In Ireland, dairy herds usually run 21 paddocks. For beef perhaps hslf that number ( 2 day paddocks) wouldn't supplementary feed. A remote controlled fencer unit is very handy. Switch it off when moving the wire. Most use pigtail posts, a lot easier carrying a bundle, than those angle iron yokes.
How much of the total pasture is the loafing paddock? From the drone, it looked like it could be as big as one third to one half the total pasture. Is it big enough that you can fully swap roles between it and the strip grazing area between years? (So, if the loafing paddock is 1/3 the total, it only has to be continuously grazed once every three years -- if 1/2 the total, it is continuously grazed every other year). Basically, I'm looking for a little more info to be able to implement this. We have a pasture that was previously continuously grazed, but has been fallow for a few years. The pond is centered East to West, but is all the way at the South end. So, any wagon wheel rotation would look more like a rising sun breaking above the horizon. The other options seemed to be either running water to several points (expensive), or putting using a lane back to the pond (compaction and erosion issues). This is the first I've heard of a large loafing paddock, and it seems to be a good balance between reducing overuse and reducing expense when moving to rotational grazing with our water situation. More info, details, tips or pitfalls are greatly appreciated.
I just use three wire runs for my cattle, a front fence, a back fence and a guard fence. The guard is basically the next bit of grazing. No paddock that is constantly grazed
We have a perimeter fence of permanent single strand, high tensile wire. Then within the field I use single strand poly wire. The cattle get their daily allocation of grass with a front and back fence. The third is a guard fence of the next day's grass, so if they escape that's as far as they go. Next day I let them through to the new paddock and move the back fence to be the next day's grazing and a guard fence. So they don't have a sacrifice paddock
Way easier than the way we've done it. One problem with tape - depending on their disposition, they won't eat everything, but will go aggro and push through the tape when they've decided they want to move on - leaving behind less desirable stuff which then must be scythed/slashed.
@farmlearningtim Do you understand why the loafing paddock is so big? If the strips are so productive, you'd think the loafing paddock would be a tiny percentage of the overall area.
Because he is using the tools (fences) he inherited and making the best of it. Yes, you could build new fences and concentrate more effort on strip grazing but that would require investment. Sometimes that's not an option. That’s why the idea of working with what you have was discussed in the introduction to the video. I might go into this in greater detail in the future if I have a chance.
They are losing a lot of productivity by having a stand off area having water pumped to were the cattle are grazing using three reels filled with polywire and three sets of pigtail posts would far easier one paddock is always setup ahead of the cattle just reel the middle wire a bit to move cattle to next break the back fence on last grazed reel up and setup next break ahead of cattle far easier and always have two fences ahead of cattle water is the single biggest limiting factor poor water infrastructure rotational grazing is difficult
Good morning, Tim, great episode, just love the fact that Rod and his family have been doing this for generations. Cheers
Those gates… and my husband has already purchased some and we have installed our first one with a few more to replace. Awesome gate 👍🏻
In Ireland, dairy herds usually run 21 paddocks. For beef perhaps hslf that number ( 2 day paddocks) wouldn't supplementary feed.
A remote controlled fencer unit is very handy. Switch it off when moving the wire.
Most use pigtail posts, a lot easier carrying a bundle, than those angle iron yokes.
My fence charger is hooked up to a smart outlet. I can turn it on and off from anywhere.
Can you show me more about gate with the extra break in it so it folds against the fenceline each way?
Gate Swings Both Ways! Clever Gate Design Solves Multiple Problems
th-cam.com/video/rGHP3CY8vJg/w-d-xo.html
Thank you great content
How much of the total pasture is the loafing paddock? From the drone, it looked like it could be as big as one third to one half the total pasture. Is it big enough that you can fully swap roles between it and the strip grazing area between years? (So, if the loafing paddock is 1/3 the total, it only has to be continuously grazed once every three years -- if 1/2 the total, it is continuously grazed every other year).
Basically, I'm looking for a little more info to be able to implement this. We have a pasture that was previously continuously grazed, but has been fallow for a few years. The pond is centered East to West, but is all the way at the South end. So, any wagon wheel rotation would look more like a rising sun breaking above the horizon. The other options seemed to be either running water to several points (expensive), or putting using a lane back to the pond (compaction and erosion issues).
This is the first I've heard of a large loafing paddock, and it seems to be a good balance between reducing overuse and reducing expense when moving to rotational grazing with our water situation. More info, details, tips or pitfalls are greatly appreciated.
I’m back with him in a few weeks. If we have time I will try and do a “your questions answered” video.
What percentage of daily intake do you plan to have come from the strips vs the loafing area vs supplemental feed?
I just use three wire runs for my cattle, a front fence, a back fence and a guard fence. The guard is basically the next bit of grazing.
No paddock that is constantly grazed
I can't picture this. Can you please explain more? You have permanent fencing along with those three wire runs?
We have a perimeter fence of permanent single strand, high tensile wire.
Then within the field I use single strand poly wire.
The cattle get their daily allocation of grass with a front and back fence.
The third is a guard fence of the next day's grass, so if they escape that's as far as they go.
Next day I let them through to the new paddock and move the back fence to be the next day's grazing and a guard fence. So they don't have a sacrifice paddock
Awesome
Way easier than the way we've done it. One problem with tape - depending on their disposition, they won't eat everything, but will go aggro and push through the tape when they've decided they want to move on - leaving behind less desirable stuff which then must be scythed/slashed.
Yes can happen. That’s why they use wire in this system.
@farmlearningtim Do you understand why the loafing paddock is so big? If the strips are so productive, you'd think the loafing paddock would be a tiny percentage of the overall area.
Because he is using the tools (fences) he inherited and making the best of it. Yes, you could build new fences and concentrate more effort on strip grazing but that would require investment. Sometimes that's not an option. That’s why the idea of working with what you have was discussed in the introduction to the video. I might go into this in greater detail in the future if I have a chance.
Eucalyptus posts? I see the wire just run through the wood without an insulator...
No. They were uncharged wires. They ran a single charged wire on the outside of the posts that they use for power. It wasn’t in the shot.
Pig tail posts would make it much easier. Save carrying a hammer to get them posts into the ground.
They are losing a lot of productivity by having a stand off area having water pumped to were the cattle are grazing using three reels filled with polywire and three sets of pigtail posts would far easier one paddock is always setup ahead of the cattle just reel the middle wire a bit to move cattle to next break the back fence on last grazed reel up and setup next break ahead of cattle far easier and always have two fences ahead of cattle water is the single biggest limiting factor poor water infrastructure rotational grazing is difficult
Totally true. We bucketed water to our 3-5 cattle for years. Good exercise, but gets old.
Nice explanation but you’d make the job a lot easier if you had some decent equipment … your neighbours will sell you some I’m sure 🇳🇿😅
What equipment are you suggesting? Moving the posts by hand/foot took him 15 minutes he said.
@@gregbell2117 a geared reel and some tread in posts