Does anyone supplement with Riomax?

[PPRM]

Here’s what I would do, invest in a few bales of hay, a good solar charger and turbo wire.

Rotational grazing give them enough grass for a day or two. In my mind you might be late this year to get regrowth. The hay needs to be good enough protein to feed the rumen to break down what’s left.

Next year is a new year. My “Brown stockpile” has enough protein in the green within it to do this. However, if they are left to the whole thing, they eat the protein parts first until it’s gone. Then they go backwards eating what’s left.

I’ve personally increased my carrying capacity on every lease I’ve ever had by following this.

The hay is way less expensive than any Protien tub. We use protien tubs when we simply can’t get there with good hay

 

[Dave]

They may be the most expensive product, but when labor is considered they may be cheaper. I know they are if you have cattle in a different location to where you have to drive. Alfalfa around here is only for the horse crowd. Most folks supplement with range cubes.

I and everyone around here don't supplement this time of the year. Just from mid-late November until they go to grass in April. I feed some alfalfa twice a week that works out to 4 pounds per cow per day. The dirt farmers raise a lot of alfalfa. Alfalfa cost about $160 a ton. Grass hay is about $120 a ton. So 8 cents a pound for Alfalfa and 6 cent for grass. Evey pound of alfalfa fed is one less pound of grass. So it cost me 8 cents a day to feed that 4 pounds. That is by far cheaper than any other protein supplement I can buy. Results will vary depending on location and available feed sources.

 

[AmandaQ]

Spray it now and then again in March. Grazonext is a good product. I kept up 8 acres for years using a 25 gallon sprayer with a 6' boom and a side x side. If your coverage is good you can be weed free by May.

My husband is going to spray as soon as it stops raining every day!

 

[AmandaQ]

Here's what I would do, invest in a few bales of hay, a good solar charger and turbo wire.

Rotational grazing give them enough grass for a day or two. In my mind you might be late this year to get regrowth. The hay needs to be good enough protein to feed the rumen to break down what's left.

Next year is a new year. My "Brown stockpile" has enough protein in the green within it to do this. However, if they are left to the whole thing, they eat the protein parts first until it's gone. Then they go backwards eating what's left.

I've personally increased my carrying capacity on every lease I've ever had by following this.

The hay is way less expensive than any Protien tub. We use protien tubs when we simply can't get there with good hay

My head knows this is the right thing to do but my heart just can't get onboard. We are going to work on the grass with Grazeon and start seriously talking about how rotational grazing would work. It's the water positioning, the favorite treeline, the ability for them to go wherever they want. I still have green grass. My calf born in February weighs 400 lbs, her mama is looking good with a little bit of weight left to lose and the heifer is perfect sized and needs to stop gaining weight. As soon as the oppressive heat subsides, I will move them to the front pasture with the one lone giant tree and a horse arena they love to lounge in and poop on. It's hard to be a responsible cow mom!!

 

[PPRM]

when you see they have done better, it’s an easy switch. By letting them go where they want, they eat up all the good protein and then start losing condition.

You can give them access to shade the hottest hours after they have grazed the plants too sugar production.we’ve gotten creative in moving water.

 

[Dave]

I have used a permanent water trough to the starting point for the temporary fence. Some times the fence starts at the right side of the trough and other times on the left of the trough. It is all a mental thing for you. Start thinking of ways to make it work instead of ways it wont work.

 

[AmandaQ]

I have used a permanent water trough to the starting point for the temporary fence. Some times the fence starts at the right side of the trough and other times on the left of the trough. It is all a mental thing for you. Start thinking of ways to make it work instead of ways it wont work.

My water spout is in the far left upper corner of my pasture, outside of the fence. Will it help if I move them to the very little shade pasture only at night and move them back the next morning before it gets too hot? I'm not going to have a perfect rotational plan but it seems like something should be better than nothing. I'm trying to research how much time they have to be off the over grazed pasture to give it a break.

 

[AmandaQ]

How are you moving your water?

 

[PPRM]

How are you moving your water?

I think that was directed to me?

Hose and empty the tank and move it. This is a bit temporary. The downside is the water can warming the hose if it’s fully exposed. If the lease is more guarenteed, I have a water line on one side of the creek I can add faucets. The water line goes the full length of the long narrow pasture. The current faucet is near the top.

It crosses the creek and hoes up to a water storage tank that feeds the other side by gravity. The storage tank was originally designed to fill from a solar pump going down to a springbox.

My first year, the pipe outside the water tank was exposed plastic. It cracked and we had to go to the well in the other side that feeds the long pasture and crosses to the water tank.

I redid the plumbing at the storage tank with actual pipe. Also added valves so I could by pass and isolate the storage tank.

This year, the solar pump only worked a month. We’ve used the well since. If the lease become permanent, my plan is to bury a line the rest of the way down from the storage tanks to the hay shed/Barn/Corals. I currently fill a UBC tote and transfer it to troughs at the barn if I overnight something.

The property is 138 acres at the foothills of the Cascades in the Willamette Valley. Enough water from rainfall. We feel we can run double the cattle with better water spots and Hotwire. It’s tricky in that we run calves starting in late February and then transition to pairs as it dries. I’m going to play with interceding warm seasons as well to get something that enjoys 90 degree days in the summer. Maybe intermediate wheatgrass, alfalfa and then some annuals.