Producer Eric Dobbe
Producer-
Reply to When to start grazing the green?
Hi Kate,
We have just enough moisture to keep most annuals alive but not really growing much – it’s been a tough couple of weeks watching a good germination thin out and wilt. We are still waiting for another good 10ml + rain event to wet up the root zone! Maybe tonight/tomorrow! Cows are still in a sacrifice paddock here. I don’t want to…
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Reply to How to Avoid Overgrazing
Photo is of
high density vs low density (neighbour) last summer and plantain responding to late summer rain.
Kate Tarrant -
Reply to How to Avoid Overgrazing
Kate, the intention is to match the experience that Mark described earlier regarding utilisation, trampling and manure on stockpiled feed over the non growing season.
This is best achieved with the high density grazing, which is a combination of small area and frequent moves. The main difference between the growing season and non growing will…
Kate Tarrant -
Reply to How to Avoid Overgrazing
Redmond, WA. Which is 20min out of Albany.
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Reply to How to Avoid Overgrazing
That’s awesome Mark to hear someone else’s experience with ‘total grazing’. There wouldn’t be too many around these parts that have heard about it.
I haven’t yet done the course but am thinking about it. I am going into my first summer under this system and so far so good.
Everyone around me is cutting silage and now hay, which is early due…
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Reply to Perennial Pasture Species for High Rainfall Mediterranean Regions
Dormancy of our temperate grasses is important in our dry summers. Chicory and plantain no problem but the grasses will lose persistence if they are summer active. I have seen failed paddocks of summer active tall fescue and seen perennial rye act as a biannual ( persisted one summer) of course there will be exceptions – valley floors that…
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Reply to How to Avoid Overgrazing
Stock density is really important. I have 70 cow, calf pairs and 20 heifers on about a ha/day to achieve the grazing pressure required.
It doesn’t matter if you get the daily area a bit wrong. I’m always learning and adjusting according to pasture biomass availability, composition and time of year. The point is you are not grazing the new…
Kate Tarrant and Steve Slape -
Reply to How to Avoid Overgrazing
Interesting discussion. I believe grazing management is the most important consideration for any livestock system. Our livestock are our employees – they work for us to improve soil function. I agree with your definition of overgrazing.
Essentially grazing management is all about managing time. I have applied the RCS and probably most…
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Reply to Perennial Pasture Species for High Rainfall Mediterranean Regions
I have successfully established chicory, plantain, cocksfoot, perennial veldt grass and phalaris over the last three seasons. I have tried winter active tall fescue as well, however it’s probably more suited to higher fertility loams. Where I have got it to grow, it goes reproductive too quickly.
Cocksfoot, veldt grass and chicory are good…
