Eating ryegrass (caution - many pics)

[cypressfarms]

There are several times of the year that I really love being a cattlemen. Besides newborn calves running all around, I always like when I let the cows into the ryegrass. The way I'm set up, I can't graze them for a few hours at a time, so the cows go in and get to graze for at least a few days. Yesterday evening let the whole group go into a pasture with about 15 acres of ryegrass. If cows could smile, they would have been. Thought I'd share a couple of pics.

The bull definitely likes the ryegrass:

Calves seem to play a while before they get down to business:

Believe it or not, I do have a charolais heifer - long story:

The wild gene baldy born earlier is turning darker:

Hereford imposter:

I actually have someone who wants to buy this bull calf as a herd sire. He's from a Brangus cow bred to a hereford bull, I call em super baldies:

Amazing how some good freash air, green grass and sunshine will make you feel.

 

[Angus Cowman]

nice pics
That green grass looks good everything around here other than rye or wheat fields are brown

 

[gberry]

Is that ryegrass no-tilled or on a prepared seedbed? Also, is this your first pass over this pasture? Just curious because that grass looks like the no-till results we always get whereas grass on a prepared seedbed will be knee deep. Cows and calves aren't complaining, though.

 

[1982vett]

Wish I had 360 acres that looked that good. Been 30 days since we had a rain. Some of that topsoil that blew down from Kansas in the '30s is headed back north today. :frowns: Fed the cows in the rings today because the wind would blow it away if I unrolled it.

 

[Beefy]

nothing will do cows better than a little green this time of year.

 

[cypressfarms]

Is that ryegrass no-tilled or on a prepared seedbed? Also, is this your first pass over this pasture? Just curious because that grass looks like the no-till results we always get whereas grass on a prepared seedbed will be knee deep. Cows and calves aren't complaining, though.

gberry, are you saying that if I tilled, I would get better stands? If that is in fact what your saying, I don't agree - but hey that's one man's opinion

This particular paddock was cut for hay last year, so right after the last cutting, I planted the ryegrass - and luckily got rain immediately after. I don't prepare seedbeds, I just broadcast the seed out with a fertilizer buggy. Normally I'll bush hog the paddock pretty low before I plant to give the ryegrass good ground to work into. If I were planting anything else besides ryegrass, though, I'd have to prepare the soil. That's why I plant ryegrass ;-) Once the ryegrass reaches about 3 or 4 inches high, I come in and hit it with fertilizer - this past time I put 150 pounds of urea per acre.

This is the second time the cows have been let into to graze this particular stand of ryegrass. I let let them graze for a few days until the grass is around 3" or so, and then pull the cows off of it - to not stunt the ryegrass. I have three different paddocks of ryegrass and I move the cows around to utilize these. I ran short of hay again this year, but atleast the ryegrass is doing well.

 

[TexasBred]

Nothing as pretty as cows on lush green pasture. I know they enjoyed it while it lasted. Maybe we'll all get some rain next week Cypress.

 

[gberry]

No, I'm not saying you would get a better stand. I'm saying we do. We just haven't had much luck broadcasting or no-tilling ryegrass onto our bahia or bermuda sod. I've been trying it for several years without luck and have finally decided it's not worth the money. We planted on a tilled seed bed this year. Turned in on Dec. 20th. Usually leave cows on for about 6 hours a day. We really like ryegrass, but I do wish we could get good performance with broadcasting or no-till.

 

[bigbull338]

those are some goodlooking cows an calves.an they love being on the rye grass.

 

[texanstraders]

I passed on the rye this year (glad I did since the rain is non existent)...Here's a pic from last years rye...They just love the fresh stuff.