Pasture grass ideas

[tweaker101]

How long are you thinking of leaving them in a particular part of the pasture?... I'm not sure if sheep respect poly twine or if they do but can you use Batt Latches and let them work there way across a small portion of grass vs giving them a 30 acres portion of grass for what ever time you think they will last in there. its a more intensive way to graze but may save your grass and make it more healthy as they would eat all the varieties vs just there favourites.

[Sheepwheat]

How long are you thinking of leaving them in a particular part of the pasture?... I'm not sure if sheep respect poly twine or if they do but can you use Batt Latches and let them work there way across a small portion of grass vs giving them a 30 acres portion of grass for what ever time you think they will last in there. its a more intensive way to graze but may save your grass and make it more healthy as they would eat all the varieties vs just there favourites.

My plan is to graze very intensively. I’m ok moving them daily, which means a couple acres at a time. I do have a bunch of posts and plans for poly braid and training them to a two or three strand hot fence.

I know he is a swear word in these parts, but I like the gabe brown method.

[Sheepwheat]

With your moisture does Timothy work with sheep?

Timothy is great but has an early spring flush, and then not much after that. It could be part of the blend for sure.

[Sheepwheat]

The quick regrowth of orchard grass is hard to beat. AC Grazeland is what we use in our pasture mix and it stirred up the neighbourhood when you’d kick a herd into lush alfalfa and not be worried be worried about bloat. Even if it only lasts a few years the N fixing is worth it. Ours after ten years of grazing is basically worn out and due for a rotation. No-till it to fall rye and get early spring grazing.

Hard to beat the view of animals grazing anytime of the year🍀

I’ve read elsewhere, (combine forum), that grazeland is no leaves all stems. I could care less, so long as it is fixing the n the grass needs.

Yes. I and my wife go on pasture dates. Watching the sun set over a happy bunch of grazing sheep is hard to beat.

[Sheepwheat]

Have a look at the Jena Experiment sheep. Short video gets really interesting at the 3 minute mark. Basically the more species the better. I see it here in southern hemisphere but works north as well
https://youtu.be/j3SvG2nBCTM

Will have a look, thanks. I totally want as many species as possible.

[WiltonRanch]

Variety is the spice of life. Plant as many varieties as you can. I dislike crested wheat but nothing earlier going than it if you’re needing early pasture. Some of our oldest swards have it but it’s past due for rejuvenation.

[shtferbrains]

There is so much to learn about pasture grass selection and more important pasture management you could read stacks of books and still not consider everything.

Alberta ag has one of the best online if you search
Alberta Forage Manual

Great for picking suitable varieties and a great section on chosing varieties for a season long grazing calender.

Start on the white clover description as what you see in overgazed pasture is not White Dutch.

If you find the download usefull I'd buy the $30 print version.

[Landdownunder]

Hmmmm.

Different situations the world over.

Multi species mixes good in theory but if there are a few things sheep don’t really like why plant them.

Plant what they like and do well on maybe only two or at best three.

Do you guys know what vetch is young stock do well on it once it gets to sweet stage. Up until then is bitter and they graze everything else in preference and let’s the vetch grow but is slow.

Mostly here it’s medic and grass.

Planted feed mostly rye or you might call it rye corn and vetch.

Sheep don’t get the shitze on rye like they do on oats when planted for feed.

But you situation way way different than mine and austcanada

[Blaithin]

Yes hairy vetch is common here.

I think one of the larger ideals about planting a lot of species is diversity boosting the swards health. It’s not all about the animals.

I’m still waiting for Steve Kenyon to share his implemented info from different amounts of species in a sward. If I recall properly he was running trials on 1 species, 4, 8, 16 and perhaps even 32. I believe studies have shown that 16 different species is the ideal number to get a biodiversity boost.

[shtferbrains]

We see wild Purple Vetch more in wet years. We probably graze it to often and to hard for it to add much to tonnage.
Gets to be a big thick stand in the bottom of the hyway ditch some years.
I have one field with pretty good Cicer Milk Vetch well established.
I think it can be the best of the bloat free legumes but it is not without its problems.
Can provide big tonnage but needs a lot of time to get going and when at its best it smothers the grass out and the thistles come in the next year.