More boring feeding photos
- Thread starter gcreekrch
- Start date
Help Support CattleToday:
wbvs58
Well-known member
That bare strip, is that where you fed them last time Dave.
Ken
Ken
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
U can have the snow!
Happy cows tho. Nice!
Happy cows tho. Nice!
wbvs58
Well-known member
I used to think wow about the snow and how do the cows survive but now I can see it is part of your cycle and once the ground is frozen and covered with snow things are fairly stable and it is a good feedlot situation and then there is the water there for when things thaw out in spring and the grass grows. One of our big problems here in spring is waiting for summer storms for things to grow, Sept/Oct (spring) can be our toughest months.MurraysMutts said:
Ken
greggy
Well-known member
Tell the photographer to watch out for mirrors & use a camera, not a phone ;-)
Re the ground, that is what I was saying, we get cold and snow, but then it just turns to mush all the time by mid morning, never freezes the ground where you can put a section too use, although, wont complain about moisture while the drought may continue.
Re the ground, that is what I was saying, we get cold and snow, but then it just turns to mush all the time by mid morning, never freezes the ground where you can put a section too use, although, wont complain about moisture while the drought may continue.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Your cows look good, but it does not appear that you have enough snow. 
We bale graze rather than unroll. Saves on equipment, but really timid cows can have issues getting enough.
We bale graze rather than unroll. Saves on equipment, but really timid cows can have issues getting enough.
Stocker Steve said:Your cows look good, but it does not appear that you have enough snow.
We bale graze rather than unroll. Saves on equipment, but really timid cows can have issues getting enough.
Bale grazing may have its place but I'm not a fan of it. Rather make sure the feed is scattered and that we see any problems that crop up on a daily basis. There is a ranch east of us that was bale grazing and touting how much time they had to do other non cattle related activities. It turned cold for a few days and no one bothered to check the water situation. The river had nearly frozen over except a narrow strip. 39 cows went through the ice looking for water in the winter of 2015 when bred cows here were worth $2500+
How much fuel and time will they have to save now?
:deadhorse:
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Great pics. Thanks for sharing. Love your vastness. Could fit a few of my farms on just what I can see in one picture!
But --- we have more snow! (mud underneath)
Edit: Oh yeah, and we hit -20F yesterday morning. That was COLD.
But --- we have more snow! (mud underneath)
Edit: Oh yeah, and we hit -20F yesterday morning. That was COLD.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Areas that need bale grazing the most here are usually remote corners that never ever saw a manure spreader back in the dairy days. Ours have to walk 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile back to water at electrically heated Richies. Wind is our biggest winter issue.
I continue to try extending the grazing season experiments so that we need fewer bales. Pearl millet is on the 2020 seed list.
I continue to try extending the grazing season experiments so that we need fewer bales. Pearl millet is on the 2020 seed list.
Stickney94
Well-known member
Stocker Steve said:
SS,
Do you bale graze by just leaving the bale where you dropped it out of the baler? Or are you placing some strategically in the fall and using a fence system to grant access? Do you just bale graze on crop fields or pastures too?
I've got some pasture that is difficult to impossible to get a spreader too and wondering if using some bale grazing might not be such a bad idea.
I'm in SW MN - are you able to bale graze all winter? Or do you have to take a break at times due to snow/wind/drifting?
Thanks!
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Bale graze strategic locations, often based on soil grid testing or managing water run off.
Bale grazing pasture works really well in some situations - -
drop a bale into a big mother daughter thistle patch to kill it
drop a bale into a low spot or a cut to manage water
bale graze on quack grass with recovers very quickly
I have one farm were they have to bale graze all winter. On a day like today they stand behind a bale.
I have a home place where they walk back about 12 hours before a storm, and I will feed them by a windbreak for a couple days.
Bale grazing pasture works really well in some situations - -
drop a bale into a big mother daughter thistle patch to kill it
drop a bale into a low spot or a cut to manage water
bale graze on quack grass with recovers very quickly
I have one farm were they have to bale graze all winter. On a day like today they stand behind a bale.
I have a home place where they walk back about 12 hours before a storm, and I will feed them by a windbreak for a couple days.
