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Looking for cheap winter graze -possibilites
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<blockquote data-quote="cowtrek" data-source="post: 252299" data-attributes="member: 2847"><p>$35 a bale for stemmy (overmature?) johnsongrass hay sounds a little high to me, but then again if it's been dry and hay is scarce that might be pretty reasonable. The $9K figure sounds like somebody who likes to spend money. Sure he's a nice guy but there's a lot of nice guys with pockets deeper than mine! LOL<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> I don't really think you need to feed that much hay. We hauled 3 rounds on a 16 foot lowboy to Shiner once every five days last winter, but it was DRY last winter and at the time I had nearly 100 head on the place all total. I usually feed 3 bales/week in a normal year. I always unroll them. It spreads the hay and any seed in it out evenly, so the cows eat it all, and they don't crap on it or make a huge dead spot of wasted hay a foot deep. I haul for a neighbor here and he uses feed rings which are a pain and he STILL ends up with wasted hay a foot deep rotting because it was peed and crapped on. My cattle usually eat the 3 bales off in about 4 days and then they can just graze on winter grass and whatever standing stuff is left over from the fall for 3 days til we haul again. Some folks say I might be underfeeding but they hold up pretty good and that's about the best you can hope for during the winter anyway. What really hurt us last year was the dry conditions that held back the winter grass, and being overstocked because we weren't finished with fencing/pens to split the herd and get half of em down here and take the pressure off. We were really kinda overstocked for awhile, but I held heifers back for awhile to build my numbers up to bring 'em down here, I sure didn't want to have to buy heifers or cows with these high prices! It's worked out really well and I can't complain. We're probably a little understocked in Shiner right now but the land needs a rest anyway. That native winter ryegrass is your best friend, that and burr clover. Just hope we get enough moisture to bring them in good this fall. </p><p></p><p>I was pretty enticed by the cost-share program with NRCS. They pay half of the sprigging, figured on a cost of $90 per acre, so you can get $45/acre in payment. If you do the work yourself, you can bill them just like you hired it all done and get paid for it. I looked at the water line and trough program too. They'll pay 50% of water line and troughs, but they require up to 1.25 inch lines depending on the run length and a double thick concrete trough surrounded by a 4' gravel pad contained within a 3 or 4 ft. concrete "sidewalk". Lotsa $$$ and trouble. I just laid my own water lines using 3/4 poly pipe laid through a booted subsoiler. Once I put a hose bib on the post and couple metal troughs they have water, and it didn't cost me $2K+. Signed up for crossfencing cost share and then he printed off 23 pages of "approved practices" and fencebuilding requirements and I said to heck with it. Just cheaper and easier to build it myself like I want it and not have to satisfy their 'inspections'. Then I found out that I couldn't do ANYTHING until my contract was approved (maybe 6 month wait) and it be eligible for cost share, have to pay for EVERYTHING up front myself to do it to their requirements and then submit receipts and invoices to them for cost share payouts probably 6 months after I bought and paid for the stuff to begin with. So I just canceled the whole thing. They have some good information on grasses and stuff that is really helpful, but the beauracracy for the program was more than this old country boy could stand. </p><p></p><p>I ran a moldboard plow over 20 acres that I'm planning to sprig in Jiggs. I flatbroke it back in May and disked it twice pulling a drag harrow behind to break the clods and finish the seedbed. Then it got weedy after the first little rain we got all summer and had to disk it again lightly to cut the weeds out, and now it's raining every other day and the cows rutted it so I guess I'll have to disk it again before I sprig. I found an old WL Pray one row sprigging machine near Hallettsville for $100 and restored it to like new condition so I can do my own sprigging. I have it on the 5610 waiting to go. I can sprig on 40 inch rows and pack the last pass with the tractor tire. One row will be kinda slow but should save a lot of $$$ compared to hiring it done. I can get Jiggs tops from a guy near Clute for $150 for a heaped up 16 foot lowboy load, bout 7 acres worth he said. I'm hoping to flash graze the weeds off after I get it sprigged if it's not too bad, should be mostly pigweed and johnsongrass and I've flash grazed it once already with good results. If it's too weedy or the jiggs can't compete I guess I'll have to buy some spray, but still cheaper than hiring it done. I just hate the idea of hiring a bunch of high dollar sprigging and then it's maybe 50-50 or so that it'll take. If you have a stand failure your sunk. I can poor boy it and probably have odds that good anyway. Good luck! 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: 252299, member: 2847"] $35 a bale for stemmy (overmature?) johnsongrass hay sounds a little high to me, but then again if it's been dry and hay is scarce that might be pretty reasonable. The $9K figure sounds like somebody who likes to spend money. Sure he's a nice guy but there's a lot of nice guys with pockets deeper than mine! LOL:) I don't really think you need to feed that much hay. We hauled 3 rounds on a 16 foot lowboy to Shiner once every five days last winter, but it was DRY last winter and at the time I had nearly 100 head on the place all total. I usually feed 3 bales/week in a normal year. I always unroll them. It spreads the hay and any seed in it out evenly, so the cows eat it all, and they don't crap on it or make a huge dead spot of wasted hay a foot deep. I haul for a neighbor here and he uses feed rings which are a pain and he STILL ends up with wasted hay a foot deep rotting because it was peed and crapped on. My cattle usually eat the 3 bales off in about 4 days and then they can just graze on winter grass and whatever standing stuff is left over from the fall for 3 days til we haul again. Some folks say I might be underfeeding but they hold up pretty good and that's about the best you can hope for during the winter anyway. What really hurt us last year was the dry conditions that held back the winter grass, and being overstocked because we weren't finished with fencing/pens to split the herd and get half of em down here and take the pressure off. We were really kinda overstocked for awhile, but I held heifers back for awhile to build my numbers up to bring 'em down here, I sure didn't want to have to buy heifers or cows with these high prices! It's worked out really well and I can't complain. We're probably a little understocked in Shiner right now but the land needs a rest anyway. That native winter ryegrass is your best friend, that and burr clover. Just hope we get enough moisture to bring them in good this fall. I was pretty enticed by the cost-share program with NRCS. They pay half of the sprigging, figured on a cost of $90 per acre, so you can get $45/acre in payment. If you do the work yourself, you can bill them just like you hired it all done and get paid for it. I looked at the water line and trough program too. They'll pay 50% of water line and troughs, but they require up to 1.25 inch lines depending on the run length and a double thick concrete trough surrounded by a 4' gravel pad contained within a 3 or 4 ft. concrete "sidewalk". Lotsa $$$ and trouble. I just laid my own water lines using 3/4 poly pipe laid through a booted subsoiler. Once I put a hose bib on the post and couple metal troughs they have water, and it didn't cost me $2K+. Signed up for crossfencing cost share and then he printed off 23 pages of "approved practices" and fencebuilding requirements and I said to heck with it. Just cheaper and easier to build it myself like I want it and not have to satisfy their 'inspections'. Then I found out that I couldn't do ANYTHING until my contract was approved (maybe 6 month wait) and it be eligible for cost share, have to pay for EVERYTHING up front myself to do it to their requirements and then submit receipts and invoices to them for cost share payouts probably 6 months after I bought and paid for the stuff to begin with. So I just canceled the whole thing. They have some good information on grasses and stuff that is really helpful, but the beauracracy for the program was more than this old country boy could stand. I ran a moldboard plow over 20 acres that I'm planning to sprig in Jiggs. I flatbroke it back in May and disked it twice pulling a drag harrow behind to break the clods and finish the seedbed. Then it got weedy after the first little rain we got all summer and had to disk it again lightly to cut the weeds out, and now it's raining every other day and the cows rutted it so I guess I'll have to disk it again before I sprig. I found an old WL Pray one row sprigging machine near Hallettsville for $100 and restored it to like new condition so I can do my own sprigging. I have it on the 5610 waiting to go. I can sprig on 40 inch rows and pack the last pass with the tractor tire. One row will be kinda slow but should save a lot of $$$ compared to hiring it done. I can get Jiggs tops from a guy near Clute for $150 for a heaped up 16 foot lowboy load, bout 7 acres worth he said. I'm hoping to flash graze the weeds off after I get it sprigged if it's not too bad, should be mostly pigweed and johnsongrass and I've flash grazed it once already with good results. If it's too weedy or the jiggs can't compete I guess I'll have to buy some spray, but still cheaper than hiring it done. I just hate the idea of hiring a bunch of high dollar sprigging and then it's maybe 50-50 or so that it'll take. If you have a stand failure your sunk. I can poor boy it and probably have odds that good anyway. Good luck! OL JR :) [/QUOTE]
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