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Measuring grass with PastureBase - yay or nay

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  • 19-06-2019 10:09am
    #1
    Siamsa Sessions
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,649 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Without going crazy we're pushing up numbers a bit at home and the oul grass-growing thing is kinda drifting into my mind now.

    I've started walking the place once a week (tis a nice walk as much as anything else) and am wondering now if an app would be easier than pen and paper, and a spreadsheet.

    So, does anyone on here use PastureBase? Is it expensive?

    Thanks.

    Trading as Sullivan’s Farm on YouTube



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    #2
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,627 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    I just started using it this year through Teagasc, not sure what it costs TBH but if the walk and spread sheet works for you, stay doing it. The key thing is the walk every week.

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



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    #3
    charolais0153
    Registered Users Posts: 6,225 ✭✭✭charolais0153


    Siamsa Sessions wrote: »
    Without going crazy we're pushing up numbers a bit at home and the oul grass-growing thing is kinda drifting into my mind now.

    I've started walking the place once a week (tis a nice walk as much as anything else) and am wondering now if an app would be easier than pen and paper, and a spreadsheet.

    So, does anyone on here use PastureBase? Is it expensive?

    Thanks.
    If you are a teagsc member it doesn’t cost anything,


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    #4
    Siamsa Sessions
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,649 Mod ✭✭✭✭Siamsa Sessions


    Thanks for the info.

    I’m not a Teagasc client so wondering now if I can even access it.

    Trading as Sullivan’s Farm on YouTube



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    #5
    Buford T. Justice XIX
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,633 ✭✭✭✭Buford T. Justice XIX


    Siamsa Sessions wrote: »
    Without going crazy we're pushing up numbers a bit at home and the oul grass-growing thing is kinda drifting into my mind now.

    I've started walking the place once a week (tis a nice walk as much as anything else) and am wondering now if an app would be easier than pen and paper, and a spreadsheet.

    So, does anyone on here use PastureBase? Is it expensive?

    Thanks.

    I'd be on Pasturebase with a grass group and it's a great tool for deciding if we should take out a paddock and move further on in the rotation or slow it down and add ration.

    You can keep track of fert inputs on it as well and it'll show paddocks not growing well that need investigation.


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    #6
    Siamsa Sessions
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,649 Mod ✭✭✭✭Siamsa Sessions


    Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »
    I'd be on Pasturebase with a grass group and it's a great tool for deciding if we should take out a paddock and move further on in the rotation or slow it down and add ration.

    You can keep track of fert inputs on it as well and it'll show paddocks not growing well that need investigation.

    Thanks. Having a timeline of what's happening field-by-field would be very useful

    Trading as Sullivan’s Farm on YouTube



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    #7
    Buford T. Justice XIX
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,633 ✭✭✭✭Buford T. Justice XIX


    Siamsa Sessions wrote: »
    Thanks. Having a timeline of what's happening field-by-field would be very useful
    I'm not 100% on it myself but it's a great guide. It takes time to build up trust.


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    #8
    Siamsa Sessions
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,649 Mod ✭✭✭✭Siamsa Sessions


    Just to close the loop here - I started using PastureBase last week and am currently loading in the info from the handwritten notes of the past 6 weeks.

    It doesn't cost anything to get involved and is very straightforward to use. Have the app on my phone now but you need to set it up on a laptop first.

    Seems useful so far anyway

    Trading as Sullivan’s Farm on YouTube



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    #9
    wrangler
    Registered Users Posts: 11,064 ✭✭✭✭wrangler


    Siamsa Sessions wrote: »
    Just to close the loop here - I started using PastureBase last week and am currently loading in the info from the handwritten notes of the past 6 weeks.

    It doesn't cost anything to get involved and is very straightforward to use. Have the app on my phone now but you need to set it up on a laptop first.

    Seems useful so far anyway

    As you can imagine the other half is into it here, I thought she was mad to bother on our ten acres but it's really useful. I'd say we should be going with nitrogen and she'd say there's fourteen days grass ahead ...... and she'd be right, saved a sh.. load of fertiliser, annnd sold two acres of silage.
    We're sailing close to the wind as regards grazing so it's very very useful here
    Anyway best of luck with it


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    #10
    Siamsa Sessions
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,649 Mod ✭✭✭✭Siamsa Sessions


    wrangler wrote: »
    As you can imagine the other half is into it here, I thought she was mad to bother on our ten acres but it's really useful. I'd say we should be going with nitrogen and she'd say there's fourteen days grass ahead ...... and she'd be right, saved a sh.. load of fertiliser, annnd sold two acres of silage.
    We're sailing close to the wind as regards grazing so it's very very useful here
    Anyway best of luck with it

    Takes the guess-work out it and means you're not trying to remember what's available where. Haven't spread any fertiliser here since early June either.

    I'm assuming you measure for sheep rather than cattle? That's a mistake I made starting off. When we'd be measuring on the green cert course it was all on the suckler paddocks so I was used to cattle measures, but 1,200 for cattle is over 1,400 for sheep. Anyway, you live and learn!

    Trading as Sullivan’s Farm on YouTube



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    #11
    wrangler
    Registered Users Posts: 11,064 ✭✭✭✭wrangler


    Siamsa Sessions wrote: »
    Takes the guess-work out it and means you're not trying to remember what's available where. Haven't spread any fertiliser here since early June either.

    I'm assuming you measure for sheep rather than cattle? That's a mistake I made starting off. When we'd be measuring on the green cert course it was all on the suckler paddocks so I was used to cattle measures, but 1,200 for cattle is over 1,400 for sheep. Anyway, you live and learn!

    Yea, a sheep pasture is supposed to be a lot thicker at the butt


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    #12
    Siamsa Sessions
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,649 Mod ✭✭✭✭Siamsa Sessions


    wrangler wrote: »
    Yea, a sheep pasture is supposed to be a lot thicker at the butt

    Sheep will graze lower than cattle too so will get more than cattle from the same cover, as well as thickening up the sward.

    Every dairy farmer who fancies himself as a grass expert should have a few sheep! Maybe that could be a new market for us sheep farmers :)

    Trading as Sullivan’s Farm on YouTube



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