rotational grazing

[circlew]

I've broke my place up into three pastures. Two 15 acre pens and 1 that is 12 acres. Right now I've got 40 brood cows and hopefully will have 40 calves to go along with them. The two 15 acre pens have probably around 20 acres in them the other being woods. I'm hoping that I can get 5 to 7 days on each pen. This is my first attempt at rotational grazing. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[shaz]

I've broke my place up into three pastures. Two 15 acre pens and 1 that is 12 acres. Right now I've got 40 brood cows and hopefully will have 40 calves to go along with them. The two 15 acre pens have probably around 20 acres in them the other being woods. I'm hoping that I can get 5 to 7 days on each pen. This is my first attempt at rotational grazing. Any advice would be appreciated!

You have 40 brood cows on 42 acres? :shock:

 

[circlew]

You have 40 brood cows on 42 acres? :shock:

That's normal for here. You can run 1 pair to the acre.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Rotating is good.
A 'long" rest is better.
You will want to buy a roll of polywire and try crossing fencing your 3 paddocks it increase the rest period.

 

[circlew]

Cross fencing the other pens will be a problem now, because of water. Once I get the hang of things and get everything situated. I'm gonna have a well put in in the most logical place and try to break the other pens up.

 

[dun]

Cross fencing the other pens will be a problem now, because of water. Once I get the hang of things and get everything situated. I'm gonna have a well put in in the most logical place and try to break the other pens up.

Find and attend a grazing school near you. Even if it isn;t real near you. It's amazing how differtnly I looked at my pastures and the water situations before and after I attended one, 12 years ago.

 

[circlew]

Who would normally do a grazing school, gov agency or possibly a university like Auburn?

 

[dun]

NRCS does most of the grazing schools around here, but sometimes the state cattlemans association does one and occasioanly the unversity.
Check with NRCS and your extension service. If there is going to be one they shuld have some knowledge of it.

 

[lynnmcmahan]

Mississippi State University had two in 2011. I assume they will have the same in 2012. Good idea Dun, I think I'll try the next one.

 

[lynnmcmahan]

http://www.aces.edu/dept/forages/2003AL ... CHOOL.http

Check this, from Auburn

 

[lynnmcmahan]

I've broke my place up into three pastures. Two 15 acre pens and 1 that is 12 acres. Right now I've got 40 brood cows and hopefully will have 40 calves to go along with them. The two 15 acre pens have probably around 20 acres in them the other being woods. I'm hoping that I can get 5 to 7 days on each pen. This is my first attempt at rotational grazing. Any advice would be appreciated!

You have 40 brood cows on 42 acres? :shock:

We have 15 acres of not so good land. On this land we have three worthless horses and one jack on three acres. I say every day, i gotta get rid of those worthless horses. Also, on one acre we have three one year old bulls and two heifers. On three acres we have seven cows ready to drop. On the rest we have rye grass and oats that we will start to graze tomorrow for the cows. It's a little tight right now, if you fell in the cow pasture you would have to hit a patty. We have a source for good hay and we buy all we feed. The three bulls will be gone by the end of Feb, freezer beef, best
business for us. The two heifers will probably make the freezer also. We have one small bred heifer that's due in Feb that is iffy to keep. The rest are repeats and should be a snap. These are all well bred angus but the registered business hasn't been good for us. We are looking at crossing to sim angus for better growth and sticking to the freezer business. Come spring we do a lot of moving. Like everybody last year, we had to feed hay in July. My near term goal is to replace the worthless horses with black cows.

 

[regolith]

cross fencing with backfencing is ideal... I don't know what water system you have, but you can use your reels and pegs to access it, just you need more of them. If the water is central, divide your paddock up around the water. If it's on a fence-line, run a lane to it using your polywire... it's a lot more work, but the difference between preventing backgrazing from 48 hrs and so resting the area for say 21 days rather than 14 really makes it worth it.

I've got a mob of calves in 3 ha now with a water trough on the fence line near the gate... they've got three reels in with them and really need at least one more so I can keep them on two-day sections. Remember all corners are weak points, if the voltage is good and they get through the polywire it's probably going to be at a 90 degree corner or where the wire crosses uneven ground and so is too low or too high. It only takes an extra peg to not make a 90 degree corner.

 

[circlew]

Thanks for all the comments. The place wasn't designed for rotational grazing at all. The pond is kinda off to the side in the center. With woods and a wet spring cutting the place in half. Then there is the other 12 acres off the the side. In between it and the other place is timber. I have a gate at the top of both places for the cows to go back and forth. So for right now its gonna have to work with just 3 pens.