Fresh Grass for Ewes and lambs

Green farmer

Any one like to hazard a guess then the grass is going to arrive this year ?

arctictree

21st March? Current weather forecasts are showing a cold spell around the start of March.

Username John

Jesus, soon I hope...

i have fields closed up a few months now, and they're still as bare as the table.

Conmaicne Mara

Username John wrote: »

Jesus, soon I hope...

i have fields closed up a few months now, and they're still as bare as the table.

The photo you saw the last day was about the best of mine. I notice the less shelter, less grass. Though I haven't walked the entire ponderosa in a while so not sure what's happening the far side of it. Have the fertiliser got but I'd say it'll stay snug in the shed for a while yet I reckon.

Username John

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

The photo you saw the last day was about the best of mine. I notice the less shelter, less grass. Though I haven't walked the entire ponderosa in a while so not sure what's happening the far side of it. Have the fertiliser got but I'd say it'll stay snug in the shed for a while yet I reckon.

Yeah, we'd be open enough here. And the small bit of grass I had, the few ewes that lambed early have that taken care off...

Weather could really do with improving soon...

Green farmer

I've my best field closed up since early December as well, and not a peck on it yet. I thought it was starting to show abit of promise there a month ago but has stalled over since. I won't lamb until 1st April but had a vision of them going into this lush green field, but now so sure now. We need the ground to heat up abit fast!!!

Conmaicne Mara

Still though, be surprised what a good week will do this time of year. The trouble will be keeping that pattern of decent weather to keep the grass growing.

Birdnuts

arctictree wrote: »

21st March? Current weather forecasts are showing a cold spell around the start of March.

Some sources are going for a near repeat of last spring - doesn't bare thinking about but has to be taken seriously given how mild the winter been up till now. In my experience these things tend to balance out. Just got to hope its cold and dry as opposed to cold and wet!!

PS: I have decent grass cover on some of my closed paddocks but it will take many weeks of drying for it to be at all useable.

AnFeirmeoir

There was more grass on my closed fields a month ago . Makes you wonder what's the point closing them .

Conmaicne Mara

AnFeirmeoir wrote: »

There was more grass on my closed fields a month ago . Makes you wonder what's the point closing them .

Oh I made that mistake last year Close them

Username John

Birdnuts wrote: »

Some sources are going for a near repeat of last spring - doesn't bare thinking about but has to be taken seriously given how mild the winter been up till now. In my experience these things tend to balance out. Just got to hope its cold and dry as opposed to cold and wet!!

PS: I have decent grass cover on some of my closed paddocks but it will take many weeks of drying for it to be at all useable.

I REALLY hope you're wrong birdnuts, but would be afraid that you aren't

Think I need to source some more straw, just in case...

Username John

What are lads planning to do if growth doesn't arrive before we need to put ewes and small lambs out?

Would you keep them in longer?
Or put them out onto bare fields, and push on ration?

(a lot depends on if you have the space in sheds)

I walked a few fields today, and there is nothing coming on them. They wont hold milking ewes for any length of time the way they are...

Debating if the weather doesn't turn, would I be better off keeping em in a bit longer, til there is decent grass there, rather than putting em out onto bare paddocks, and giving the paddocks a chance to build up cover...

I know there is still 3 weeks to go, but given the forecast and the state of fields now, its looking more and more like I wont have grass for em

Green farmer

I was watching the forecast last night and the they said cold wet windy this week, but maybe a possible change coming next week.fingers crossed !!!

Aside from that if you had a small sheltered field to turn them out into and keep feeding them ration and a bit of hay ( if you had it ). is there any point in putting them into the grazing paddock just as the grass is starting to take off and set the field back further ???

rancher

Username John wrote: »

What are lads planning to do if growth doesn't arrive before we need to put ewes and small lambs out?

Would you keep them in longer?
Or put them out onto bare fields, and push on ration?

(a lot depends on if you have the space in sheds)

I walked a few fields today, and there is nothing coming on them. They wont hold milking ewes for any length of time the way they are...

Debating if the weather doesn't turn, would I be better off keeping em in a bit longer, til there is decent grass there, rather than putting em out onto bare paddocks, and giving the paddocks a chance to build up cover...

I know there is still 3 weeks to go, but given the forecast and the state of fields now, its looking more and more like I wont have grass for em

2 - 3 weeks grass here, then they'll get meal, its the only option.
I'm going with 50kg CAN/acre this week, soil temperature is 6 degrees, there should be growth.
We should be used to late springs by now

Green farmer

Is 6 degrees the ground temperature the grass starts growing at ?

rancher

Green farmer wrote: »

Is 6 degrees the ground temperature the grass starts growing at ?

Yes, but very slowly.
The ground being waterlogged is a bigger problem

Green farmer

Good to know that. Walking the fields today the only thing I see that have grown over the winter is the rushes in my field that I topped last autumn to set them back a bit

Green farmer

rancher wrote: »

2 - 3 weeks grass here, then they'll get meal, its the only option.
I'm going with 50kg CAN/acre this week, soil temperature is 6 degrees, there should be growth.
We should be used to late springs by now

I'm thinking about spreading abit myself, but waiting for temperature to rise a bit, not being a fertiliser expert, what's the difference between CAN and Urea other then nitrogen content and price and why would you opt for one over the other.

rancher

Green farmer wrote: »

I'm thinking about spreading abit myself, but waiting for temperature to rise a bit, not being a fertiliser expert, what's the difference between CAN and Urea other then nitrogen content and price and why would you opt for one over the other.

Urea is best in the spring, also better value..
I spread lime three mths ago and its not advised to use urea after spreading lime

jt65

Green farmer wrote: »

I'm thinking about spreading abit myself, but waiting for temperature to rise a bit, not being a fertiliser expert, what's the difference between CAN and Urea other then nitrogen content and price and why would you opt for one over the other.

urea works best on reseeded ground whereas can might be better for old

personally I don't use urea , on lime deficient soil here and I reckon urea drains ph from the soil (just imo )

just to comment on the grass situation (or lack thereof) difficult going here and to day we pulled 65 of the early lambed ewes off their lambs

moved the lambs to fresh grass and will keep the creep into them

ewes lambing from now usually follow the cows around the paddocks to clean off , but so far we havn't let the cows out

nature is testing us again,

AnFeirmeoir

jt65 wrote: »

personally I don't use urea , on lime deficient soil here and I reckon urea drains ph from the soil (just imo ) ,

Does anyone know is this true?

dave747

Great drying out today and got the first of the fert out. early ewes flying trough the grass they had and will be getting a bale of hay at the weekend to slow them down abit until growth picks up. paddocks for the rest of ewes were closed up late nov or early dec and most have very little grass on them but greening up abit now. lambing starting again next week so hope the weather stays good, couple of paddocks could do with few more dry days very wet on top