Does pasture need clipping?
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branguscowgirl
Well-known member
Ya know, we have talked about this before. Some of us are mowers, and some of us aren't. Here is what works for me and why.
I have irrigated pasture with a lot of clover. If I do not mow it, I will get some real tall Dallis grass also. (Cows don't eat much of it, because they don't have too.) The seed heads can get Ergot fungus, which gave me a scare last year thinking that I had a cow with Dallis grass staggers. So I keep it mowed before it goes to seed. (I always have, but last year I was late.)
In addition, I am mowing other weeds before they go to seed and I feel that it has improved my pasture 1,000%!! It also does a good job of spreading some of the manure.
Do you have irrigated pasture or is it drying up?
Can you rotate your cattle?
I have irrigated pasture with a lot of clover. If I do not mow it, I will get some real tall Dallis grass also. (Cows don't eat much of it, because they don't have too.) The seed heads can get Ergot fungus, which gave me a scare last year thinking that I had a cow with Dallis grass staggers. So I keep it mowed before it goes to seed. (I always have, but last year I was late.)
In addition, I am mowing other weeds before they go to seed and I feel that it has improved my pasture 1,000%!! It also does a good job of spreading some of the manure.
Do you have irrigated pasture or is it drying up?
Can you rotate your cattle?
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
I am not burning diesel to mow a pasture that is what I have cows for.
novatech
Well-known member
If you don't have enough cattle to keep the grass in a growing state then I think shredding is good. Fresh grass growth is higher in protein and more palatable than old grass. A better way may be to divide the pasture into smaller plots (electric fence), which would force the cattle to eat what was there rather than just pick a chose what they want to eat.
Since we've cut back so far the ungrazed paddocks get way ahead of the cows. This year had been even stranger then usual. The week of 80s got the grass to bolting and setting seed real early.novatech":1n0vv6l1 said:
I parked by bushhog 4 years ago. If I am going to run a tractor over ground, it's to cut hay. I spray for weeds. That's what I won't to control anyway. I would either buy some more calves to put with them, or just let it go.
skyhightree1
Well-known member
Bigfoot":2mkmzow7 said:
I just cut my 3 acre calf pen at the house
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
novatech":iuqmekz1 said:
The four snows here this winter knocked the fire out of the bermuda grass.
At what point can I clip my fescue? It is tall, like over knee high and seeding out. Seeds are still attached, do I need to wait for them to fall off? I had considered having my place baled but just can't pull the trigger for some reason. I need more dang cows. 10 on 24 acres ain't cutting it
I run the front bucket just a bit above level and have it positioned about a foot above the ground. I also sweep the accumulated seed off the top of the brush hog before I clean it up to put it away, Frequently get around 4-5 5 gal buckets when I do a fieldjallen":2958jhj8 said:
Sweep it off the top of your bruch hog, you would be surprised how mcuh accumulates on it. The fescue on this place was originally seed about 80 years ago. Not sure how much may have been seeded since then that was bought from outside sources. I've been using our own seed for about 12 years. Had it colelcted one year and sold it, the next year I needed some seed for a new area and it cost about 4 times a pound more then what I got per pound. Decided, screw that, I'll just collect and use my own. I've never tested it, but I;ve had some pretty poor cows brought over and turned out a couple of months and the all gained condition. The extension office thinks that possibly since ours was from the really early inportations that it may not have been as high in endophyte and some of the newer stuff. Plus the stuff is acllimated to this area.
dun":2i7a8tr9 said:
Sounds like you need to find you an old pull type combine and designate 3 or 4 acres for seed. I bought an All crop AC harvester a few years ago and I'm going to do that myself this year.
The way you are doing it is a good idea, but when you let the fescue get that mature(brown) it goes dormant until fall and its real slow coming back. If it isn't allowed to get mature(brown) then when fall comes it starts growing quicker. JMHO
Most times it is a field that we're letting lay fallow for a grazing season or it's one that for one reaosn or another (health/weather) I haven;t been able to get to for clipping till later then usual. I've also found that if when you clip the seed heads if you also take an inch or 2 of the blade that it will grow pretty well. Problem is that in the summer fescue goes pretty much dormant anyway. Clipping (if it hasn;t been grazed short) is just part of my prep for stockpiling for the winter. In years more typical then this past winter we graze stockpiled fescue through the beginning of calving seaosn in the spring then only feed hay for a week or so after calving starts before they go out on new growing grass. Last winter was so screwy we fed hay for almost a whole month.Banjo":253erdt0 said:
