are ye still topping ?

whelan1

just wondering , we are and its the most topping we have ever done ,, grass is lovely and protein is over 3.35 consistenetly(sp) all summer.. wonder when should we stop , would topping affect grass build up

mattthetrasher

i took some bales this past week and thats it for the year no more cutting of any sort the cows will take care of it from here in we didnt do any topping just took surplus as bales great quality grass and silage and silage works out at about 65e/tonne of dry matter as no real fert cost:cool:

linebacker52

topping at this time of year will affect growth rates and its getting late for topping now.

we have done very little topping this year mainly just for cosmetic reasons instead taking about strong paddocks for bales instead have over 150 bales made have had to change the diet feeder to feed the all.protien has been excellent all summer avg 3.44 for july.that was on till the auld lad put them in a feild that should have been baled and it dropped back to 3.27

KatyMac

Was going to top two fields that had gone a bit high, but the cows broke into them last night and only their ears to be seen this morning, so decided to let them take care of any excess grass!! They happy so I'm happy

pajero12

KatyMac wrote: »

Was going to top two fields that had gone a bit high, but the cows broke into them last night and only their ears to be seen this morning, so decided to let them take care of any excess grass!! They happy so I'm happy

Eh...Either you've some ridiculously small cattle or that grass was gone too strong for topping anyway :P

johnboy6930

i don't think it would affect growth.since there is such good growth with the last couple of weeks

centre 13

If you learned how to measure grass you would not have to top at all

whelan1

centre 13 wrote: »

If you learned how to measure grass you would not have to top at all

everyones situation is different smart arse....:rolleyes: my paddocks are set up for 160 cows due to circumstances beyond my control i dont have that amount anymore so have too much grassland, so between bales and topping thats how i am managing it .... and i do know how to measure grass thank you

centre 13

No yo dont

whelan1

we shall agree to differ me thinks

linebacker52

whelan1 wrote: »

we shall agree to differ me thinks

whats your stocking rate farm cover etc

whelan1

at the minute the stocking rate is just under 2/ha i have some after grass coming in to the system now as well ... this year is totally different than other years cow numbers will be back up next year as i have my own youngstock coming through. some of the covers the cows are going in to are up on 1800 am stripping some of these and putting dry cows in after also - i am not topping the ones the dry cows clean off as they are totally bare when they come off ...

stanflt

centre 13 wrote: »

If you learned how to measure grass you would not have to top at all

are you for real

measuring is paramount here-heading for 600+kg ms/cow/per year

i mow out after the cows nearly every rotation and will continue for another rotation-

would you eat your left overs from your dinner in 20days time?

my protein hasnt dropped below 3.48 all summer and cows still averaging 23lts{bulk tank} and im winter milk

linebacker52

why not graze the dry cows in the high covers 1800 would be a bit high for milking cows

whelan1

linebacker52 wrote: »

why not graze the dry cows in the high covers 1800 would be a bit high for milking cows

i let them in to one yesterday , there are 25 dry cows , going to bring 15 inc hrs from an out farm to join them to graze out those high paddocks quicker ... have enough bales and silage ... just dont have enough stock really... we are liquid milk and unlike stanflt we haven't been breeding for protein over the years so a protein over 3.35 is quite good for us... i am trying to maintain that... also with the after grass coming in i want the dry cows to stay on the main block and eat the heavy stuff... not enough grass is one thing but too much is another

dar31

centre 13 wrote: »

If you learned how to measure grass you would not have to top at all

topping is as important part of it, as is taking out bales, grass measuring and the whole works.
doing it at the right time and for the right reasons is the key.
to rigid a plan to it can be as detrimental as no plan at all.

op, it is getting a bit late for topping, however if there is still a paddock or two that needs sorting so be it, once there is enough cover on the farm.
if you dont top the rough paddock now, then you will be trying to get it cleaned out in late sept/ early oct, god knows what it weather will be like then. doing the bit now will set it up nicely for the last round

13spanner

centre 13 wrote: »

If you learned how to measure grass you would not have to top at all

You ever heard of rushes?

jeff greene

centre 13 wrote: »

If you learned how to measure grass you would not have to top at all

Grass measurement is a useful tool but can it change the reproductive pattern of grass:rolleyes:

I have, like others used bales this year, kills two birds with one stone. I was half tempted to give pre cutting grass a trial this year, but didn't in the end. Some farmers swear by it, anyone here do it.

Muckit

jeff greene wrote: »

I was half tempted to give pre cutting grass a trial this year, but didn't in the end. Some farmers swear by it, anyone here do it.

I don't claim to know anything about it, but I can imagine what you are talking about. What, in your opinion, would be the advantage of it over topping afterwards? The new swarth coming on faster??

My only concern, from a logical point of view, would be that because the grass would probably be cut with a disc/drum mower, it would be left in rows, right? If the cow/calf whatever walks/sh*ts/lies on the grass, there could be alot more wasted. Perhaps in practice, this is not the case.

Still as I already said, the advantage over topping straight afterwards isn't obvious to me, unless your cutting for zero grazing

Muckit

stanflt wrote: »

my protein hasnt dropped below 3.48 all summer and cows still averaging 23lts{bulk tank}

It just occurred to me that dairy farmers have a daily view of how good their grass quality is, based on the amount of milk and the % protein. If they top, they can see results, if go onto reseeded ground. It's constant and instant feedback.

Suckler farmers don't have this useful management tool at their disposal aside from bringing in their calves every week and weighing them. And perhaps this is where we should be heading:rolleyes:

Tora Bora

Muckit wrote: »

I don't claim to know anything about it, but I can imagine what you are talking about. What, in your opinion, would be the advantage of it over topping afterwards? The new swarth coming on faster??

My only concern, from a logical point of view, would be that because the grass would probably be cut with a disc/drum mower, it would be left in rows, right? If the cow/calf whatever walks/sh*ts/lies on the grass, there could be alot more wasted. Perhaps in practice, this is not the case.

Still as I already said, the advantage over topping straight afterwards isn't obvious to me, unless your cutting for zero grazing

I tried it last year, on grass that was gone too strong for the suckler cows. Cut with a drum mower.
I thought it was a disaster. More waste than eaten. Lying and ****1ng on it big time.
Soon gave up! Dont know what I was doing wrong.

pakalasa

Yep, or you just copy what the Dairy guys are doing. Embarassing too when you see Dairy guys switch to Beef and make a far better job than guys that have been at it a long while.

red bull

topping all paddosks after grazing, spreading bag of can per acre on whole farm to build up grass for backend

keep going

did precutting for the first time this year and very pleased with it .you only do it on grass they would nearly eat anyway in dry weather.if you go into really strong stuff it wont work.i noticed that premowing slows down a rotation where as topping speeds it up