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I think with 24" of snow you would want to skip the bale ring. That would be a pain to wrestle a bale ring around in that much snow. I don't think the waste would be as high on a thick layer of snow, but I could be wrong. I don't have experience bale grazing in 24" of snow. I have only done it...

I mixed Sunn Hemp, pearl millet and SudanX on a few acres that was recently cleared (was partly wooded) in 2018 or so. I did not do soil tests, so I have no idea if N increased. Sunn Hemp provided the least cattle feed by far of the three. I only grazed it, so I can't comment on baling or...

I came up with the same answer!

45 heifers at 800 lbs each would be 36,000 lb of live weight. If they were grass only I would assume: 2% feed intake, 75% grazing efficiency, daily moves, 13" grass when you go in and 4" residual, 200 lb of dry matter yield/acre/inch - that would put each paddock at a little over 1/2 acre...

I used it last summer for the first time. I had a few yearlings get pinkeye last year, but not major problems. This was the first pinkeye I've had in over 5 years. Not sure if any of that was the mineral or other things. I will use it again this year. I use Concept Aid over the fall, winter and...

Cheaper to use the cows to harvest standing grass. I would rotational graze it. Leave 3-4" of residue so the sun doesn't bake the ground. Do you have enough hay stored from last year or a source for hay to make up the difference this year? Time to cull a few?

When do you plan to seed permanent pasture? The reason I ask is that Sudan will keep growing until it freezes, which might be a bit later than you would like if you plan to seed this fall.

I'll agree with the Sudan folks. I have been clearing wooded land, similar to what you are doing. I do it as I have time. I have planted pearl millet, german millet, buckwheat, sun hemp and other summer annuals I am probably forgetting to help with erosion control. Sudan grass has always been a...

Congrats on the stand of alfalfa. I am curious how it did through the cold snap we just had? Did you get down into the mid 20s there? I know nothing about spraying herbicide, so can't help you there.

@Banjo I agree with you for KY grazing. However, out in ND they have an annual rainfall of 14". Here, we get 36". A big difference. I think it is Jim Gerrish who has a formula to calculate the number rotations per year with respect to the rainfall. I don't remember the formula, but around here...

Taking a ratio of the cow weight and calf weaning weight has always made sense to me, to select for cows that wean a larger percent of their own weight. I think that gives you a good number to compare cows to each other. The downside is, you will eventually be selecting for a higher milking cow...

I read "Comeback Farm" in 2009 and did my best to incorporate his ideas. Some worked for me. Some did not. I think everyone needs to do their own math and experiments. My climate is not too different than MO, but there were things he talked about in the book that I just couldn't make work. I do...

We had a lot of rain recently and I changed my unrolling method. I now put two strands of electric fence over the unrolled hay, one down each side. Saves the cows from stepping it into the mud. So far so good.

I do both and agree with both comments above. In terms of soil impact, bale grazing is going to put more pressure on a smaller area. Unrolling is lighter pressure on a larger area. There is a place for both. I unroll hay without starting a tractor also, so the savings of not starting the...

Question to those who stockpile fescue. Does the stockpiled grass come back better (earlier and thicker) in the spring than other areas?

@ValleyView Thanks for the kind words. @BFE I am not Harlom97, but in my experience a bale graze area will grow grass much faster and better than an area where you just keep feeding hay in the same spot all winter. When I feed in the same spot all winter, I end up with too much hay and the...

We had some sunshine today, so I took a picture of the bale graze area from 2018-2019. This was grazed in late September 2020. Looking down

I agree! I have done both methods. If I am on the top and in an area close to the driveway, I will do as you describe. When I want to feed on a hill I will set the bales and bale graze. My tractor is only 2 WD.

Good points. I used a light/cheap hayring. I can move it by myself to the next bale. As you said, the cows waste far more with the bale on the ground without a hayring. Had them help themselves to the next bales a few times and they eat/waste about twice as much. Those areas actually grow great...

1) It was cleared a month before I started feeding hay 2) It was 6 pairs (fall calving, so wet cows) and 1 bred heifer. I estimated 8,000 lbs of live weight. I fed 70 bales. Last hay was fed in early May. 3) Yes, I did reseed. Fairly heavy. 4) I took soil samples from the area several years...