The grazing season

i think its game over :undecided:, place has greened but what growth is going to happen is going to be very poor. maybe its localised in pockets, but we just went into a massive soil deficit that no amount of normal rain will sort out. seeing cover crops struggling is a real worry as I had banked that there would be massive growth over the last few weeks but it hasnt materialised. nights are gone cold and daylight hours dropping off fast

The cover crops around here had to of lost money, 3bales to the ac was what I heard lads getting off them, if they were even fit to be cut (some weren't). As you said soil deficit too great.
 
Never seen ground as dry in mid October. Still 2 weeks of feeding left if it stays dry. If it stays growing like it is we might be able to graze weanlings well into November. Any which way it's well deserved bonus territory that we are in now.

We nearly take it for granted here being able to graze well into Nov ha, how much grows over the winter here makes a huge difference also, we'd often average 6/7kg per day across the full winter, that is worth 160 bales across the farm here, last winter we grew almost nothing from housing in Nov to Feb turnout, it's another reason why we ran out of fodder in April, despite having what we thought was the world of silage last nov ha. I'll be definitely keeping a closer eye on what we grow across the winter this year and will need to plan accordingly in jan/Feb.
 
We nearly take it for granted here being able to graze well into Nov ha, how much grows over the winter here makes a huge difference also, we'd often average 6/7kg per day across the full winter, that is worth 160 bales across the farm here, last winter we grew almost nothing from housing in Nov to Feb turnout, it's another reason why we ran out of fodder in April, despite having what we thought was the world of silage last nov ha. I'll be definitely keeping a closer eye on what we grow across the winter this year and will need to plan accordingly in jan/Feb.

I see 2 sides of it. In galway we can get away with housing until the end of october, usually, and we can grow enough grass over winter or get fertilizer out in early february to have grass in early March. In Leitrim, we rarely have cattle out beyond the 15th of october. (well cows anyway), and we often have to house in july and august in wet summers. We can often grow a lot of grass through the winter months but ground here never dries out enough to be graze until well into April and most often than not its the end of april.
 
I see 2 sides of it. In galway we can get away with housing until the end of october, usually, and we can grow enough grass over winter or get fertilizer out in early february to have grass in early March. In Leitrim, we rarely have cattle out beyond the 15th of october. (well cows anyway), and we often have to house in july and august in wet summers. We can often grow a lot of grass through the winter months but ground here never dries out enough to be graze until well into April and most often than not its the end of april.
Same as that, we have a saying
"we seldom run out of grass but we regularly run out of land"
As in land dry enough to put stock on.
 
I have something I didn't expect to have this backend. Too much grass.
I sold my heavy cattle 3 weeks ago and the weanlings aren't able to graze fast enough.
I have 2 months grazing or near enough if the weather held.
I don't want the hassle of making bales now, made a good few in early September and the aftergrass is flying growing.
 
I have something I didn't expect to have this backend. Too much grass.
I sold my heavy cattle 3 weeks ago and the weanlings aren't able to graze fast enough.
I have 2 months grazing or near enough if the weather held.
I don't want the hassle of making bales now, made a good few in early September and the aftergrass is flying growing.

Jaysus that's an awful way to be. I'm sure some generous member could send you up a lorry load of cattle for a month or two. Just to help you out like!!
 
So what you are saying tim818 is that you had cattle out last year 2017 until November and then inside only for 3 months and back out again in February ?
 
I have something I didn't expect to have this backend. Too much grass.
I sold my heavy cattle 3 weeks ago and the weanlings aren't able to graze fast enough.
I have 2 months grazing or near enough if the weather held.
I don't want the hassle of making bales now, made a good few in early September and the aftergrass is flying growing.
Similar situation here, from a famine to a feast, it will take me 'till early December to graze out the remainder, got about 20% finished for this year and if I was to take bales should have done so last weekend, land is in good shape to carry the stock and unless we get serious frost or constant rain I hope to get it utilised.
 
supply just keeping up with demand here, nearly all the big cattle are indoors for the last month so its only about 50% of the LW grazing. demand and supply about 45
 
So what you are saying tim818 is that you had cattle out last year 2017 until November and then inside only for 3 months and back out again in February ?

Last yr just about! A normal winter is housing anytime in Nov (early if it's wet and afc too low, late if we are very lucky), and then cows are nearly always out for a 3hr grazing from start of calving in feb, full time from whenever ground conditions allow but thats been getting trickier last few springs, what I find is there will always be afew very challenging weeks in March when sheds are totally full, not nearly enough cubicles for the number of milkers. March this year was the worst March we have ever experienced, I think the cows got about 3 days grazing done, I know many of yous down the country are envious of that haha, but the problem we had is we just were not prepared for it at all. It all convinced me that the whole low input, minimal housing, nz model just leaves you pulling your hair out, stressed to the max while animals are suffering during periods like that. Moving forward the aim will be to have a greater cushion during the spring, invest more in cubicles for milkers, have a better bank of milker quality fodder (grow more maize definitely considering the summer we have just had)
 
Why do people think that the "NZ model" is going to work here in Ireland , we are nothing like them, we have to house cows. We have to have storage for the slurry, their image with the NZ public is taking a bit of a bashing over what's happening to the environment and the whole "Bobby calf " thing ! Do we really want to go down that road ?
 
How much grass could we potentially leave on paddocks or meadow over winter for grazing in spring? Second cut made on September 1st on meadows. It will be 3 weeks until we get as far as it to graze. Its not too heavy but still nice thick short grass. If it gets wet i dont fancy poaching ground. If its left until the end of feburary will it be crap feeding?
 
It's getting near the end of the line for grazing here. I hope to get another week out of it before I have to house the majority of them. It's been an expensive year to grow grass here along with more meal used and diesel burnt. Any of the cattle that I was finishing I brought them back into the shed and fed them inside to spare the grass for the younger cattle. The paddocks I baled for silage in June and the hay meadows I got kept the silage pits closed and the cattle fed up to now without having to touch the main winters feed.
 
This field was ploughed in Aug I didn't think I would get it eating as the weather went against me, but the last few weeks have been fairly good I took a chance and put the cows in for a few hours so they wouldn't damage it
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Walked in to check on a bunch of cattle yesterday as was passing in the car...... in my runners........ in the last week of October. Up to this my association of cattle in October is trying to stay standing carrying bags of ration through skuttery gaps. Fantastic conditions making it a pleasure to farm.
 
As of today I've half of the cattle standing on slats. The majority of them will be in by the weekend. All in all its going better than I expected.
 
That's the wettest parts of the farm here finished up for the year with virtually no damage and well eaten off :Thumbp2: Best backend in many years.

These lads are strip/block grazing one of the driest fields here with meal. They will be housed at the weekend. I've never seen them as content all year despite the worsening conditions.
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That's the wettest parts of the farm here finished up for the year with virtually no damage and well eaten off :Thumbp2: Best backend in many years.

These lads are strip/block grazing one of the driest fields here with meal. They will be housed at the weekend. I've never seen them as content all year despite the worsening conditions.View attachment 59903
That big fella in the middle has a right bit of width to him. Are they all dairy stock?
 
That big fella in the middle has a right bit of width to him. Are they all dairy stock?

They are yes. Big lads are LMX, mid size ones are AAX as are the smaller lads bar that yoke with his flank to the left whose a BBX :scratchhead::scratchhead: (and I bought him :oops2:).
 
Why do people think that the "NZ model" is going to work here in Ireland , we are nothing like them, we have to house cows. We have to have storage for the slurry, their image with the NZ public is taking a bit of a bashing over what's happening to the environment and the whole "Bobby calf " thing ! Do we really want to go down that road ?
Think there's more scope to farm more land around here tho your country and mine there's an awful lot of land wasted.
Even if you go back to dingle everything is farmed.
 
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