Grass Management

[Brute 23]

Let's say in yalls area a person has 2000 ac of fescue... do they just own several tractors/ shredders, hump up, and get after it twice a year to get it all mowed?

 

[sstterry]

Let's say in yalls area a person has 2000 ac of fescue... do they just own several tractors/ shredders, hump up, and get after it twice a year to get it all mowed?

Not too many have 2,000 acres. KT can answer that better than I but 2k acre farms are few and far between. If they do have that much land, most of them around here will be row cropping. I am not aware of anyone that has 2k acres of fescue. I only shred pasture once a year. We do get two cuttings of hay.

 

[Nkline]

I think two shots of 50 units of N a year one being very early and the other dependent on rainfall later, along with a little P (should be recycled within pasture when not haying), and enough K to keep the grass from lodging would be how I would approach fertilization. Our hills are naturally low fertility and no fertilizer = no grass, just a few unpalatable weeds.

 

[snoopdog]

That would make me nervous because you really don't know what kind of winter you're about to have and hay is good insurance.

I get it, but what difference is there? Same animals , same amount of feed.

 

[kenny thomas]

I downsized from a 10' pull behind to a 7' 3pt because there are just some places a big machine won't go on my land, as Dunn said and quoted in HDRider's signature, "Do whatever you have to do for the best results within your limitations".

Everyone is different and have different needs and limitations. I am not being critical, just saying it is what works in this area, and for me.
KT is the true genius when it comes to land management and cattle.

It's all in the spring water.

 

[kenny thomas]

Not too many have 2,000 acres. KT can answer that better than I but 2k acre farms are few and far between. If they do have that much land, most of them around here will be row cropping. I am not aware of anyone that has 2k acres of fescue. I only shred pasture once a year. We do get two cuttings of hay.

The largest cow/calf operator in my community has around 650 cows. He probably has 2000 acres. He wants everything on the farm to look perfect. I'm pretty sure he has all of it clipped by now. But some days there may be 5 tractors running. Oh and he owns an oil company to help pay the bills.

 

[kenny thomas]

The largest cow/calf operator in my community has around 650 cows. He probably has 2000 acres. He wants everything on the farm to look perfect. I'm pretty sure he has all of it clipped by now. But some days there may be 5 tractors running. Oh and he owns an oil company to help pay the bills.

My grass got way ahead of me this year. I need to buy more cows. I need to be at a cow per acre or a little more. I'm at a pair per 3 acres and the seed heads are terrible.

 

[Banjo]

i think they mow those horse farms around Lexington about once every week or two. I have a friend of mine who used to manage Ashbrook farm in Versailles.....he told thats what they did. may have been just for asthetics....they probably seldom get grazed hard....but they always look really good.

 

[kenny thomas]

i think they mow those horse farms around Lexington about once every week or two. I have a friend of mine who used to manage Ashbrook farm in Versailles.....he told thats what they did. may have been just for asthetics....they probably seldom get grazed hard....but they always look really good.

Most beautiful farms of anywhere I have ever been.

 

[sstterry]

i think they mow those horse farms around Lexington about once every week or two. I have a friend of mine who used to manage Ashbrook farm in Versailles.....he told thats what they did. may have been just for asthetics....they probably seldom get grazed hard....but they always look really good.

Those race horses are big money and those are beautiful farms!

 

[Little Joe]

I generally clip fescue seed heads first -mid May right behind rotating the cattle out of a paddock, I need to clip right now due to dallisgrass seed heads and a few fescue seed heads. I'll only clip in the summer if we're getting plenty of rain. All that stockpiled grass definitely keeps moisture in the ground during a drought. Usually in the summer at some point we will have a dry spell and I can sure tell the difference in the pastures that are managed and the ones that aren't. There are plenty around me that rotational graze but there are plenty that don't and their pasture always looks like you scalped it with a lawnmower except for the weeds that the cows won't eat.