Not many people in our area calve in January. Is that intentional or just the way it works out?I'm saving 10 acres of stockpile for when calving kicks off. Should be in the next month or two.
Not many people in our area calve in January. Is that intentional or just the way it works out?I'm saving 10 acres of stockpile for when calving kicks off. Should be in the next month or two.
I had them all backed up to March in 2017 as I had no bull. But they've worked their way back down to January. I expect to see some in December this year. Its too much work with our fence to pull the bull. And I'm too greedy. Haha want a calf every 10 months.Not many people in our area calve in January. Is that intentional or just the way it works out?
We used to start calving in January, and once in a while one would sneak into December. That always worked out, seems like. Liked it so much that I started turning the bulls out on Thanksgiving. The way we figured, a four-month old calf is a whole lot tougher in January/February than a 4-day-old calf. Now I lease bulls, so when 60 days is up, home they go! Never have a late calf that way.I had them all backed up to March in 2017 as I had no bull. But they've worked their way back down to January. I expect to see some in December this year. Its too much work with our fence to pull the bull. And I'm too greedy. Haha want a calf every 10 months.
They are all eating during the spring flush.
I've seen him speak too - read his articles. I don't know if I'd look at feeding the way I do without him. Maybe the cold is good for something at least!The only place I can imagine that one can't bale graze is in muddy climates. Where it freezes hard, it should be doable. Steve Kenyon from Alberta was the keynote speaker at our North Dakota Grazing Coalition meeting last winter and was so inspiring. Look for him on-line at Greener Pasture Farms. He says bale grazing works especially we where he is because the winters are so hard and so long. Man, it's great to be in the North Country!
I think you have hit on a huge difference in why you can feed that way and I can't. Here the ground is rarely froze even for a day. Any extra hay gets mashed into the ground.Here's an idea of how they clean up. The well cleaned area is alfalfa grass and the residue behind is poor wild hay. I don't see much waste but maybe the cold climate is actually good for something and helping prevent hay being stepped into the ground. I feel pretty strongly 3-4 days maximum hay at a time helps with waste too. There has to be a frequent half day period where they're waiting to be fed so they go back and clean up. View attachment 1052
Not many people in our area calve in January. Is that intentional or just the way it works out?
I never thought about how much it helps in reducing waste until I realized that. By spring we're calving and using bale rings in smaller areas and I'm bedding them so they're not in the mud.I think you have hit on a huge difference in why you can feed that way and I can't. Here the ground is rarely froze even for a day. Any extra hay gets mashed into the ground.