Rotational grazing ?

[Dave]

There is a wide array of grass out there, so your grass may act different from my grass. The objective of grass is to form a mature seed head. Once it has done that it a done growing for the year. So my objective is to keep it from forming that seed head. That way it will keep coming back. I don't like to clip as that cost time and money. So I try to confine the cows down enough to where they eat most everything. It doesn't always work but I try. A few scattered seed heads I don't worry about because it isn't worth the time and diesel to cut them. Some of my summer pasture is too wet too late into the spring the grass has already matured before it would be dry enough to graze or clip so it is just the way it is..... but the rent is real cheap so it doesn't bother me.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I tell mine not to eat it below 6-8" but they don't seem to take any notice, they will eat it short and leave some areas long. Ken

Some don't listen well, but you have to show them who is in charge!
Either put the root grazers on a trailer or cross fence tighter.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I was wondering if I should go behind them and cut what was left standing untouched.

I don;t, I leave it so it will add to the seed bank.

What do you have banked Dun?

 

[dun]

I was wondering if I should go behind them and cut what was left standing untouched.

I don;t, I leave it so it will add to the seed bank.

What do you have banked Dun?

KY31 fescue is about 95%, the rest is OG

 

[talltimber]

dun, I have some scattered OG around, very little in most areas. The areas where it is most prevalent seems to be shady places. Do you overseed to keep your OG population up or do you have to drill it in occasionally? How do you keep the fescue from choking it out?

 

[Stocker Steve]

Do you overseed to keep your OG population up or do you have to drill it in occasionally? How do you keep the fescue from choking it out?

Move north. Most fescues start to die out after 4 to 5 years.

 

[dun]

OG was developed to work in, wait, are you ready, "orchards", i.e. shade, thus the name orchard grass. It always works best in shade. Since my cows will hardly touch the stuff I don;t seed any of it. There is some volunteer stuff but our place is probably 98% KY31 fescue

 

[Stocker Steve]

OG thrives here after the fescue gives up. OG seems to work best in a hay mix. It survives in the shade of a hip high legume jungle. I was only putting 2#/acre of OG in my mixes, but it takes over in well drained areas after tall "improved" legumes winter kill.

Cattle don't eat all of the OG seed stems, so my pastures will then become mostly OG and ladino clover If you don't give them a long rest period.

 

[talltimber]

OG was developed to work in, wait, are you ready, "orchards", i.e. shade, thus the name orchard grass. It always works best in shade. Since my cows will hardly touch the stuff I don;t seed any of it. There is some volunteer stuff but our place is probably 98% KY31 fescue

Makes sense!! And that's what I see here as well.

 

[farmerjan]

Here we actually grow orchard grass as the primary hay in fields that we reseed. No shade either. I get that it was developed for orchards. Aside from the fescue that grows without any help here and which I detest, we have alot of clovers, and orchard grass . Also some crabgrass and whatever other native grasses that just come up. Have had a problem with mustard taking over some fields and the cows don't like it as hay or for grazing. Some johnson grass but the hay customers don't like it. There are a few that grow timothy, but it doesn't like the heat and it doesn't last long. Alot of alfalfa is grown for hay and silage. We do some rye and wheat to extend the grazing for the cooler weather. But there is alot of fescue here too.

 

[ClinchValley]

FarmerJan - How does the rye and wheat do? I suppose i'm asking if it is worth the work.

Since we started rotating pastures, clover has made a huge comeback. Where i winter the cattle, red, white, and yellow clovers make up probably 70% of the stand after spraying. Even after overseeding w K31 in february. After the drought too, which killed all the clover we had just about. Hay and pasture both are mostly fescue w OG and timothy making up 15-20% on hay ground. Pasture is fescue and natives and clovers w some johnson grass, which I really like. Lots of Dallisgrass coming on now.

I'm forever a fan of rotating. Plan to split pasture more and more for the next couple years. Have to get past the water thing though. Need to be digging some ponds. They filled in 6 or 7 when the well was dug and installed. I would love to have them back. What do y'all do for water when rotating?

 

[angus9259]

There is a wide array of grass out there, so your grass may act different from my grass. The objective of grass is to form a mature seed head. Once it has done that it a done growing for the year. So my objective is to keep it from forming that seed head. That way it will keep coming back. I don't like to clip as that cost time and money. So I try to confine the cows down enough to where they eat most everything. It doesn't always work but I try. A few scattered seed heads I don't worry about because it isn't worth the time and diesel to cut them.

This is exactly what I do. I make em eat most everything to the point where I don't need to brush hog but once a year for weeds. I reckon that makes the root system a little weak but I hate seeing the waste of trampled grass. Also, that way they eat everything - not just their favorite spots.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Rotational grazing can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. There is intensive where you move them daily all the way to maybe weekly. I like to give them an area for 3-5 days, but that varies as to whether it is early spring or dry summer. First grazing usually is the whole field for 1 day. By day 10, I am starting over and they may take 2-3 days, then I start splitting paddocks. I have 1 real water source and everything is alleywayed to it. The furthest field is about 1/2 mile away. It has never been a problem.