How will I replace the feed from that paddock while I'm renewing it?

Date: 2010-05-21 | Category: Dairy

Buy it in or make extra supplies in advance.

You can afford to.

The examples both have the purchase of 2t dry matter of feed for each hectare renovated factored in, and the result is still highly profitable. 

The usual supplementary feeding options apply - silage, palm kernel extract or whatever else suits the individual farmer best. 

Another point to remember: if the farm is enjoying good growth when renewal takes place, it may be that additional feed will not be required. 

It is worth repeating here that the paddocks taken out of the system for renewal are the poorest - and the poorer they were, the less additional feed will be needed to replace them. 

However it would always be prudent to have additional feed on hand.

I’m going to do this.

Does that mean I have to grow a lot more crop first?

Not necessarily, but taking paddocks through a crop before regrasssing is preferable in most situations. The cropping process offers:

• Two chances to control weeds [in spring before the summer crop is planted and in autumn before the new pasture is sown].
• The ability to incorporate base fertiliser and lime when cultivating.
• The opportunity to do contour and/or drainage work.
• The ability to increase DM production from the paddock over the summer, affording more stored feed on hand for the autumn when the new grass is coming into production.
• Reduced insect pressure [using the crop to break the insect pest cycle].
• Breaks the cycle of diffcult to control weeds like Californian thistles.

However, cropping is not an essential component of pasture renewal.

Grass-to-grass programmes [i.e. going straight from old grass to new grass] can enable you to renew more paddocks than you can practically or [profitably] plan to break crop.

This technique gives you a relatively fast turnaround, with paddocks typically back producing grass 7–9 weeks after being removed from the rotation for renewal.

If you are not familiar with grass-to-grass, your usual seed supplier will be able to help. They can advise on which method to use, since cultivation, spray-drill and undersowing have their respective advantages, depending on the individual situation.

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