Grazing Management Webinar!

[kjonesel]

I sat last night and watched this man's webinar, You would have believed he reinvented the wheel. When it was finished I felt like he was trying to get his audience to cover his lost income while he screwed off doing internships around the world. He doesn't have anything that isn't available at your local NRCS office. Has anyone on here actually bought his program?

 

[kenny thomas]

Who was it. I make lots of grazing mistakes but usually I pay myself to make them.

 

[kjonesel]

Chris Stlelzer was the name of the guy who hosted it and put "all" the information together.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Usually when you are a grazing expert giving speeches - - you have interns back home doing the work. :cowboy:

 

[Stocker Steve]

Hold on. I will sell you a program for half his price. :banana:

 

[kenny thomas]

Not heard his

 

[Dave]

That was a big part of my job for over 20 years. I have been to workshops featuring all the big names in grazing management Got to know a few of them pretty well. When it gets down to it they are all basically saying the same thing. Some regional differences but grass is still grass and cows are cows.

 

[Banjo]

I watched it.....it was interesting. Not that i know it all because I don't, but I have either seen videos or read the books of most of the people he mentioned. He just just sort of hit the high spots and I guess he gets into the nitty gritty when you by the course. One thing that was good was the interview with Dick Richardson in Australia if you watch the webinar to the end he would send it to you.
Dick talks about Mob grazing or ultra high stock density grazing and how he doesn't do that all the time because it can be harmful. One of the keys that was mentioned by one of his mentors was not to take it all(grass). It will grow back faster and if it stops raining, you can always go back to it.
There must be good money in these webinars and docuseries .....I get invited to watch one about every week or two in my email....most of them are pretty interesting regardless of the subject matter, I just get my fill pretty quick of the sales pitches they do....they go really over the top.

 

[kjonesel]

I find myself in a situation where cull cow prices are so low that to reduce my numbers i'm forced to sell at a substantial loss. This is the first step in improving grassland production, reduce your numbers to the point that you can increase them later.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

IDK - I started "rotational grazing" before it became a "thing". One basic thing I learned early was you don't want cattle re-grazing the same grass after 7 days because they will be eating re-growth. Other than that, noone can tell you what works on YOUR farm. Trial and error. Depending on the season, I shoot for 2-5 days in one paddock.
I don't think I have ever attended a rotational grazing seminar. I have read several different articles - mostly blah blah blah.

 

[kenny thomas]

I find myself in a situation where cull cow prices are so low that to reduce my numbers i'm forced to sell at a substantial loss. This is the first step in improving grassland production, reduce your numbers to the point that you can increase them later.

This is one of the best statements I have seen. But you have to start somewhere.
It doesn't have to start all at once though. Do what you can and the money will allow each year. Grazing will improve.

 

[Stocker Steve]

The basics are basic, but there are alot of potential improvements beyond that. Incorporating low cost legumes, increasing stocking density, extending the grazing season, are some of the higher impact skills.

"Soil Health" is the trendiest management area here. I learned some things by measuring water infiltration and tweaking cover crop mixes. The rest seemed pretty academic.

The game for many of these experts is to do some public speaking, write a book around a phrase they coined, and then move into consulting.

 

[Banjo]

IDK - I started "rotational grazing" before it became a "thing". One basic thing I learned early was you don't want cattle re-grazing the same grass after 7 days because they will be eating re-growth. Other than that, noone can tell you what works on YOUR farm. Trial and error. Depending on the season, I shoot for 2-5 days in one paddock.
I don't think I have ever attended a rotational grazing seminar. I have read several different articles - mostly blah blah blah.

My philosphy is to always keep an open mind.... you can always learn something from anybody just about, either what to do or not to do.
I went to a grazing seminar in Princeton last spring and I've been doing this about 10 years. I can truly say i picked up a few nuggets. One was that most of us don't have enough clover in our pastures....they showed a picture of 30% clover and it looked almost like a solid stand. I like reading articles and watching videos on the subject....I just chew the meat and spit out the bones as they say.

 

[Banjo]

I find myself in a situation where cull cow prices are so low that to reduce my numbers i'm forced to sell at a substantial loss. This is the first step in improving grassland production, reduce your numbers to the point that you can increase them later.

I am the same way. Took 2 to the stockyards Sat. and they brought $475 and $485 .....one was young and small and the other was pretty old, but both bred. Right now is not a real good time to sell cull cows ....there were 80 head cows and 80 weigh cows there Sat.
They seem to sell a little better in the summer I think.

 

[shaz]

The basics are basic, but there are alot of potential improvements beyond that. Incorporating low cost legumes, increasing stocking density, extending the grazing season, are some of the higher impact skills.

"Soil Health" is the trendiest management area here. I learned some things by measuring water infiltration and tweaking cover crop mixes. The rest seemed pretty academic.

The game for many of these experts is to do some public speaking, write a book around a phrase they coined, and then move into consulting.

How can you measure water infiltration?

 

[Stocker Steve]

Lay a metal ring down, tap it into the ground slightly, fill the ring with an inch of water, then time how long it takes to soak / infiltrate into the ground. If you have poor soil structure - - you should bring a beer and a chair along.

 

[shaz]

Perk test? Ok, I thought this was about water retaining capacity

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I'm sure not knocking learning from someone else. It's just that "speakers" want to make it sound like it's rocket science to rotational graze. It can be as simple or complicated as you want it. And, it is very, very dependent on WHERE you are located. My fields grow clover, no matter what I do to it. Plow up a field and mow it a couple of years, and you will have grass and clover. Here in NY, we can frost seed clover - not sure if that is a practice all over. I was planning on doing it this coming spring to introduce different species of clover. I will just use a spreader on our quad.
I think my cow number capacity is more dictated by the MUD potential and the amount of hay I can put up, than the "food" in the fields. LOL I say that, but I sure was chasing grass this year. Very odd year.

 

[Banjo]

Sometimes I have wondered if it its worth it....going out every day and moving the cattle to a new pasture. But after that heatwave/drought we went thru in August and September I realized this is very much worth it.
All the conventional grazers I know were singing the blues because their pastures were burnt up because they were just picked right down to the ground. That works ok as long as you get a little rain every week, but when the water shuts off it gets serious real quik.
I took some soil temperature readings with a laser gun thermometer during that time and the ground that was uncovered and bare was about 110 to 120 degrees.....soil that was covered with a few inches of grass was in the 80's,,,big difference.
Interestingly, a dried cow pattie read 120 on top and underneath it was only in the 70 's.....gotta keep that soil covered especially in the summer!

 

[kenny thomas]

Sometimes I have wondered if it its worth it....going out every day and moving the cattle to a new pasture. But after that heatwave/drought we went thru in August and September I realized this is very much worth it.
All the conventional grazers I know were singing the blues because their pastures were burnt up because they were just picked right down to the ground. That works ok as long as you get a little rain every week, but when the water shuts off it gets serious real quik.
I took some soil temperature readings with a laser gun thermometer during that time and the ground that was uncovered and bare was about 110 to 120 degrees.....soil that was covered with a few inches of grass was in the 80's,,,big difference.
Interestingly, a dried cow pattie read 120 on top and underneath it was only in the 70 's.....gotta keep that soil covered especially in the summer!

Very good point.