Winter Grazing Plan

Intensive Winter Grazing

Farm: The Willows

Person in Charge: Liz Hamilton

Property Address: 

6 Willowview Rd, Maheno

Legal Description:
LOT 1 DP 387370 LOTS 1-2 DP 387370 PT SECS 19 20 21 BLK VI PT SEC 22 BLK VI LOT 1 DP 12575 LOTS 1-2 DP
10556 PT LOTS 1-2 DP 2879 LOTS 2 DP 476007 LOT B DP 1097 PT SEC 1 OF 22 BLK VI OTEPOPO SD

Farm Size:
122ha

Total Wintering Area:
122ha

Maximum Annual Winter Grazing Area:
8.6ha

2024 Wintering Area:
Three paddocks totalling 5.4ha.

Description:
Winter Grazing on fodder beet and rape for mixed age dairy cows, dry stock and young stock.

Critical Source Area Management

Critical Source Areas are areas that collect surface water and can transport nutrients to waterways or groundwater. Critical Source Areas (CSA's) are marked on the 2024 Winter Grazing Map. 

• Winter grazing does not occur in CSA's in wet conditions from 1 May to 30 September each year - these areas are either left in grass, or upper reaches grazed while dry, or lifted rather than grazed.

• The only CSA's grazed are swales within the paddock which have grass buffers before reaching waterways. A CSA is dry enough to graze if no pugging results. However, where no alternative exists to feed stock it may be considered dry enough if there is no surface water in it at the time, it only runs in the rain, and any resulting pugging is no more than ankle deep on average. Wherever possible CSA's should be grazed where there is no pugging resulting at all.

• Stock are excluded from CSA's with a buffer of 5m, or up to 20m if steep. These buffers may be in a grass paddock lower down the CSA and may be supplemented by a temporary bale detention dam.

• Bales are placed on higher areas of crop paddocks away from CSA's in areas where tractors can safely access.

• Slopes are grazed top to bottom toward CSA's and waterways if possible.

• Winter grazing does not occur within 5m of any waterway, or 100m of a water abstraction point. Any crop in these areas is lifted.

• Backfences are used to protect previously grazed areas and they are replanted as early as practicable. 

• Crops are sown along the contour where safe to do so.

Wet Weather Planning and Animal Welfare

• During wet weather when the paddock is becoming pugged beyond ankle height stock are run off to a sacrifice paddock with a large break to minimise damage and this is typically next years crop paddock.

• Pugged paddocks are renovated with full cultivation back to grass including ripping if necessary.

• Stock are given extra feed in wet, snowy or cold conditions.

• Bale positions are moved daily to leave straw beds for stock to lie on.

• Cows are scanned and drafted into early, mid and late calvers so springers can be moved onto grass paddocks ahead of calving.

• Stock are consciously monitored daily for animal health issues such as acidosis, lameness, mastitis, condition loss, slowness, bagging up or calving. These animals are monitored, treated and separated as required.

• Transition for fodder beet typically begins with 30 minutes on the first week from first cow on to last cow off and increases 15 minutes increments.

• Milking mobs grazing on/off can be up to 400.

• A feed budget is used based on square metres and crop residual is monitored.