rotational grazing

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Polywire is just like it sounds - it's sort of a string made of Poly with several strands of very thin wire woven in it. We keep ours on an electric cord reel, and use those push in plastic posts. I can grab a handful of posts & a reel & put up a fence in minutes.
I know every university preaches that you should have water available in each paddock, but we don't. We have a few places that have a natural water source, but basically, they have to come to the main lot behind the barn for water. This has never been a problem. Of course, here in NY, the grass stays succulant green all summer and this dreadfull heat we are getting is unusual.
I know most of you are suffering with drought and I really feel for you. It must be soooo hard not having grass.
We just had the most rainfall in one month for all recorded time.

 

[aplusmnt]

Do you hire out to do other people's fencing. Call me. :lol:

Put me down for some work also. Pretty nice looking fence there. How far apart are the post 10'?

Curious did you pick up on the cross fencing from this sight? Or was it something you did before surfing on here?

 

[cypressfarms]

Do you hire out to do other people's fencing. Call me. :lol:

Put me down for some work also. Pretty nice looking fence there. How far apart are the post 10'?

Curious did you pick up on the cross fencing from this sight? Or was it something you did before surfing on here?

Posts 8' apart.

The cross fencing was something that my local NRCS office turned me on to.

It still seems amazing the differences in the quality of pasture in just one year. Over the next couple of years I have some more improvement projects planned to make the grass even better.

The rotational grazing has worked so well, that one of the 15 acre paddocks is not being grazed and will be cut for hay soon.

 

[TLCfromARK]

I can rotate and do. Problem is now the drought has taken everything. It is more of a choice of which dead patch to put them in when you feed hay.

We just set up one paddock as a sacrifice paddock. They still have access to another one, but the hay is all fed in just one.

dun

Dun, do you have a problem with manure build up just using one area to feed in all winter? I think I remember you saying that you don't feed alot of hay in a "normal" year so maybe that wouldn't be a problem for you.

We try to feed over a 80 acre pasture during the winter, starting at one end and working our way to the other end. (FYI we unroll the round bales unless the weather is really bad.) It seems to spread the manure over the whole pasture a little more evenly and is easier to drag over in the spring and as another poster said during wet weather the pasture doesn't get as tore up.

;-)

 

[dun]

Dun, do you have a problem with manure build up just using one area to feed in all winter? I think I remember you saying that you don't feed alot of hay in a "normal" year so maybe that wouldn't be a problem for you.

;-)

Some, but I drag/scrape it every week or so, dump the refuse (hay and manure) into spreader and go spread it on one of the back fields. Wife also gathers a lot of it and composts it for the garden. What doesn;t get picked up gets ground into the gravel, oops, soil. During the mud season, we feed mostly in the limestone caprock areas, not much problem with mud and it's easy to scrape.

dun

 

[cfpinz]

cypress - How did you tighten up your cross tension wires in your braces? I only use one cross wire and a 18" piece of rebar or scrap pipe to twist them tight.

cfpinz

 

[cypressfarms]

cypress - How did you tighten up your cross tension wires in your braces? I only use one cross wire and a 18" piece of rebar or scrap pipe to twist them tight.

cfpinz

I put the braces in cement, with a cross post at top. Then run cross tension wires - 2 of them. I usually tighten them with my old trusty crowbar that I borrowed from dad over 10 years ago. I will occasionaly go back and re-tighten if necessary (maybe once a year or so). If you use barbed wire, as opposed to just regular smooth high tension wire, it will hold better. You can also cut a 2" wide board 18 to 24 inches long to tighten - and then nail it to the top cross post if your having trouble keeping the cross wires tight.

Believe me, I'm no pro. I've learned everything by watching people more experienced than me.

 

[cfpinz]

Most people around here use a wooden stick like you described but they tend to rot off pretty quick. I buy 10' sticks of 1/2" rebar from Lowe's (fairly inexpensive), cut into 2' sticks and use them to tighten. Also buy the 18" sticks and cut in half to make two 9" pins to hold the horizontal brace in place.

cfpinz

 

[cypressfarms]

Most people around here use a wooden stick like you described but they tend to rot off pretty quick. I buy 10' sticks of 1/2" rebar from Lowe's (fairly inexpensive), cut into 2' sticks and use them to tighten. Also buy the 18" sticks and cut in half to make two 9" pins to hold the horizontal brace in place.

cfpinz

I guess it's one of those "use what you have" things. I could see the rebar working well - and you could always use a staple to tie it into the cross post. Down here we use cypress, so rot is not a problem.

 

[aplusmnt]

Do you hire out to do other people's fencing. Call me. :lol:

Put me down for some work also. Pretty nice looking fence there. How far apart are the post 10'?

Curious did you pick up on the cross fencing from this sight? Or was it something you did before surfing on here?

Posts 8' apart.

Is the 8' of your choice or is that some Gov Specs you had to do for Cost Sharing? I was thinking I was maybe over killing with figuring on new fences at 10' apart. Most around here seem to build them around 12' apart.

 

[dun]

Because of our topology we range between 8 and 12 but the norm is 10. That's for none powered fencing. For permanent powered fencing it ranges in some cases to as little as 6 but the norm is 50-100, again depending on the lay of the land.

dun

 

[cypressfarms]

Do you hire out to do other people's fencing. Call me. :lol:

Put me down for some work also. Pretty nice looking fence there. How far apart are the post 10'?

Curious did you pick up on the cross fencing from this sight? Or was it something you did before surfing on here?

Posts 8' apart.

Is the 8' of your choice or is that some Gov Specs you had to do for Cost Sharing? I was thinking I was maybe over killing with figuring on new fences at 10' apart. Most around here seem to build them around 12' apart.

The 8' was my choice. I don't like wire that swings with the wind. Inevitably, even if you tighten to your brace posts well, it's been my experience that cattle will loosen the wires over time(heads through it, rubbing on it, etc.). I even wish I would have put the twist type fence stays between the posts for added support. Maybe overkill, I know, but I don't want to be re-building it any time soon.

 

[aplusmnt]

Do you hire out to do other people's fencing. Call me. :lol:

Put me down for some work also. Pretty nice looking fence there. How far apart are the post 10'?

Curious did you pick up on the cross fencing from this sight? Or was it something you did before surfing on here?

Posts 8' apart.

Is the 8' of your choice or is that some Gov Specs you had to do for Cost Sharing? I was thinking I was maybe over killing with figuring on new fences at 10' apart. Most around here seem to build them around 12' apart.

The 8' was my choice. I don't like wire that swings with the wind. Inevitably, even if you tighten to your brace posts well, it's been my experience that cattle will loosen the wires over time(heads through it, rubbing on it, etc.). I even wish I would have put the twist type fence stays between the posts for added support. Maybe overkill, I know, but I don't want to be re-building it any time soon.

I can relate to that, I am getting ready to redo about a mile of fence that was put up right before we bought this place just a few years ago. The guy put the post at like 14' (none seem the same) and it is all saggy, loose and twisted from all the deer we get jumping the fences.

I'm with you on not wanting to rebuild it. I figure I want to get them all good one time and then let the kids do the rebuilding years down the road when I am to old to.

 

[warpaint]

I put mine at 8' also. When I replaced the front fenceline this past spring, I used treated posts and heavy gauge panels. Maybe overkill to some, but with longhorns, better safe than sorry. Besides, unless some unforseen disaster happens, I won't be replacing it in my lifetime.

 

[skyeagle]

Was that pasture pic. Before or after your cattle were
in there. I like to see an after pic's I just rotate between
three pastures every two weeks. Always looking to
improve A little at a time.

 

[jsramer]

Most people around here use a wooden stick like you described but they tend to rot off pretty quick. I buy 10' sticks of 1/2" rebar from Lowe's (fairly inexpensive), cut into 2' sticks and use them to tighten. Also buy the 18" sticks and cut in half to make two 9" pins to hold the horizontal brace in place.

cfpinz

I guess it's one of those "use what you have" things. I could see the rebar working well - and you could always use a staple to tie it into the cross post. Down here we use cypress, so rot is not a problem.

Have you thought of using a daisy strainer to keep brace wires tight? I have not tried it yet myself, but would think it would work.

 

[dun]

Most people around here use a wooden stick like you described but they tend to rot off pretty quick. I buy 10' sticks of 1/2" rebar from Lowe's (fairly inexpensive), cut into 2' sticks and use them to tighten. Also buy the 18" sticks and cut in half to make two 9" pins to hold the horizontal brace in place.

cfpinz

I guess it's one of those "use what you have" things. I could see the rebar working well - and you could always use a staple to tie it into the cross post. Down here we use cypress, so rot is not a problem.

Have you thought of using a daisy strainer to keep brace wires tight? I have not tried it yet myself, but would think it would work.

That's all I use anymore. Much simpler for a weak old phart to work with

dun

 

[cfpinz]

Most people around here use a wooden stick like you described but they tend to rot off pretty quick. I buy 10' sticks of 1/2" rebar from Lowe's (fairly inexpensive), cut into 2' sticks and use them to tighten. Also buy the 18" sticks and cut in half to make two 9" pins to hold the horizontal brace in place.

cfpinz

I guess it's one of those "use what you have" things. I could see the rebar working well - and you could always use a staple to tie it into the cross post. Down here we use cypress, so rot is not a problem.

Have you thought of using a daisy strainer to keep brace wires tight? I have not tried it yet myself, but would think it would work.

Seen a lot of others use them but never tried them myself. They cost around 2 bucks and up here, and my rebar costs 76 cents apiece. I used to buy scrap pipe at the salvage yard where I work for 4 cents/lb, but they closed it down a couple years back. Can you tell I'm "conservative"?

cfpinz

 

[cypressfarms]

Was that pasture pic. Before or after your cattle were
in there. I like to see an after pic's I just rotate between
three pastures every two weeks. Always looking to
improve A little at a time.

If you look close at the first pic you will see that there are cattle in the paddock when the pic was taken. The second pics looks across a cross fence into a paddock that they were just moved from. The main point that I was trying to make is that rotational grazing does work. I never thought it would work as good as it has though, until I looked down the property line between my land and the next door neighbors. The only change I've made in the past year was to put cross fences and rotate the cows as needed. I still find it too good to be true, but when the neighbor was haying due to the lack of rain, I still had grass, it made me think long and hard. Somethings are just better shown with pics, though.

 

[skyeagle]

I'll probably split my pasture up some more. No body around here doe's rotational grazing. thay all look at me like I'm nuts
when I bring it up.