silage all the way, zero grazing is too unstable and compaction is higher in zero grazing systems
It has a place, but just like the machines used to make silage, I just don't understand how some can say how zero grazing can lift yields?
If our cows go out to our paddocks over the next 4 weeks and go back in yields; I don't understand how cutting similar grass will lift yields ( when upping concentrate and feeding silage does)
I can see it extending the grass platform, but there does come a time when both stock and machinery is best left off land.
Everybody tells me the lift yields, butter fat and protein; but if a guy that had plenty of grass in the paddocks said the concept worked over grazing I'd like to know more, over a person that had no grass and was zero Grazing from outside the grazing platform.
I'm open to knowing more, but I don't believe much of the hype so far?
I totally get how zg suits farmers that need an extended platform. But I'm not convinced that it's a system for every dairy farmer.
I'm far from an expert, but I would have thought silage made from good grass in the summer, has to be better than wet grass, sodden in the coming weeks?
Well that blows my theory on silage verses zero grazer? Is this the case all year round, ie nov, dec, jan?
For us, keeping on grass makes better cheese- which swings in favour of a zero grazer?
But I remember a few years back zero grazing and the cows kept dropping til they got silage, and rocketed back up??
Looks like I might have this arseways!
Well I don't like differing with you, but do you remember after the real heavy frost that all the grass in the fields was burnt into what can only be described as wet hay? Teagasc tested this grass in Feb and found it to be 75% DMD.
My take on it is if the grass is grazable, graze it. If you cant graze it, then zero graze it, if you can't do that then feed them silage.
Posted from the Ham Bone using Crapatalk 2
Yes but zero grazing is extra capital, extra time, diesel and your tied to it, as you don't have an alternative. By that I mean if the zero grazer breaks down, you need to get it running as that grass needs to get shifted.
But zero grazing has a cost per day. I'd say €100 min; and to recoup that's a fair bit of milk.
Let's look at our farm as an example. Our silage ground is out of reach of cows grazing. There's regrowth but it's destined for our dry stock.
We have grass ahead of cows and last week we finished our last cut but I purposely left grass for the cows to graze as these fields were within reach and this recent weather suits cows out.
Winter is coming and once the overnight frost and rain; daylight will decline, growth, dry matter protein etc will fall. Grass alone won't sustain the cow, so why will zero grazing at that point in time?
I totally get how zg suits farmers that need an extended platform. But I'm not convinced that it's a system for every dairy farmer.
I'm far from an expert, but I would have thought silage made from good grass in the summer, has to be better than wet grass, sodden in the coming weeks?
Well I don't like differing with you, but do you remember after the real heavy frost that all the grass in the fields was burnt into what can only be described as wet hay? Teagasc tested this grass in Feb and found it to be 75% DMD.
My take on it is if the grass is grazable, graze it. If you cant graze it, then zero graze it, if you can't do that then feed them silage.
Posted from the Ham Bone using Crapatalk 2
silage is a far better system than zero grazing, far less time cutting the grass, least amount of compaction than any other system, highest grass yield per acre of any other system, more control of feed than any other system.
For buffer feeding during the grazing period, zero grazing is the way to go IMO, Silage cuts yields and solids and is not all rosey with time either. It's takes about 3 times longer for them to eat it which means the cows are on concrete for a lot longer which is time consuming and unhealthy. The silage has to be cut, baled, wrapped, drew in, stacked, opened again, and fed out, I'd argue that a wagon that picks up and feeds out about 10 bales worth in half an hour or less is less time consuming.
You've said yourself that cutting grass lighter results in higher yields as you'd be doing with zero grazing.
I'm not advocating zero grazing over grazing I want to be very clear on that here, but as far as I can see, it's the best way to buffer feed when there's a shortage as Diesel was pointing out.
Posted from the Ham Bone using Crapatalk 2
i propose silage as a viable alternative to both grazing and zero grazing, especially when land is at all a limiting factor.
Totally chasing your tail in my view, if land is limiting, why bother expanding, can you not just stick with whatever cow numbers that block can hold, and make that as efficient as possible.
How much is a ZG setup? I can certainly see your point of view Bruce, of any of the uses of ZR, buffer feeding is about the only one that makes sense in the Irish grass system, however I think you'd struggle to justify the capital cost. Perhaps if you pooled with afew farmers, or a contractor had one? I myself would just probably take the hit, and order in nuts. Fed in the parlour, end of story. (Ok as you's can probably tell by now, I'm very anti-machinery ha, I'll do anything but waste the day doing circles around a field ha!)
Didn't think about a wagon, two birds with one stone so!