Rotating on smaller averages

[TexasBred]

Yes, it is an individual decision and a local situation. It is merely a issue of economics and labor for me. No hay equipment here on the farm and none wanted. Again, personal and economic decision.

Most hay sellers around here would fall into the fisherman group that always catches plenty, the big one got away that was "this long" or the buck was the size of a fat steer. Hay making here is not an honored tradition of highest quality or a dependable quality. A lot of "residue" or overly mature forages are baled to make volume rather than quality. If I hit myself on the thumb with a hammer long enough I lose the desire to build with nails. About the same way right now on hay due to past hay bought and found to be less than said for more than it is worth. For me, hay is a tool and not a feed. Grazing is a cheaper and easier option. Just where I am in life and location. But that is just here and one guy's opinion.

I've always bought all my hay even when milking 400 cows but bought it by the ton and with a +/- for quality based on my sample and test results using my lab. Doesn't take long to figure out who the crook is and who the serious business man is that hopes to sell to you for many years. Knowing what value I had in roughage allowed me to adjust the remainder of the ration to compliment it for maximum utilization and production. For beef cows it's not quite as critical but still a good tool I still use.

 

[jallen]

Does the fescue not need to head out to help it maintain a good stand?

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.

 

[poorfarmer]

Well two things first I pull my cattle off in the winter so the ground isn't torn up. Second even with my rotating I will still have some head out. I am not sure what the stocking rate would have to be to prevent it from heading out, but higher than I am currently at. There are also a lot of videos on youtube that could help and show the type of growth you are looking to maintain for rotational grazing.

 

[Banjo]

Does the fescue not need to head out to help it maintain a good stand?

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.

Trying to stay ahead of the spring flush with fescue and other grasses heading out and growing to maturity, is a mistake IMO.
If you had a pure stand of fescue(very few do) you might lose a little nutritive value, but most folks have clover, plantain, chickory, johnsongrass, and lots of other undergrowth that cattle like.
If you get in the heat of the summer with half the farm in mature brown stemmed grasses, just leave it, let it be your summer stockpile....its also gonna stand there and protect your soil from severe heat.
If you keep grass short, it gets very, very difficult to graze very far into the winter.

 

[poorfarmer]

If you get in the heat of the summer with half the farm in mature brown stemmed grasses, just leave it,
IMO if this happens you are not efficiently utilizing the ground you have.

 

[Banjo]

If you get in the heat of the summer with half the farm in mature brown stemmed grasses, just leave it,
IMO if this happens you are not efficiently utilizing the ground you have.

It only seems that way.

 

[Ebenezer]

If you get in the heat of the summer with half the farm in mature brown stemmed grasses, just leave it,
IMO if this happens you are not efficiently utilizing the ground you have.

The best thing I can see in pastures in a dry spell or a drought is brown fescue stems all across the pastures. The mature seed heads can be grazed on one rotation and the stems create a microclimate at the soil and forage level to increase dew, protect the soil and forage from hot, dry wind and higher temperatures, and provide some beneficial shading. If you don't believe it, try half a pasture either way and watch. Just because grandpa and the company selling tractors and mowers say to mow does not mean that it is the best for the system.

Most folks think from the cow down. The system works from the soil up. I still think that the cows have been the priority in a failed system that requires them to be put in a lot each winter.

Does the fescue not need to head out to help it maintain a good stand?

No. The ability for new fescue to establish is the proper minimum forage height for a year+. The ability for established fescue to persist is based on the protection it is given in summer and late summer from overgrazing. Just experiences.