Yep, some here talk of a cow per 25 acres and I am still on grass at a cow per 1.5 acres. In 3 more years I will be at a cow per acre I think and graze 10 months. But my inputs are higher.dun":3jggwrk3 said:Too many variables to have a hard and fast answer. Talk to your extension office or NRCS.
kenny thomas":2nii3gnj said:Yep, some here talk of a cow per 25 acres and I am still on grass at a cow per 1.5 acres. In 3 more years I will be at a cow per acre I think and graze 10 months. But my inputs are higher.dun":2nii3gnj said:Too many variables to have a hard and fast answer. Talk to your extension office or NRCS.
Sorry, not 25 acres per cow here in VA, I meant here on Cattle Today.Midtenn":dcj8rupo said:kenny thomas":dcj8rupo said:Yep, some here talk of a cow per 25 acres and I am still on grass at a cow per 1.5 acres. In 3 more years I will be at a cow per acre I think and graze 10 months. But my inputs are higher.dun":dcj8rupo said:Too many variables to have a hard and fast answer. Talk to your extension office or NRCS.
25 acres per cow in Virginia? I thought Virginia soil was fertile as anywhere. Must be like a group of 30 cows I looked at buying last week. They were on 600 acres, 500 of which was woods, and they were pretty poor, that old farm probably has never been fertilized or sprayed.
In our part of the country we usually figure 2 acres of open ground per pair without fertilize or spray....1 acre per pair if fertilize/spray. Woods don't count. Each farm is different, so you can adjust herd size after the first season.
Kenny I imagine your average rainfall is higher than ours along with our hot summers we try to err on the side of cautionkenny thomas":14aki8xo said:Yep, some here talk of a cow per 25 acres and I am still on grass at a cow per 1.5 acres. In 3 more years I will be at a cow per acre I think and graze 10 months. But my inputs are higher.dun":14aki8xo said:Too many variables to have a hard and fast answer. Talk to your extension office or NRCS.
kenny thomas":1vwq70nj said:Yep, some here talk of a cow per 25 acres and I am still on grass at a cow per 1.5 acres. In 3 more years I will be at a cow per acre I think and graze 10 months. But my inputs are higher.
48" rainfall.elkwc":3vefbtb7 said:Kenny I imagine your average rainfall is higher than ours along with our hot summers we try to err on the side of cautionkenny thomas":3vefbtb7 said:Yep, some here talk of a cow per 25 acres and I am still on grass at a cow per 1.5 acres. In 3 more years I will be at a cow per acre I think and graze 10 months. But my inputs are higher.dun":3vefbtb7 said:Too many variables to have a hard and fast answer. Talk to your extension office or NRCS.
Stocker Steve":3oilihpj said:kenny thomas":3oilihpj said:Yep, some here talk of a cow per 25 acres and I am still on grass at a cow per 1.5 acres. In 3 more years I will be at a cow per acre I think and graze 10 months. But my inputs are higher.
What is the most economical stocking density for $150 calves?
LON0909":1xnxn2j2 said:what would be the stocking rate in Christian County MO or just south of there?
That's the way I manage around here, buy or sell according to grass and hay supplies. My stocking rate is one to one not including the woods. I like burning the woods in winter and putting the cows on the new growth in the spring. It gives my pastures time to get going if we have rain. RAIN is the deciding factor around here on carrying capacity.Bullitt":enkikfzj said:LON0909":enkikfzj said:what would be the stocking rate in Christian County MO or just south of there?
Welcome to the board!
Here is an article from the University of Missouri Extension that explains how many pounds of forage a cow needs. http://agebb.missouri.edu/news/ext/show ... y_num=5292
You need to look at many factors, such as breed of cattle, what is the quality level of your pasture, how many acres do you have for grazing, will you use irrigation, will you produce or buy hay, and other factors. You also need to consider that some years there will be plenty of rain and some years are dry.
My suggestion is be conservative with the number of cows you have on pasture. If you find that you can feed more cattle, keep heifers or buy more to add to your herd.
kenny thomas":33p0ftt3 said:Yep, some here talk of a cow per 25 acres and I am still on grass at a cow per 1.5 acres. In 3 more years I will be at a cow per acre I think and graze 10 months. But my inputs are higher.dun":33p0ftt3 said:Too many variables to have a hard and fast answer. Talk to your extension office or NRCS.
You have thge same acres to feed on that you graze on don't you. A hay unroller is the best asset to not having a mess.pricefarm":3165y2br said:kenny thomas":3165y2br said:Yep, some here talk of a cow per 25 acres and I am still on grass at a cow per 1.5 acres. In 3 more years I will be at a cow per acre I think and graze 10 months. But my inputs are higher.dun":3165y2br said:Too many variables to have a hard and fast answer. Talk to your extension office or NRCS.
Iam at a cow per 1.5 acre but the problem I have with that is the 3 or so months that I feed hay there's so many animals in a small space that feeding hay makes a huge mess
kenny thomas":2ehad0lz said:You have thge same acres to feed on that you graze on don't you. A hay unroller is the best asset to not having a mess.pricefarm":2ehad0lz said:kenny thomas":2ehad0lz said:Yep, some here talk of a cow per 25 acres and I am still on grass at a cow per 1.5 acres. In 3 more years I will be at a cow per acre I think and graze 10 months. But my inputs are higher.
Iam at a cow per 1.5 acre but the problem I have with that is the 3 or so months that I feed hay there's so many animals in a small space that feeding hay makes a huge mess