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<blockquote data-quote="SRBeef" data-source="post: 700485" data-attributes="member: 7509"><p>Jeanne, I have one main water source also - a concrete waterer with lanes to it, some pastures about 1/4 mi or a bit more away. My Herefords are used to taking turns getting a drink. I doubt they will crush that steel tank. They will get behind it and step on the hose etc if I let them but that is a pretty hot electric wire just above and behind the valve to keep them out.</p><p></p><p>My calves and milk production have been fine with the single waterer for a couple years. My only reason for adding this galvanized tank until freeze up is that there is no way for them to get back to my main waterer from this new pasture without going through another pasture that needs a rest. I don't want to setup a long lane for this one pasture.</p><p></p><p>KT, unless you have a large herd, one week on 10-15 acres in a moist climate area really is pretty low density and not really rotational grazing. As you are seeing, they still have the ability to pick and choose the best grasses. When you have a higher grazing density they tend to eat almost everything. Herefords tend to be pretty aggressive grazers too. </p><p></p><p>I move mine about once a week also but when I do the whole pasture is grazed to about the same height. In a fresh pasture with maybe 10" tall grass/clover mixture, they seem to make a couple passes a day around it and take it down to maybe 6" the first time around, then to about 3" the second time around and pretty uniformly except for maybe the taller thistles. This is when I move them then I come in with the drag if not too many thistles left or with the flail mower if a lot of weeds left.</p><p></p><p>The grass is not generally noticeably shorter near the waterer.</p><p></p><p>I think there is some value to the concept of a "cow-day" worth of grass. If you start out pacing off about one acre (or 1/2 acre or any known area) with an electric wire and watch them every day and see how long it takes them to eat the enclosed area down to about 3" (keep the grass this high so it has enough leaf area left to regrow quickly) and estimate how many cow equivalents you have (lactating cow = 1, steer = .8, bull = .8 =.9 calves = .1-.5 or so on).</p><p></p><p>After a while you can tell about how many "cow-day" grass you are looking at and about how much area you need to leave them for the week. </p><p></p><p>This system is not for everyone nor every climate area. But it does get more production per acre where it makes sense. It keeps weeds down and improves the pasture. If you have excess grass, use it for hay this year and pasture it next year....</p><p></p><p>Or just do what you are doing if that fits your needs. I am acre-limited so I need to get as much beef as possible from each acre. While I'd like to have more land sometimes being limited in some resource forces you to find other ways to do things. Thanks for the replies. Jim</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SRBeef, post: 700485, member: 7509"] Jeanne, I have one main water source also - a concrete waterer with lanes to it, some pastures about 1/4 mi or a bit more away. My Herefords are used to taking turns getting a drink. I doubt they will crush that steel tank. They will get behind it and step on the hose etc if I let them but that is a pretty hot electric wire just above and behind the valve to keep them out. My calves and milk production have been fine with the single waterer for a couple years. My only reason for adding this galvanized tank until freeze up is that there is no way for them to get back to my main waterer from this new pasture without going through another pasture that needs a rest. I don't want to setup a long lane for this one pasture. KT, unless you have a large herd, one week on 10-15 acres in a moist climate area really is pretty low density and not really rotational grazing. As you are seeing, they still have the ability to pick and choose the best grasses. When you have a higher grazing density they tend to eat almost everything. Herefords tend to be pretty aggressive grazers too. I move mine about once a week also but when I do the whole pasture is grazed to about the same height. In a fresh pasture with maybe 10" tall grass/clover mixture, they seem to make a couple passes a day around it and take it down to maybe 6" the first time around, then to about 3" the second time around and pretty uniformly except for maybe the taller thistles. This is when I move them then I come in with the drag if not too many thistles left or with the flail mower if a lot of weeds left. The grass is not generally noticeably shorter near the waterer. I think there is some value to the concept of a "cow-day" worth of grass. If you start out pacing off about one acre (or 1/2 acre or any known area) with an electric wire and watch them every day and see how long it takes them to eat the enclosed area down to about 3" (keep the grass this high so it has enough leaf area left to regrow quickly) and estimate how many cow equivalents you have (lactating cow = 1, steer = .8, bull = .8 =.9 calves = .1-.5 or so on). After a while you can tell about how many "cow-day" grass you are looking at and about how much area you need to leave them for the week. This system is not for everyone nor every climate area. But it does get more production per acre where it makes sense. It keeps weeds down and improves the pasture. If you have excess grass, use it for hay this year and pasture it next year.... Or just do what you are doing if that fits your needs. I am acre-limited so I need to get as much beef as possible from each acre. While I'd like to have more land sometimes being limited in some resource forces you to find other ways to do things. Thanks for the replies. Jim [/QUOTE]
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