Time to slash
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:39 am
Hello,
I have recently finished both books and trying to get my head around some stuff.
I manage a 520 acre cattle property on the sunshine coast. It is flat as a tack and definately flood plain. I have a boundry on one side of a semi tidal river. On the southern side and centre of the property the local council have a large ring tank (10m x100m x 200m) or larger and all water above the ground.
I only manage the property and started cell grazing (not strictly but moving the cattle every 5 days or so) the property in August which was a change from half summer half winter usage. Do not tell the boss but I gave up spraying thistle in October 08 in the belief that the good guys would choke out the bad guys. I have a had a great rain season so it turned out I might be right. I carry 160 cows plus calves
I have got either a natural pond or man made waterhole in each paddock. Sincing moving the cattle around I have got more feed then I know what to do with. I have large amounts of both weeds and feeds. Weeds - mainly the covering protective type like onion grass ( sorry I know no other term) and I think a good bio diversity. Reeds in the wetter parts, trees in each paddock (not a third). probably 4 or 5 types of good grasses with probably more types of weeds. This is not all of the species. Best evidence is that my cattle are fat even the cows with bigger calves on them. Despite the rainfall this is not easy to achieve on the coastal lighter country.
High rainfall over 21 inches this year already (abnormal) and it takes a long time to drain away which together with the water just sitting in the man made hole suggests to me a high water table.
As I only manage the property I do not know if I could mulch, bale and reposition in a better place. So i am thinking of just mulching the each paddock as the cattle use them. With my limited knowledge I was planning to do this at the begining of spring when it starts to warm up and and the growth kicks in. We do not get any real growth through the winter and i did not want to mulch now in case I ran out of feed over the next few winter months?
So for the long winded email but I was just try ing to give the whole picture. When should I be slashing? I am thinking that some slashing is better then none? How often? any suggestions? any more things to read on this topic?
I have recently finished both books and trying to get my head around some stuff.
I manage a 520 acre cattle property on the sunshine coast. It is flat as a tack and definately flood plain. I have a boundry on one side of a semi tidal river. On the southern side and centre of the property the local council have a large ring tank (10m x100m x 200m) or larger and all water above the ground.
I only manage the property and started cell grazing (not strictly but moving the cattle every 5 days or so) the property in August which was a change from half summer half winter usage. Do not tell the boss but I gave up spraying thistle in October 08 in the belief that the good guys would choke out the bad guys. I have a had a great rain season so it turned out I might be right. I carry 160 cows plus calves
I have got either a natural pond or man made waterhole in each paddock. Sincing moving the cattle around I have got more feed then I know what to do with. I have large amounts of both weeds and feeds. Weeds - mainly the covering protective type like onion grass ( sorry I know no other term) and I think a good bio diversity. Reeds in the wetter parts, trees in each paddock (not a third). probably 4 or 5 types of good grasses with probably more types of weeds. This is not all of the species. Best evidence is that my cattle are fat even the cows with bigger calves on them. Despite the rainfall this is not easy to achieve on the coastal lighter country.
High rainfall over 21 inches this year already (abnormal) and it takes a long time to drain away which together with the water just sitting in the man made hole suggests to me a high water table.
As I only manage the property I do not know if I could mulch, bale and reposition in a better place. So i am thinking of just mulching the each paddock as the cattle use them. With my limited knowledge I was planning to do this at the begining of spring when it starts to warm up and and the growth kicks in. We do not get any real growth through the winter and i did not want to mulch now in case I ran out of feed over the next few winter months?
So for the long winded email but I was just try ing to give the whole picture. When should I be slashing? I am thinking that some slashing is better then none? How often? any suggestions? any more things to read on this topic?