Rotating on smaller averages

[jallen]

For you guys that have acerages in the 20-30 acre range, is there any benefit to rotational grazing on pastures of this size? I've got 24 acres and am interested in setting up to do it but wanted to get some feedback from guys that have done it. Any input you can offer?

 

[M.Magis]

I'm certainly no expert, but I believe it's beneficial no matter what the acreage.

 

[M-5]

I think Its more important to do on smaller acreage.

 

[J&D Cattle]

I agree with both of the above posters. At my house I only have 30 acres of grass and I have it split into 10 pastures. For mine I had to adapt due to water and shade. I put in two waterers and use a creek for one pasture. I also have 3 pastures that provide zero shade; in the summer I create a lane that lets the cattle access shade. With these smaller pastures you can force your cattle to really clean it up and eat it down to your desired height. This also concentrates the urine and manure. I turn my son loose with an ATV and a drag and he spreads poop as he says. Electric fence is your friend. I have good external fence but only use single strand electric to split it up. I use my waterers as roundabouts and can move the cattle into different pastures with the gates I have surrounding the waterer itself. Each property is a little different so your setup may be drastically different than mine. Good luck!

 

[jallen]

Thanks, the search function wasn't working for some reason. I've found plenty to read on and am going to give it a try this spring. My initial concern is how am I going to get water to the cattle when my only pond on the property is in one of the corners? I'm planning to do temp fencing for the first year at least until I get a feel for it. Dragging a trough around doesn't sound like a good time but for now that's all I can come up with. Another question would be for the guys that plant winter rye-do you rotate it as well or just give them the whole field in the winter?

 

[M-5]

Rotate yr round , Its east to establish a lane with poly wire for water access points

 

[uplandnut]

Depending how far your house is from your pastures you could put a tank in the pasture that the cows are in, run a hose to it and get one of the tank floats that goes on a hose end and mounts on the tank.

 

[Banjo]

For you guys that have acerages in the 20-30 acre range, is there any benefit to rotational grazing on pastures of this size? I've got 24 acres and am interested in setting up to do it but wanted to get some feedback from guys that have done it. Any input you can offer?

Whats your location?

 

[jallen]

Around Cullman AL

 

[jallen]

I'm right in the pasture with them pretty much so running a hose or some piping would be an option.

 

[Cross-7]

Thanks, the search function wasn't working for some reason. I've found plenty to read on and am going to give it a try this spring. My initial concern is how am I going to get water to the cattle when my only pond on the property is in one of the corners? I'm planning to do temp fencing for the first year at least until I get a feel for it. Dragging a trough around doesn't sound like a good time but for now that's all I can come up with. Another question would be for the guys that plant winter rye-do you rotate it as well or just give them the whole field in the winter?

I read on here I think where they would allow their cattle to graze the for a few hours a day then pull them off
That way it supplemented their diet but didnt graze it out. The high moisture and protein along with dried grass or hay worked well together

 

[SteppedInIt]

For you guys that have acerages in the 20-30 acre range, is there any benefit to rotational grazing on pastures of this size? I've got 24 acres and am interested in setting up to do it but wanted to get some feedback from guys that have done it. Any input you can offer?

I am in the same boat as jallen. I want to try rotating starting this spring. I have read some move every day or more, or some move every three days to be the max. I think in my situation every two or three days would be easier for me to handle, because I could establish somewhat permanent divisions, instead of moving wires each day. I don't live on site. So I guess, my question is... what are the opinions/experience between moving more frequent or less frequent? And would 2 or 3 day rotation be a good start?

 

[aaroninga]

I rotated 6 heifers, 7 months old, on about 4.5 acres pasture divided into 4 sections, with constant access to about 4 acres of woods.
Fescue, bermuda and fairly heavy Johnson grass.
They didn't keep up and had to mow a couple of times. I bought 2 more 1.5 year old heifers in August.
Moved them about every week give or take a day or two.
It was well taken care of hay field till last spring.
My first cattle raising experience also.
Hope this helps....

 

[poorfarmer]

I have split my pasture for rotational grazing and the solution I use for water is to make the area with the water a permanent pasture. The cattle always have access to that part of the pasture and from there they enter the different sections. Granted that part of the pasture will not grow quite as well and will stay short, but for me it was the best solution. I also did this for shade. Shade was on one end of the field and water on the other and the horizontal sections in between allow the cattle to go from one area to another. Just open up an new alleyway every week. Also it only about a 20 acre section that I am splitting so they are not having to travel long distances for the water.

 

[poorfarmer]

I rotate every 7 days which works best for me and my herd. You can rotate at whatever pace you want, from what I have read, my goal is to try and keep the grass in stage 2 growth. You don't want it to head out as nutritional value drops significantly and if the cattle are on it to long and they nip it really short it will take longer to recover. Also I set my recovery time at about 21 to 28 days. I am sure others have their own preferences and might be able to give more input.

 

[jallen]

I live on the property so I have the ability to move them almost daily. I hope to set it up in small enough parcels that I move every 48 hours to begin with and see how that goes. I work an hour from home but have a very flexible job. I travel a lot on weekends during the growing season so daily moving will be impossible to do full time. I'm excited about getting it started--I went ahead and fenced off roughly 4 acres with poly tape that is getting stomped down more than I care for--plan to leave them off of it until around April 1 then get the rotational grazing going full swing.

My biggest loss of sleep with my cows this time of year is how to feed them hay. I tried unrolling it and that flat out wont work for me--I have to get my ole lady to drive the tractor as I walk along and rake the bale apart in piles. I tried it for a few bales but I'm not convinced that they aren't wasting just as much as in my rings. Right now I'm trying to figure out where to make a permanent feeding area for my rings to go--I've experimented with a different area each year and cant find something that satisfies me. I'm tempted at this point to feed the hay in my catch pens--it stays trampled down during the winter anyway so I would be able to keep much more of my pasture in good shape that way. My concern with that is too many head in a tight space and I don't want calves getting injured but I'm about to go crazy watching cows ruin my grass every winter. Anyone with smaller acerages have a good idea to offer on this or should I just suck it up and try to minimize the damage as best I can?

 

[M.Magis]

This is just what I do, but it won't work for everyone. Some of my pasture is fairly poor and in need of lime/ fertilizer. I usually pick one of these spots and feed there the entire winter. Each time I put out a bale I set it near the edge of the "circle" from where they ate the last one. In late winter/early spring I push all of the hay left into a big pile to compost. When it's dry and things are starting to grow I run the disk over it, and seed it with a pasture mix from the local co-op. All of this minimizes the mud around the bale and has really improved some of the poorer ground. If all of your pasture is in good shape, this is not the way to go.

 

[Bigfoot]

I have a feeding barn, and don't use it. The mess around it, ends up as bad as the mess you are trying to avoid. Then you gotta clean the thing out. I feed on my least fertile spots. Sometimes two years in a row. Now that my cows are calving, I will move the rings pretty often. It's so muddy here, a calf can get trampled pretty quick. I'll lay wast to 3 acres or more over a winters time. Soon as I can get a cross the ground, I will work it with a field cultivator, and a heavy drag. I spray it for weeds, and never sow it down. It'll be the best grass on my place in due time.

 

[jallen]

How long does it take those areas to bouce back and get thick again?

I have a feeding barn, and don't use it. The mess around it, ends up as bad as the mess you are trying to avoid. Then you gotta clean the thing out. I feed on my least fertile spots. Sometimes two years in a row. Now that my cows are calving, I will move the rings pretty often. It's so muddy here, a calf can get trampled pretty quick. I'll lay wast to 3 acres or more over a winters time. Soon as I can get a cross the ground, I will work it with a field cultivator, and a heavy drag. I spray it for weeds, and never sow it down. It'll be the best grass on my place in due time.

 

[jallen]

I don't think that is the best thing for me to do--I have considered that approach but overall my pasture is in good shape. I have about 30% of it that has some sage but it is not consistently thick anywhere. I have had this place going 3 full years now--this fall will be my fourth fall on the place. I have limed with one ton to the acre (what I could afford) 2 of the 3 falls thus far and will do so again this fall with whatever my soil sample calls for. The fall of 15 is the only one I have not limed--I have put out 2 tons to the acre of chicken litter every April/May. I will be able to do 2 tons lime/acre this year if necessary. That sage is driving me up the wall. My pasture all looks good when it gets going but I have some areas that aren't thick like I would like. You can see them great in the winter when grass is low--they all have grass but you can see lots more dirt in those areas than others. I feel like the best thing to do for those areas is to keep the traffic away as much as possible to let the grass spread. My land is comprised of a fescue/Bermuda mix. I have other grasses as well like crab grass, etc but Bermuda and fescue dominate. Most of the thinner areas are in the areas where it is mostly Bermuda. My short term goal is to get these thinner spots filled in and get a handle on how to feed hay to minimize loss of grass due to trampling. It drives me nuts to see my grass turned into dirt every year. I plan to come in with Bermuda and either overseed these thin areas or sprig them this spring. Hopefully the rotational grazing I am going to will allow the sprigs/and or seeds to take hold like needed. I guess I will be able to plan it out where the areas in need of help will get cows put on them last in the rotation, or even on the second go round.

Basically what I'm getting at is I don't think it makes sense to spread out my feeding area to more square footage when I'm spreading fertilizer already each spring?

This is just what I do, but it won't work for everyone. Some of my pasture is fairly poor and in need of lime/ fertilizer. I usually pick one of these spots and feed there the entire winter. Each time I put out a bale I set it near the edge of the "circle" from where they ate the last one. In late winter/early spring I push all of the hay left into a big pile to compost. When it's dry and things are starting to grow I run the disk over it, and seed it with a pasture mix from the local co-op. All of this minimizes the mud around the bale and has really improved some of the poorer ground. If all of your pasture is in good shape, this is not the way to go.