WHY YOU SHOULDN'T LET YOUR PASTURAL GRASS COME TO SEED!!

[@dylanlocking1130]

thanks for helping us learn from other's past mistakes! Very useful information here, this was well researched!

[@Udderfarm]

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it!

[@chriskennedy7534]

Just discovered your channel, will certainly be watching more, thanks for going to the effort of posting All the best mate

[@Udderfarm]

Hi Chris, firstly thanks for choosing to watch one of our videos mate. Secondly for finding the time to message us with your kind words of appreciation and support, we hope you enjoy your journey! Jason & Nic

[@swoop01g91]

Good to see solid Australian regenerative farming advice

[@Udderfarm]

Appreciate your kind words and your support by commenting Swoop01 G. Means a lot to us.

[@bearupfarm1818]

Thanks that was great. I learned some good idea from the video. Thanks again from AZ, USA

[@Udderfarm]

No problems Bearupfarm we are glad you found it informative. We appreciate you not only taking the time to watch our video, but also for finding the time to leave us your positive feedback. I spent a few days with my son in Yuma, AZ riding Quad bikes in the desert in 2018, lovely place! Hope you have a great day! Jason & Nic

[@Brewsipper]

Hi guys, thanks for sharing your approach and methods - great work, and thanks for caring about the health of the land. It seems to me that a big drawback of the intensive cell grazing you're advocating here is that it's pretty high maintenance with moving the fencing daily. Is this an upfront drawback to this approach that would make it inaccessible to farmers grazing over dozens or hundreds of hectares, and so a barrier for them to practicing (this aspect of) regenerative farming? I've just moved into a land management role and am now grappling with these issues daily.

[@Udderfarm]

Hi Brewsipper, Firstly thanks for not only choosing to watch one of our videos, but also for taking time out of your day to message us with your positive feedback it’s greatly appreciated mate. I must admit it has become more of a passion for us now, and we wouldn’t go back to our old practices for dead. I wouldn’t say it’s a drawback, as the alternative is what I had been practicing and I’m sure many others had been doing for centuries. Though through no fault of our own, as this is what so many of us were taught growing up. Along with the phrase “this is how I was taught, and how the family have been doing it for years”. However, through education we are somewhat wiser and know that our old practises have been slowly degrading the soil as well as the environment for decades. I have chosen daily moves as I can do it. Though you could do every few days, weekly, fortnightly or monthly if you choose, or whatever fits your lifestyle. Any move is far better than having livestock continuously grazing the same patch of dirt all year around. It’s all about giving the forage time to recovery before being grazed again. I know of people who do it with over 300 head of livestock over 1500 acres and move them twice a day exactly the way I do it. Then I also know people are doing it with over 1000’s of head over 10,000+ Acres, though not with polybraid. They have their properties broken up into separate permanently fence paddocks and move their livestock fortnightly or monthly. Whatever the size it’s all scalable. We may spend more time moving them, though a lot less than you would think. The more you do it the faster and more efficient you become. Though we’ve found over the years we’ve spent a load less time on animal husbandry, and less time rounding them up and pushing them into the yards as their a load healthier and happier. Hope that helps explain a few things mate, great question. It was great hearing from you, and we hope you have a grand day! Jason & Nic.

[@bugmouthready529]

How does this idea tie in with regenerative farming where allowing seed to form is seen as beneficial?

[@Udderfarm]

Hi Bugmouthready, firstly thanks for choosing to watch one of our videos. The intent of this video was merely based around the nutritional value of pastures, no more, no less. As we know the nutritional value of pasture changes as it matures. Protein, energy levels, as well as digestibility peaks just prior to plants throwing seed heads, otherwise known as the reproductive phase. Therefore, grazing the pasture whilst still in its vegetative state (prior to seeding) will maximise livestock weight gains, utilisation rates whilst maximising the livestock’s rate of digestibility. Once pasture has seeded, not only does the nutritional value drop dramatically, but it also takes the rumen roughly 4 times as long to digest, therefore weight production will drop if constantly grazing pasture in this state. Now for some clarification on my statement, “Why you shouldn’t let your pastural grass come to seed” as a regenerative farmer I never intentionally plan to allow my pasture to come to seed, for the above previously mentioned reasons. However, as you would be aware in prime growing season as the rain falls and hot sunny conditions perfectly align the growth rate of pastural grasses increase dramatically, therefore making it virtually impossible to move your livestock through fast enough before pasture does in fact come to seed. But it does have its benefits and place as you mentioned, as I get to build and add to my seed bank. At which point I’m happy to accept a lesser quality of pasture nutritional value. As you would know this happens more often than not, and in my circumstance this is never done intentionally as I know it will naturally happen and out of my control. Therefore I’m still getting my seed drops and “Yes” it is very beneficial to building ones seed bank and thicker pasture through the germination season. We appreciate you taking the time and effort to send us your message mate, Merry Christmas to you and your family! Jason & Nic.

[@stuartrobertson4714]

Use a topper and top it 4cm for she 7:44 ep 6 to 7 cm for cattle or use the match box old school side ways for sheep straight up and down for cattle remember it's the big match boxes Once topped it Will be good for ground manure

[@Udderfarm]

Hi Stuart, thanks for choosing to watch one of our videos. And secondly for finding the time to message us. Sounds like you’ve a load of experience, and we appreciate you parting with some of your knowledge. I do something similar out on the UDDERFARM, and will continue doing so until I start full time managed controlled grazing. Hope you have a grand day mate. Jason and Nic

[@johnsparks007]

You could broadcast some Timothy and clover into that field it's small enough it'll make its way to the dirt and the cows will plan it for you. Clover creates its own nitrogen. Is you saying win "

[@Udderfarm]

Hi John, Great suggestion with the broadcasting of the clover, though since I've started down the Regenerative farming route a few years back I've noticed areas of clover popping up in places where there was not before. So I shall give it a tad longer and if I need more 100% broadcasting it shall be! And to aid in the broadcasting process I shall mix the clover seed with either sand or saw dust. As for the Timothy from what I can gather I'm a little bit to far north, apparently it grows great in southern areas of Australia. Thanks for taking the time to message mate and also for sharing your knowledge with us! Greatly appreciated Jason & Nic

[@oilyragsgarage7200]

Top stuff👍 Great advice, looks like my paddock at the moment. I dont have any cattle, so I'll let my neighbour put his in when the time comes👍

[@Udderfarm]

Hi Oily Rags Garage I love your handle mate, firstly we’d like to thank you for not only choosing to watch our video, but for finding time in your day to send us your message is greatly appreciated. Sounds like you’re starting to get the farming bug, before you know it you’ll be running a few steers of your own…….! We’re glad you enjoyed it mate and thanks for the positive feedback it means a lot. Hope you have a grand day. Jason and Nic

[@oilyragsgarage7200]

@@Udderfarm thanks mate👍 was thinking about a name for the channel, since I'm always tinkering in the shed with my hands covered in grease/oil, I never have enough clean rags😀. I have a few horses only, they eat a lot but I still got plenty of grass. Yes a few cattle would be great, but I need to fix the yards up first👍

[@Udderfarm]

So you have a set of rundown yards, you're halfway there mate. Now I have you pondering! LOL. Hope you have a great day.

[@oilyragsgarage7200]

@@Udderfarm bit more than rundown, remnants of a cattle yard more like it😆. Hope you have a great day also.

[@thecollectoronthecorner7061]

Just subscribed. You mentioned dung beetles! I havent seen a turd roller beetle in over a decade. The only place I see them is on the Oscars Oasis cartoon. I think the use of ivomec wormer has killed them all off.

[@Udderfarm]

Lol :) Yes we had the same issue before we came across Regenerative Farming/Ranching. Just keep those sprays, injectables and pour-on's up about every 3-4months regardless whether the livestock were showing signs or not was the way I was taught. There was no mention of the effect the poisons had on destroying not only the dung beetles, worms or the soil biology, let alone the chemicals that were being passed through to us once we consumed any of the meat. I didn't even know that there was life below the ground apart from a few worms when I first started. Now I've done a complete 360 and only treat my livestock as a last resort. Prevention is also better than a cure. Cheer for the insight and taking time out of your day once again to message us. Hope you have a great day mate.

[@thecollectoronthecorner7061]

Im past 70 and let it all go to seed. I do one cutting per year. In sept or october after the weather cools off. Its got less moisture. We make small square bales and its better weather to haul them. In not feeding 6 month old hay. And when its dry and hot like at present . My mowed fields are not being baked to a crisp.

[@Udderfarm]

Sounds like you've a wealth of experience under your belt mate. We do similar and only cut our grazing paddocks just once a year during the cooler weather just before spring, for two reasons. Though we don't bale ours, we slash ours straight back on the ground to assist us in building up our organic litter bank which helps store the moisture in the ground longer during the summer months and ultimately helps build back fresh topsoil whilst giving the soil biology a cooler environment and a food source. Though when I slash I always try and leave about 300mm or 1ft standing so that there is still a fare amount of plant solar collector left. We buy our hay in and have no issues in storing it for for about 6-18months not a problem. The quality of the hay all comes down to the time of year and the specific time of the day it has been cut. You are totally on the money and I couldn't agree with you more regarding slashing during the cooler months and not during the hot summer months. Thanks for your message mate and we really appreciate you sharing your wealth of experience with us. Jason & Nic

[@stuartrobertson4714]

Yip we cut our hay after 3:00 to get the surger

[@Nightowl5454]

You can get the livestock to graze off the dead grass by high density stocking, it's typically of poor nutritional quality and that's why they avoid it. So some extra fodder from sprouting grains for 6-7 days or adding decent quality hay would be good to help maintain gaining weight for the livestock. You should occasionally let the grass go to seed so there's seed to help naturally replace the grass that inevitably dies, because most grass has a limited life span. I'd also strongly suggest adding in sheep because they can get away with eating lower quality grass and most parasites don't jump between sheep and cattle.

[@Udderfarm]

Hi Bryan, firstly thanks for not only choosing to watch our video but for also taking the time to give us your feedback, it’s greatly appreciated mate! Prior I have utilised a higher stocking density in areas where around 50% of the pastural grasses have been well into the ‘Pensioner Stage’ and have completed their seed drops, whilst the other 50% have had their seeds still intact. Even at that higher stocking density I only achieved around 20% extra forage material grazed, as by the time most pastures hits the ‘Pensioner Stage’ roughly 60-70% of the plants energy and or goodness has been depleted via draining back down into the soil. The area I was referring to in that video would have had absolutely no energy, as the seed drop completed about 3 weeks prior filming. So really I only had 2 choices available to me at that stage which was either roll out half a bale of fodder which would have laid the dead standing forage down for me. And any unused portion of the bale which the cows would have walked all over and defecated on would have added additional carbon back onto the ground, or, I could have left the dead pasture standing and waited for the new flush to come through prior to letting the cattle back in to graze. Through my experiences leaving them in there with no additional fodder was not an option, as they most definitely would have over grazed any of the lower-level quality forage that remained. Even with a well-planned grazing plan I’ve found at least several times a year the pasture gets away from me. Especially after a good dump of rain followed by hot and humid days, as you know these conditions accelerate the pasture growth and the herd can’t keep up with it. So it comes to seed, without even allowing or planning for it to happen. Therefore I no longer plan for pasture seed drops anymore, it happens several times a year naturally. As for the sheep, there definitely on the cards followed by chickens soon after. Great feedback mate! Jason & Nic

[@Nightowl5454]

@Udderfarm I'd suggest waiting at least a few weeks to run chickens or any other poultry after livestock because dung beetles need time to clean up the manure and if chickens are too soon they'll eat too many of the dung beetles. I've been studying the interesting program that the Australians started back in the 70s to bring dung beetles from outside of Australia to help clean up all the dung because the native species didn't care for livestock manure. New Zealand took some from Australia to help with their livestock manure problems too, but they chose to not take the "roller" species which is a mistake. I find it fascinating how such a tiny creature can do so much in large quantities for the improvement of the soil. I hope more in agriculture realize just how valuable the dung beetles actually are.😁

[@Udderfarm]

Bryan I couldn't agree with you anymore in regards to the timing of bringing in the chickens for cow manure clean-up duties. Yes it’s amazing how such small creatures like dung beetles and worms for that matter can just about clean up an entire paddy in about 7-14days. Their also a lot smarter than most think, they know the difference in a paddy that has come from animals that have had excessive amounts of chemicals used on them, against ones that haven't. Hence why there are so many farms with paddy's left on the ground in pristine condition. You brought up some very valid points there mate, thanks for sharing them with us.

[@Nightowl5454]

@Udderfarm educating those with free knowledge to better themselves, their farms, families and the environment is a thing that I like to do because accurate knowledge is what makes society stronger in the long-term. Many civilization collapses have been tied directly to the collapse of their agriculture, sometimes it was drought, others was poor inequality and the financial gaps between rich and poor. A solid education is the basis on which society stands and teaching good agricultural practices is a huge part of that. Maybe someday I'll be in a position that's more influential where I can make a significant difference.😁

[@Udderfarm]

Very true Bryan and that's the very reason why I started up my KZbin channel. Hoping to help spread the word whilst trying to make a difference, however small at least it's something. I have several favourite quotes, including this one from Allan Savory. "It's not drought that causes bare ground, It's bare ground that causes drought" Think about all those grasslands and prairie lands which are now deserts due to negative human interaction over hundreds of years with the environment. Love your work mate. Jason & Nic

[@mikedavis2969]

👍

[@Matt-fo5xj]

wont the long dead grass shade out a lot of new groth grass needs sun and water to grow so if you have long dead patches of grass cattle fold it over ontop of new young grass would it be better to cut old grass and so fresh groth can come through ? also do you have trees you cattle can munch on i am trailing tree species for diffrent varieties of feed and medicinal propertys

[@Udderfarm]

Hi Matt, firstly thanks for choosing to watch our video mate. Predominately the pastures on the Trial property are a combination of Rhodes, Creeping Blue Grass and about 10% White Clover. These particular varieties generally don’t clump, nor do they grow thick enough to block out the sunlight especially if grazed regularly. We find as the new growth comes to around 1.5ft we move the herd in and the higher the stocking density, the more the trampling down of the dead standing grass we get. As for the pasture length, the longer the pasture the cooler the soil, the more water can be retained and the happier the soil microbes, providing the pasture is kept in a vegetative state the majority of the time. You want the cattle folding the dead sections back onto the ground for several reasons. 1. To add a litter bank to the top of the ground which helps reduce moisture evaporation caused by the sun on exposed or bare soils. 2. This dead grass helps build a protective thatch layer over the ground to keep the soil cooler which is beneficial for supporting soil microbe life. 3. This thatch slowly breaks down over time creating fresh new topsoil as well as increasing the organic matter/content of your soil, therefore increasing its water holding capabilities. 4. It saves you time and money by not having to slash it. 5. Lastly, tractors or slasher don’t expel nutrients out their back end like livestock the last time I checked. Lol ☹ Though if you haven’t grazed a paddock for quite some time, say more than 6 months, I would suggest slashing it (a foot/ 300mm if possible) as any pastures that would have naturally come to seed should have, or would have, already done so. By this stage the nutrient levels should, or would have completely depleted, leaving the standing possibly in an oxidised state. Livestock wouldn’t be touching it in this state. By doing this you are adding the organic material back onto the ground, where it will breakdown, allowing for fresh regrowth to push through. Optimally once the regrowth has had a chance to fully recover would I be introducing livestock back. I’ve found that cattle will generally eat or at a minimum try most trees if your pastures are lacking nutrients or have been overgrazed or depleted. I’ve patches of Leucaena on both my properties, though they were there when I purchased them. Which are exceptional for weight gain, other than that, I’ve just shade trees spread sporadically across both properties. I prefer to use cafeteria style free choice mineral feeders so my livestock can self-medicate as well as sourcing any nutrients they may be deficient in. Mate that’s probably the longest answer I’ve ever given! Hope that helps. Have fun and enjoy the journey. Jason & Nic

[@chriskennedy7534]

​@@UdderfarmVery thorough explanation of your plan, sounds logical to me

[@Udderfarm]

@@chriskennedy7534 cheers mate for the positive feedback it means a lot. It all started out as a plan, though soon grew into a passion. Now I couldn’t imagine farming any other way! 👍

[@AnimeDreamingEcchi]

Where can I find a cool season mix

[@Udderfarm]

Hi AnimeDreamingEcchi, Firstly thanks for choosing to watch one of our videos. That's a hard one for me to answer, as without knowing where you are located I really would be doing a grave injustice by having a guess. As what works here in my area may not be successful due to multiple factors such as soil conditions, rainfall, environmental conditions such as temperatures. May I suggest googling "Where to buy cool season pasture mixes" it should undoubtably come up with a load of sites. Find ones that are local to your area and give them a call. Also look up Agronomists in your area, they should be able to steer you in the right direction. Hope that helps a little mate & we wish you a grand day! Jason & Nic

[@AnimeDreamingEcchi]

@@Udderfarm that helps a lot thanks! And I’m in Georgia !

[@Udderfarm]

@AnimeDreamingEcchi Not a problem at all, my pleasure. I'm so glad I didn't have a guess now! I would have been well off the mark and would have suggested and Aussie mix suitable for our soil conditions and weather. Georgia, wow I love the US, and have holidayed in your lovely country multiple times now. Hope you have a grand day mate.

[@AnimeDreamingEcchi]

@@Udderfarm I just started out my goats in a big old building I have here in my 2 acre, it has concrete floor, any concerns or any tips for cleaning may help! It’s the only thing I have that I can keep them in for now.

[@AnimeDreamingEcchi]

@@Udderfarm like wht can I put down for hay or for floor

[@truthbetoldnow]

Does John Stockton know you have his shorts?

[@Udderfarm]

Hi Truth Be Told, we appreciate you taking the time to not only watch our video, but for also sending us your message. I'm thinking our NRL shorts may be a tad bit shorter than the NBA shorts. Which is why they make for great work attire for the hot humid conditions we are accustom to here in QLD, Australia. Hope you have a great day mate. Jason

[@chrisfiorentino3852]

Are both your properties in QLD?

[@Udderfarm]

Yes Chris they are both within 10Km of each other.

[@tendrocksteve]

Been watching Greg Judy I see.

[@Udderfarm]

Hi Steve, firstly thanks for choosing to watch one of our videos. As a passionate regenerative farmer, I follow loads of like minded channels, like most KZbin creators. Hope you have a great day mate! Jason & Nic

[@TobiasDuncan]

He puts at least 4 vowel sounds in the word hay

[@Udderfarm]

Must be my thick Queensland accent, I listened to it and couldn't hear a thing?!Lol. Hope you have a great day Tobias. Jason

[@riflebear1711]

Is this guy serious with those shorts? He must be from Portland.

[@peterjordan9734]

He's a dead set Aussie, Mate..

[@Udderfarm]

Hi Rifle Bear, thanks for choosing to watch our video mate. Not sure what my shorts and preferred work attire have to do with Portland, do they also play Rugby League there? Hope you have a great day. Jason & Nic

[@Udderfarm]

Hi Peter, 110% right there buddy! Hope you have a grand day. Jason