The Grass Measuring Thread

Keepgrowing

freedominacup wrote: »

The problem with the afc of 600 is that it's virtually every paddock. Maybe not a problem per say but another week and the balers will need to be moving as there will be a week plus of covers passing 1200.

Good point. Our goal is to take no bales off cow ground. We’ll bang away with lower covers and withdraw buffer and pray for more rain. We’ve enough ground otherwise to fill forage deficit

whelan2

What's yer milk urea like now with grass back in ?

mahoney_j

whelan2 wrote: »

What's yer milk urea like now with grass back in ?

28 here

Say my name

whelan2 wrote: »

What's yer milk urea like now with grass back in ?

Just gone to 37 from a test of 22 before that.

whelan2

Say my name wrote: »

Just gone to 37 from a test of 22 before that.

mine was 45 from yesterdays collection, up from 35 the day before

GrasstoMilk

whelan2 wrote: »

mine was 45 from yesterdays collection, up from 35 the day before

I'd be getting a bit worried if ours was at that tbh

Say my name

whelan2 wrote: »

mine was 45 from yesterdays collection, up from 35 the day before

The grass is still short with me. Roughly 1000 cover. I'm blaming that for being too full of nitrogen.
When it gets longer it should go down a bit. Plus I'll drop my 16 % nut down in the next load. I'm feeding 8 kgs still so even with that supplementation the grass must be shocking high.
I was 17 before that 22. But that was on silage at night.

Gawddawggonnit

whelan2 wrote: »

mine was 45 from yesterdays collection, up from 35 the day before

Careful now...

‘Tis grand to have money to burn. I’d have to be feeding urea, literally, to come up with a figure like that. And well over 200gms/ hd at that.
Think about the fish and aquatic organisms.


Wrote plenty about mineralised N on here...wasting my time.
It’s possible to actually poison animals with N if you follow Teagasc blind...not your fault Whelan.

Jesus wept.

Edit. There’s a product that you can include to help reduce the poisonous effects of N overload.

GrasstoMilk

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Careful now...

‘Tis grand to have money to burn. I’d have to be feeding urea, literally, to come up with a figure like that. And well over 200gms/ hd at that.
Think about the fish and aquatic organisms.


Wrote plenty about mineralised N on here...wasting my time.
It’s possible to actually poison animals with N if you follow Teagasc blind...not your fault Whelan.

Jesus wept.

Edit. There’s a product that you can include to help reduce the poisonous effects of N overload.

Teagasc are recommending not to spread N. but tbh only we spread N we wouldn't have got the growth we got.
See..... we don't follow teagasc blind

Gawddawggonnit

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Teagasc are recommending not to spread N. but tbh only we spread N we wouldn't have got the growth we got.
See..... we don't follow teagasc blind

Mon cul.

Did you do a contrôle plot?

GrasstoMilk

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Mon cul.

Did you do a contrôle plot?

Unintentionally yes!
Paddock for reseeding got none. Wouldn't be 1/5 of what's on the rest of the farm but there's poor grass in that so it might reflect much tbh

mahoney_j

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Careful now...

‘Tis grand to have money to burn. I’d have to be feeding urea, literally, to come up with a figure like that. And well over 200gms/ hd at that.
Think about the fish and aquatic organisms.


Wrote plenty about mineralised N on here...wasting my time.
It’s possible to actually poison animals with N if you follow Teagasc blind...not your fault Whelan.

Jesus wept.

Edit. There’s a product that you can include to help reduce the poisonous effects of N overload.

It’s a great reference test if results are accurate ,my milk urea is all over the shop as are neighbours could be at 28 today 6 next collection 20 etc .

Gawddawggonnit

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Unintentionally yes!
Paddock for reseeding got none. Wouldn't be 1/5 of what's on the rest of the farm but there's poor grass in that so it might reflect much tbh

L’ouest sauvage...

Perfectly scientific...and replicated, obviously.

Looks like Greenfield are the only ones that respect the N guidelines.
Hmmm...”guidelines”....:).

Gawddawggonnit

mahoney_j wrote: »

It’s a great reference test if results are accurate ,my milk urea is all over the shop as are neighbours could be at 28 today 6 next collection 20 etc .

I absolutely live by it Mahoney.
Great analysis.

Objectif 28-32...

freedominacup

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Careful now...

‘Tis grand to have money to burn. I’d have to be feeding urea, literally, to come up with a figure like that. And well over 200gms/ hd at that.
Think about the fish and aquatic organisms.


Wrote plenty about mineralised N on here...wasting my time.
It’s possible to actually poison animals with N if you follow Teagasc blind...not your fault Whelan.

Jesus wept.

Edit. There’s a product that you can include to help reduce the poisonous effects of N overload.

Gr are gone way beyond the level that mineralised N will support now. 27-33 here last 5 tests. Pr level of buffer cut a good bit in the last few days. Back to around 15% today. I didn't do an exact figure on it. Just estimate as I was filling the feeder.

mengele

whelan2 wrote: »

mine was 45 from yesterdays collection, up from 35 the day before

That's very high. How long since nitrogen was spread? I would be waiting at least another week before grazing that stuff if its that high. Could you skip to paddocks where you put out less or the fert is out longer?

whelan2

mengele wrote: »

That's very high. How long since nitrogen was spread? I would be waiting at least another week before grazing that stuff if its that high. Could you skip to paddocks where you put out less or the fert is out longer?

Over 3 weeks since it got fertiliser. Has had plenty of rain since.

mengele

whelan2 wrote: »

Over 3 weeks since it got fertiliser. Has had plenty of rain since.

Ok and how much did it get to the acre then. Also when did it get very before that and how much again.. most likely most of the fert from the second last application is also in it?

whelan2

mengele wrote: »

Ok and how much did it get to the acre then. Also when did it get very before that and how much again.. most likely most of the fert from the second last application is also in it?

Was about a month at least before that when it got fertiliser. Got can the last time and cut sward before that at a bag to the acre

Signpost

can poor Kerry suppliers do a urea sample easily?

Gawddawggonnit

freedominacup wrote: »

Gr are gone way beyond the level that mineralised N will support now. 27-33 here last 5 tests. Pr level of buffer cut a good bit in the last few days. Back to around 15% today. I didn't do an exact figure on it. Just estimate as I was filling the feeder.

Great to have grass bombing along at last, but someone that’s feeding very little concentrates and finding MU at 45...?

There’s a big risk of fœtus mortality from N poisoning at levels in that range. Animals that are less than 100days pregnant are at greatest risk.
The product below, or one like it, is very beneficial...

http://alfalor.ch/wp-content/themes/SolInfo_alfalor/docs/VALO_HERBE.pdf

Bass Reeves

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Great to have grass bombing along at last, but someone that’s feeding very little concentrates and finding MU at 45...?

There’s a big risk of fœtus mortality from N poisoning at levels in that range. Animals that are less than 100days pregnant are at greatest risk.
The product below, or one like it, is very beneficial...

http://alfalor.ch/wp-content/themes/SolInfo_alfalor/docs/VALO_HERBE.pdf

Would using limestone flour help. 100 grams/head/day. Limestone flour is the ingredient in some cubicle limes.

yosemitesam1

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Would using limestone flour help. 100 grams/head/day. Limestone flour is the ingredient in some cubicle limes.

Bentonite clay looks like the main ingredient, would attract ammonium

Bass Reeves

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

Bentonite clay looks like the main ingredient, would attract ammonium

It is 12.5% calcium which is an acid netralizing agent. Urea is an acid calcium should neutralize it in gut before it enters the bloodstream.

longgonesilver

whelan2 wrote: »

Was about a month at least before that when it got fertiliser. Got can the last time and cut sward before that at a bag to the acre

Can you get a grass sample analysed? Like people do it they are unsure if a field for silage has used its nitrogen.
Would you describe the grass colour from a distance as green or blue?

whelan2

longgonesilver wrote: »

Can you get a grass sample analysed? Like people do it they are unsure if a field for silage has used its nitrogen.
Would you describe the grass colour from a distance as green or blue?

Green. My milk is tested everyday. So I have results from everyday. I have stopped spreading anything. I will have to order a new load of nuts before the end of the week. I didn't over spread and didn't spread for about a month when there was no growth. Grass is bombing it.

longgonesilver

I'm not criticising you. You seem to have been doing everything right and kept grass growing. Did you have enough rain or was there moisture coming up from below?

Testing the grass would give you an idea of just how high the N is in the grass, or is there something else going on.

whelan2

longgonesilver wrote: »

I'm not criticising you. You seem to have been doing everything right and kept grass growing. Did you have enough rain or was there moisture coming up from below?

Testing the grass would give you an idea of just how high the N is in the grass, or is there something else going on.

Ye we had a full day of rain on Sunday 3 weeks ago and a good bit since. There was dew on the grass until eleven yesterday morning

Gawddawggonnit

Bass Reeves wrote: »

It is 12.5% calcium which is an acid netralizing agent. Urea is an acid calcium should neutralize it in gut before it enters the bloodstream.

IIRC urea is slightly basic, but close to neutral.
Liquid urea doesn’t corrode metal and has a “soapy” feel to it...

I’d think that the calcium is to settle the rumen. (?)

Gawddawggonnit

whelan2 wrote: »

Ye we had a full day of rain on Sunday 3 weeks ago and a good bit since. There was dew on the grass until eleven yesterday morning

The less rain the more N available in the ground...conversely the more rain the more N lost to the environment.
Sorry if I’m stating the obvious.

greenfield21

Would feeding more meal take it down just for now.

yosemitesam1

Bass Reeves wrote: »

It is 12.5% calcium which is an acid netralizing agent. Urea is an acid calcium should neutralize it in gut before it enters the bloodstream.

Calcium does nothing in the rumen, it's too close to neutral to dissolve it. It dissolves only when it gets to the stomach due to lower pH.


Urea doesn't cause the problem, it's ammonia/nitrate that causes problems. Reducing or slowing the release of nitrogen is what helps

freedominacup

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

IIRC urea is slightly basic, but close to neutral.
Liquid urea doesn’t corrode metal and has a “soapy” feel to it...

I’d think that the calcium is to settle the rumen. (?)

There was a post here the winter before last about this. I don't remember the details but high pr levels attributed to high N levels in forage hoover up calcium affecting digestion and cause a self replicating cycle that causes the scouts associated with forage like this. It's an acidic reaction from memory so the lime has two effects. Buffering and providing extra calcium to replace what's being hoovered up. We fed 200g/hd/day for the past two springs/early summer and no more loose dung.

See Yosemitesams post above. I think he may have been the poster I was thinking of. I'd appreciate any corrections to anything I've posted above.

yosemitesam1

freedominacup wrote: »

There was a post here the winter before last about this. I don't remember the details but high pr levels attributed to high N levels in forage hoover up calcium affecting digestion and cause a self replicating cycle that causes the scouts associated with forage like this. It's an acidic reaction from memory so the lime has two effects. Buffering and providing extra calcium to replace what's being hoovered up. We fed 200g/hd/day for the past two springs/early summer and no more loose dung.

See Yosemitesams post above. I think he may have been the poster I was thinking of. I'd appreciate any corrections to anything I've posted above.

I think high levels of n in the lower gut causes the scutters and would reduce other mineral absorption. The calcium changes fermentation in the gut (by reducing p availability for bacteria which need a lot of p relative to ca) which slows things down and balances off some of the effects of the excess n.
In high starch diets ca leads to more starch digestion, I am assuming due to making it harder for bacteria to break it down first.

freedominacup

Warren Buffett said something in reply to the saying about a riding tide lifting all boats along the lines of seeing who was swimming with no clothes on when the tide goes out. Something similar happening with paddocks in an opposite direction atm. The rising tide is definitely exposing the poor swimmers. In one instance I have a fairly fresh reseed across the roadway from a thirty plus yr old ley and the thirty yr old ley is beating the pants off the fresher ground. There could be a dozen reasons why but every paddock was starting from the same point. Zero growth, zero covers and no fert for 6-7 weeks. If you're not grass measuring in a fairly detailed way you should be able to see things you mightened otherwise notice over the next week.

boggerman1

Don't measure grass here but have been out every other day checking the progress of paddocks.all growing fairly even to such an extent that I'm planning on pulling out silage by the weekend if things stay the way they are.the paddocks that were done last Friday week with the trailing shoe have really responded well

mahoney_j

boggerman1 wrote: »

Don't measure grass here but have been out every other day checking the progress of paddocks.all growing fairly even to such an extent that I'm planning on pulling out silage by the weekend if things stay the way they are.the paddocks that were done last Friday week with the trailing shoe have really responded well

Gr of 52 here up to Friday but noticeably crashed again since ,more rain badly needed

whelan2

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

Calcium does nothing in the rumen, it's too close to neutral to dissolve it. It dissolves only when it gets to the stomach due to lower pH.


Urea doesn't cause the problem, it's ammonia/nitrate that causes problems. Reducing or slowing the release of nitrogen is what helps

Milk urea went up higher over the weekend. Back down to 42 for yesterday's collection. Spoke with someone today and I'm increasing the nuts in parlour to at least 5kg to reduce intake in the fields. Testing the grass won't make anything any clearer as we don't know how much is stored in the ground. Next load of nuts will have novotan in it and will be 14 %or lower. He said I'm not the only one ringing him about it today. He's putting it down to crazy growth rates at the minute

yosemitesam1

whelan2 wrote: »

Milk urea went up higher over the weekend. Back down to 42 for yesterday's collection. Spoke with someone today and I'm increasing the nuts in parlour to at least 5kg to reduce intake in the fields. Testing the grass won't make anything any clearer as we don't know how much is stored in the ground. Next load of nuts will have novotan in it and will be 14 %or lower. He said I'm not the only one ringing him about it today. He's putting it down to crazy growth rates at the minute

Access to straw/silage might be of benefit also, a big burst of n hitting them in one go if they go out hungry is what I'd be afraid of.


Ryegrass soaks up all the n it can, dumps it into the leaves and only thinks about making proteins after, so probably another week at least before it starts to stabilize or come back down

Gawddawggonnit

whelan2 wrote: »

Milk urea went up higher over the weekend. Back down to 42 for yesterday's collection. Spoke with someone today and I'm increasing the nuts in parlour to at least 5kg to reduce intake in the fields. Testing the grass won't make anything any clearer as we don't know how much is stored in the ground. Next load of nuts will have novotan in it and will be 14 %or lower. He said I'm not the only one ringing him about it today. He's putting it down to crazy growth rates at the minute

There’s an artic of Valo’herbe (the link I posted) arriving in Rosslare on Thursday.

Pm and I’ll see can some be delivered to you, if you’re interested.

Don’t know and have never used Novotan, but it seems to have a different MO than Valo’herbe.

whelan2

Milk urea down to 33

simx

whelan2 wrote: »

Milk urea down to 33

Gone from 33 to 41 here

whelan2

simx wrote: »

Gone from 33 to 41 here

mine maxed at 60 :eek:

visatorro

21 atm, peaked @ 44

whelan2

visatorro wrote: »

21 atm, peaked @ 44

I'm winning so far :cool:

Buford T. Justice XIX

I don't know what a tracker mortgage is:pac:
Kerry don't do Milk Urea's but, if they did, they'd be the best Milk Urea's:rolleyes:


Tbh, I wouldn't mind the occasional reading but no plans that I've heard of to test.

Mooooo

Finally got some here last ones in order are 34 30 40 24 and 7 for Aug 1st.

Wildsurfer

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

I don't know what a tracker mortgage is:pac:
Kerry don't do Milk Urea's but, if they did, they'd be the best Milk Urea's:rolleyes:


Tbh, I wouldn't mind the occasional reading but no plans that I've heard of to test.

Either do Dairygold. But sur its only another thing to be worrying about like the lads here, what we don't know won't hurt us!

Mooooo

Wildsurfer wrote: »

Either do Dairygold. But sur its only another thing to be worrying about like the lads here, what we don't know won't hurt us!

If you ring your milk advisor they can put it so it is txt out to you

whelan2

Wildsurfer wrote: »

Either do Dairygold. But sur its only another thing to be worrying about like the lads here, what we don't know won't hurt us!

Ye. Sometimes you're better off not knowing