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Looking for cheap winter graze -possibilites
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<blockquote data-quote="cowtrek" data-source="post: 251015" data-attributes="member: 2847"><p>Congrats on your new place! We're in the process of changing over 60 acres of cotton and sorghum cropland into pasture here on our family place and it can be a job, lemme tell ya. $$$$ too, which is why we're spreading it out over a longer time period. </p><p></p><p>Arnold gave you some real good advice. Don't bother spraying the weeds you have now-- too late in the season and I'm guessing if the sunflowers have outgrown johnsongrass you must have them 6 feet tall or better. You have to shred off that rubbish to get anything at all growing out there. Disking lightly if you can would probably help some too, to incorporate the trash a bit and encourage the j-grass rhizomes and seed. Putting the whole 100 acres into wintergrass might be more than you need, but $9,000 sounds way out of the ballpark to me. You could put in maybe 50 acres worth and divide it up into 2-3 grazing paddocks (or more) with temporary electric fence for wintergrazing, something like that. The main thing that I would add is some clover. That way you'd be getting some free N out of the deal, which should save you $$$ on fertilizer next year. I'd probably go with a cheaper annual type clover since you're probably going to work it up again to plant more permanent grasses before it's all said and done. Depending on your soil type and pH, you might go with crimson or white clover to start with and then when you have your permanent pasture established go with rose clover or something. You'd probably want a local recommendation from NRCS or extension on what clovers work well in your area. </p><p> You said NRCS doesn't want you to graze your T85 for a year, so I assume you're in a cost share program with them. I was in the process of doing that myself until I saw all the regulations and stuff, and just decided to do things on my own. I don't like people looking over my shoulder all the time and gov't regulations and requirements require big $$$ to do things their way, when there are cheaper ways to get by. One good thing, now that you have a T-85 field you have a good nursery plot to cut tops off of and plant the rest of your place, if you wanted to. Sounds like somebody might be getting to you on some things. Don't let anybody sell you a Cadillac for Cadillac $$$ when all you need is a Yugo. Worse yet, especially if you're kinda new to all this, don't let anybody sell you a Yugo at Cadillac prices! Most folks are honest but there are just enough out there that ain't that you really got to watch what's going on. </p><p></p><p>If you're really interested in going 'no hay' (which I don't think is completely feasible or practical) you might want to check out a program my Jim Gerrish called "Getting the hay out". You can find more information on it at <a href="http://www.stockmangrassfarmer.com" target="_blank">http://www.stockmangrassfarmer.com</a> which is the website for Stockman Grass Farmer magazine. I've been wanting to get an audio tape or CD on that for awhile but money's tight right now. Personally I still think that it will be necessary or at least prudent to have some hay to feed or at least available. That lush winter ryegrass, and even 'stockpiled' grass when it's all wet from rain and stuff, can sure give them the squirts easy during the winter. Hay gives the boost and roughage to minimize that. One of the main advantages we have raising cattle in this part of the country (unlike say my in-laws in Indiana and Kansas) is that we can graze MOST of the year and don't have to feed every bite to the cows. I've got 50 head (roughly) on my Shiner place and I only feed 3 5x6 rounds a week up there in normal conditions. If it's REAL cold (icy) or like last winter DRY I feed 4-6 per week. They graze the rest of the time and do fine. </p><p>Just kinda curious what you paid for hay and how much you fed that you 'never want to do that again' as you said. You said sprigging was a lot more $$$ than you anticipated, just out of curiosity what did that end up costing?? </p><p> Well, good luck and congrats again! OL JR <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="cowtrek, post: 251015, member: 2847"] Congrats on your new place! We're in the process of changing over 60 acres of cotton and sorghum cropland into pasture here on our family place and it can be a job, lemme tell ya. $$$$ too, which is why we're spreading it out over a longer time period. Arnold gave you some real good advice. Don't bother spraying the weeds you have now-- too late in the season and I'm guessing if the sunflowers have outgrown johnsongrass you must have them 6 feet tall or better. You have to shred off that rubbish to get anything at all growing out there. Disking lightly if you can would probably help some too, to incorporate the trash a bit and encourage the j-grass rhizomes and seed. Putting the whole 100 acres into wintergrass might be more than you need, but $9,000 sounds way out of the ballpark to me. You could put in maybe 50 acres worth and divide it up into 2-3 grazing paddocks (or more) with temporary electric fence for wintergrazing, something like that. The main thing that I would add is some clover. That way you'd be getting some free N out of the deal, which should save you $$$ on fertilizer next year. I'd probably go with a cheaper annual type clover since you're probably going to work it up again to plant more permanent grasses before it's all said and done. Depending on your soil type and pH, you might go with crimson or white clover to start with and then when you have your permanent pasture established go with rose clover or something. You'd probably want a local recommendation from NRCS or extension on what clovers work well in your area. You said NRCS doesn't want you to graze your T85 for a year, so I assume you're in a cost share program with them. I was in the process of doing that myself until I saw all the regulations and stuff, and just decided to do things on my own. I don't like people looking over my shoulder all the time and gov't regulations and requirements require big $$$ to do things their way, when there are cheaper ways to get by. One good thing, now that you have a T-85 field you have a good nursery plot to cut tops off of and plant the rest of your place, if you wanted to. Sounds like somebody might be getting to you on some things. Don't let anybody sell you a Cadillac for Cadillac $$$ when all you need is a Yugo. Worse yet, especially if you're kinda new to all this, don't let anybody sell you a Yugo at Cadillac prices! Most folks are honest but there are just enough out there that ain't that you really got to watch what's going on. If you're really interested in going 'no hay' (which I don't think is completely feasible or practical) you might want to check out a program my Jim Gerrish called "Getting the hay out". You can find more information on it at [url=http://www.stockmangrassfarmer.com]http://www.stockmangrassfarmer.com[/url] which is the website for Stockman Grass Farmer magazine. I've been wanting to get an audio tape or CD on that for awhile but money's tight right now. Personally I still think that it will be necessary or at least prudent to have some hay to feed or at least available. That lush winter ryegrass, and even 'stockpiled' grass when it's all wet from rain and stuff, can sure give them the squirts easy during the winter. Hay gives the boost and roughage to minimize that. One of the main advantages we have raising cattle in this part of the country (unlike say my in-laws in Indiana and Kansas) is that we can graze MOST of the year and don't have to feed every bite to the cows. I've got 50 head (roughly) on my Shiner place and I only feed 3 5x6 rounds a week up there in normal conditions. If it's REAL cold (icy) or like last winter DRY I feed 4-6 per week. They graze the rest of the time and do fine. Just kinda curious what you paid for hay and how much you fed that you 'never want to do that again' as you said. You said sprigging was a lot more $$$ than you anticipated, just out of curiosity what did that end up costing?? Well, good luck and congrats again! OL JR :) [/QUOTE]
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