Ideal Pasture

[Jogeephus]

Was wondering what you thought of when you think of the ideal pasture. Is it a weed-free monoculture or is it something less uniform - more diverse - weedy for lack of a better term? Weather is beautiful here today so I spent some time watching the cows and seeing what they were up to and why the hay consumption has dropped so radically and made some pretty interesting observations on what I might consider the ideal pasture.

 

[highgrit]

I like bahia myself, mine is starting to greenup and the wild rye grass and clover is coming up through it nicely.

 

[M5farm]

Common Bermuda and Bahia in the same pasture with some crab grass.

 

[Banjo]

Was wondering what you thought of when you think of the ideal pasture. Is it a weed-free monoculture or is it something less uniform - more diverse - weedy for lack of a better term? Weather is beautiful here today so I spent some time watching the cows and seeing what they were up to and why the hay consumption has dropped so radically and made some pretty interesting observations on what I might consider the ideal pasture.

Well go ahead and share the wisdom with us.......for real...I'm not being sarcastic.

 

[dun]

It;s really a regional thing. Here the ideal is a mixture of fescue with clover and lespedeza and enough pasture with a native type WSG to be able to graze it while the fescue is in it's summer slump. For the fescue pastures I also like a little orchard grass, the cows won;t eat it but it gives the critters something to hide in so I can have the enjoyment of watching the hawks hunt them. Along the edges I like brushy stuff (unless it's under a hotwire). A scattering of tall high limbed trees for shade/shelter like 12-18 inch DBH oaks, hickorys and walnuts. Small thickets in the corners for winter shelter, ussualy cedars also helps.

 

[TexasBred]

I sprigged all mine with coastal bermuda but there is also some common bermuda along with some native grasses as well as some stuff that would probably be classified as weeds. All furnish great protein when fertilized and the cattle eat them all. About the only thing I try to spray and keep out is thistles and goat weeds.

 

[Jogeephus]

Well go ahead and share the wisdom with us.......for real...I'm not being sarcastic.

I think everyone who has posted so far has put their finger on it. Listening to the chemical dealers you would think it would be a spotless pasture with just that one grass in it but what I'm beginning to see is its the diversity of plant species that really make the ideal pasture. Like Highgrit said, the native ryegrass in the Bahia is good stuff speckled with some clover. This is what I'm seeing my cows eat and they are eating in the "worst" kept pasture. I watched one particular cow stop by a patch of this native ryegrass which is so short I couldn't mow it with my lawnmower if I wanted to and it just sat there and grabbed and grabbed at the spot without moving till it was shorn to the dirt. I haven't a clue what the TDN is in this stuff but it has to be off the charts for them to be slicking up like they are.

Just find it interesting to see them blossom so on "weeds".

 

[M5farm]

Your right Jo , it is absolutely gorgeous yesterday and today. I try and kill the thistle and yellow bitter weed and let the rest grow.

 

[Jogeephus]

Smutgrass is my main weed. I think God put it here just to pi$$ us off because I don't think anything eats it. I stay on top of it with spot spraying and hopefully I'll be rid of it next year.

 

[dun]

Smutgrass is my main weed. I think God put it here just to pi$$ us off because I don't think anything eats it. I stay on top of it with spot spraying and hopefully I'll be rid of it next year.

Our curse is queen anns lace (wild carrot) and MFRs (the MF doesn;t necessarrily stand for Multi-flora). That's mostly all we spray anymore. It's taken years but this place was overgrown with spiny pigweed and thistles. Now we hardly see any but if I do I attack them vigorously

 

[Jogeephus]

I have a small infestation of thistle after the DOT did some grading and sowed the ROW with grass seed that was filled with thistle seed. Thankfully its only in one field and I've been able to spot spray it. Started with maybe 1000 plants and I've seen about 40 this year that I'll treat shortly.

 

[Rafter S]

I agree about the Bahia mixed with common Bermuda for sandy land, and I really like King Ranch bluestem for tighter ground. It greens up later in the spring than some of the other grass, but it's good feed and drought tolerant.

And I hate smutgrass too. I seem to remember reading somewhere that it's good feed if you can get them to eat it, but that's a mighty big if. I don't know if it's because it doesn't taste good to them or, more likely, it's just so tough and hard to bite off.

 

[Rafter S]

I forgot to mention kleingrass, which is also good pasture. It's mostly used for hayfields in this part of the country, but I had a rent pasture that had about an 8-10 acre area that had been planted to klein for hay years ago. Cows had been on it continuously for 3 - 4 years, and it had held up well and they kept it short.

 

[plumber_greg]

I've pretty much decided to love enphodyte infected fescue. It just keeps comin' and comin'. gs

 

[Jogeephus]

I've pretty much decided to love enphodyte infected fescue. It just keeps comin' and comin'. gs

I envy you guys that can grow fescue. If I could grow it I doubt I'd ever need to feed hay.

 

[dun]

I've pretty much decided to love enphodyte infected fescue. It just keeps comin' and comin'. gs

When we first moved here I wanted to get rid of all of it. First of all I don;t think you can, secind is once I learned to live with it and work with it I've really gotten to like it. Sure there are problems, but managment can overcome a lot of those.

 

[Jogeephus]

When I was a boy I quail hunted a lot and remember walking across the frost covered green fescue fields and it just seems like it would be such a plus if I could grow just enough to winter the cattle. Our problem here is the winters are so mixed up. One day it might be in the 20's then a couple days later it will be in the 50-60's. Apparently this is hard on plants because its too hot for the cold weather plants then to cold for the warm so you are just faced with a dead period that you just have to make use of the surplus forage you put up during the main growing season. Sortof feast or famine.

 

[xbred]

I have a small infestation of thistle after the DOT did some grading and sowed the ROW with grass seed that was filled with thistle seed. Thankfully its only in one field and I've been able to spot spray it. Started with maybe 1000 plants and I've seen about 40 this year that I'll treat shortly.


what did you use on your thistle?

 

[Angus Cowman]

2-4D works real well on thistle main thing is hit them before they flower or if they are flowering cut the flower off and put in a bag and burn them in something like a burn barrel don't burn them on the ground as some seed will survive and come back later

 

[Stocker Steve]

I envy you guys that can grow fescue. If I could grow it I doubt I'd ever need to feed hay.

I thought fescue grows almost everywhere?