Grass Measurement

humungus said:
at last someone that agrees with me or has the courage to say it, discussion group was pissed off with our advisor ramming it down our throats so we threatened to dig a hole and bury his clippers and square :angry:, i can see merit in a very big herd where a manager isn,t out in the fields every day keeping an eye on the grass but most lads are going for the cows themselves and spreading their own fert and slurry and have a fair handle on things
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I have the same problem with cereals as I learned FeeKs Growth stages which I was used to Then they came along with the Zadoks scale in 1979 . As I was growing 4 tonne crops in the 1980,s I could not be arsed learning the new scale and I do it by eye date temperature weather . One day an adviser called in and he walked a few crops with me . He said we should put on the CCC in about five days as it had not reached the growth stage . When we came to a big field of wheat just as he was repeating spraying in five or six days my brother came over the hill finishing off spraying the CCC. He has forgotten more about chemicals than most advisers ever knew .
The growth stage of the crop is important . So is windy weather , Wet weather ,Ground conditions , Workload , holidays , family commitments and 100 other issues . I would fail an exam if I was asked the Zadoks scale which I have a fair idea of but I am not standing out in a Field listening to some adviser looking for growth stage 30 and ignoring other issues .
 
I did grass measure on the farm where I done my placement so had a little knowledge. Remember been in college and it freezing cold and they were heading to a paddock to measure grass, I. can tell you where I headed for. They were ramming it down our throats but had the Keenan going ninty in the yard feeding. I'd be more worried about paddock size. Lay them up for summer grazing. I try to have cows in and out in two grazings 3 at a push as I find they get pissed off going back to the same paddock and milk will drop. Don't be afraid to use a mower if you have to, but don't go in straight away leave it for a day and allow any grass walked into the ground to stand up again so you get a good clean cut. If grass is alittle over your ankle cows will do a good clean out and milk well. Anything more you are hitting mower territory ( in my view). They are plate meters out now that are linked to a app some as you walk along and drop the meter in a paddock it sends the info back to the app, but be prepared to have the cheque book out. Notting wrong with eye balling but walk with someone who has a good idea 1st
 
padraig barron said:
Used to be in a discussion group and every meeting all it was, was measure grass. Completly turned me off. Grass is great and we know how to farm it to the limit. Some people get caught up on grass wedges and like to see the line running perfect on that, and maybe forget that just because there is grass there the DM might be low and cows will under perform. If you are on a 21 day rotation and suddenly you on day 15 and you can see two weeks grass ahead by counting up grazings ahead of you, well time to get the mower out or pull on buffer feed. It's for some people but not for me. You are in the heart of dairying down there surely someone who you could shadow at measuring
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We were in a discussion group and had the opposite effect. Wed be out in the field first and grass for 15 minutes. Then two og the lads would start the grass against ration argument, then the friesian against jersey argument. I collected the 750 euro and never went back. We had the group meeting this morning and had a great discussion about grass and soils and what we should have been doing to get more grazed. The total focus is on growing and eating grass and id prefet it to a jumping talk from grass to breeds to silage to ration to calves and lads arguing for the sake of it.
Sure isnt that why I got married:scared:
 
podge 23 said:
Has any 1 got lads doing grass measuring for them (like a service I mean ) and what are the main advantages of measuring grass ??
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My neighbor is getting in somebody to do his as it guarantees it will be done during the busy times as he works on his own. It is easier to hire in skilled people like grass measurement and machinery contractors in to do work than unskilled that have to be intensively supervised.
 
kverneland es 80 said:
We have cork grassland services doing ours with the last yr .going with them again this yr especially now that derrigation farms need to be grass measuring
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He has a fine business going really grew quickly for him expanded it well into the mapping and selling all the items accosiated with the grass measuring side of things....I only follow him on social media.... is it an expensive exercise for the year
 
World is gone mad. There used to be an expression about mean people around here that - "they would see the grass growing"
 
And what do ye find is the advantage of doing it compared to not doing it then ?
Like is it putting cows into grass thats too strong or what ...
 
podge 23 said:
And what do ye find is the advantage of doing it compared to not doing it then ?
Like is it putting cows into grass thats too strong or what ...
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I think you would be best shadow a fella that is measuring grass for awhile it will give you a good idea of covers and how best to manage it. Personally I try keep covers about 1200kg for cows to go into. After that the mower is out once i can see a week or two of grass ahead of me. I don't measure but I do what what is going on.
 
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