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Many herds now have over 50% of cows calved so the pressure to get them out and grazing is ramping up. With more cows going out, pressure on gaps increases, particularly when the ground is marginal. Some farmers will drop the fence at various points along the roadway to let cows in and to their allocated area, and then let them out the main gap.
There is a huge variation in tolerance of poaching among farmers and when you are working on your own, it’s sometimes hard to know how much is too much damage. There is a difference between cosmetic damage and actual damage. When hoofs are sinking three or four inches into the soil, it’s too much. But where grass is soiled but there are no deep hoofmarks, it’s OK.
Most fields will recover well after being slightly damaged once, but you cannot afford to damage them twice as this really affects subsequent grass growth. So those on heavy land need to be extra careful to avoid damage as more could be done in the second round of grazing. If damage is done, give it time to recover. Don’t be tempted to roll fields – this will only make it worse.
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