Also. I’ve seen heavy land with much money spent on it and still was never a patch on good land, not even close.Is it possible to milk cows on heavy soils that would get soft quickly be poached easily ,is there any way around this apart from putting money into drainage
i have a brother farming in that area and he would be a mt later than us and we would be only 50 miles south of himHave. A great friend from down near Carrignavar way in cork.excellent land. They’d always have their cows out around mid March without a bother. We’d always be a month later .. with heavy land and of course their land would be better performing. You can drain and reseed all you want but when it’s heavy, muddy clay underneath with adequate but not great surface; then money will only take it so far. Never be the same as good land.
If I done the maths correctly, 1" to the acre is 100 cubic meters.Was looking into adding sand to land to help drain the top several inches. 1in sand to 6in soil apparently makes a good mix. Tried a few plant pots with it in a heavy soil at home, mixed half soil half sand and 1 to 6 and just pure soil. Half n half dried out quickest, 1 in 6 dried slower, the soil on its own dried very slow you'd say it was moist for a week where the other 2 were dry after a day and it dried into clumps where the other 2 were like tilled soil.
Stock the farm at 2 cows for every dry acre. So if you have 30 good acres, 60 cows. The other land can be used when dry and for silage. Have a way set up that you can feed silage in the yard on slats after milking if needed. Concentrate on getting the grazing ground setup with a road, electric fencing and water troughs, not in the ditch but in the middle of fields so cows can stand around them. Have the fields set up that you can allocate the grass as the cows require using temporary fences.Is it possible to milk cows on heavy soils that would get soft quickly be poached easily ,is there any way around this apart from putting money into drainage
Roughly yea, maybe 110 cubic metres which is about 170tonIf I done the maths correctly, 1" to the acre is 100 cubic meters.
How many acres are you planning to cover? What's the price of sand? Sounds an expensive experiment.Roughly yea, maybe 110 cubic metres which is about 170ton
I might try an acre at some point, sand is 8 to 12 euro a ton collected, my brother is a hauler so I can get it delivered pretty cheap on back loads if I'd like.How many acres are you planning to cover? What's the price of sand? Sounds an expensive experiment.
That sounds like a feasible plan. You'll get your 1" to the acre eventually but every little helps.I might try an acre at some point, sand is 8 to 12 euro a ton collected, my brother is a hauler so I can get it delivered pretty cheap on back loads if I'd like.
I'm bedding a pen of calves in sand right now to see if it's feasible to use it for milkers in the future, estimate I'd need about 350 to 500 ton annually, I'd bed the cows in a loose house no cubicles, then I'd take that sand out annually and bed the yearlings on it, year after it would go out on the land theoretically.
Like most things it sounds too easy to work, it would be great if it has a double use but at the same time if it didn't improve soil I can just wash it and reuse it.That sounds like a feasible plan. You'll get your 1" to the acre eventually but every little helps.
It will have an effect but it might just take too long to be noticeable.Like most things it sounds too easy to work, it would be great if it has a double use but at the same time if it didn't improve soil I can just wash it and reuse it.
I think sand is 2.4 to 2.6 specific gravity. Therefore your 1” to the acre would be 100mt cubed by minimum 2.4 = 240 ton.
Good idea and interesting experiments but Jasus twod be some amount of work.
That sounds ok but that’s per acre!!!!240 ton is only 12 lorry load, a lime spreader would soon put it on
Yep. I remember that in the 70s before it was stopped. Used fling it out on the cubicles with a shovel from the trailer.There was a time when lads would take sand from the beach or dunes to use for bedding.