversteer


    eblex website in uk reckon it can be wilted to 25 % dm and 17/18% crude protein they call it kaleage !


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