Stockpiled Forage

[tnwalkingred]

I have been stockpiling fescue and ryegrass on one of the farms I have rented in an effort to reduce the amount of hay I need to feed this winter. My questions is how many acres does it take to support a cow for a certain period of time? In other words if I have 10 acres fields parsed out for 20 cows with grass 12-18 inches tall how long will that field support 20 cows? I know a cow will eat about 3% of her body weight but am not sure how that would translate to an acre of stockpiled forage.

KW

 

[Banjo]

I have been stockpiling fescue and ryegrass on one of the farms I have rented in an effort to reduce the amount of hay I need to feed this winter. My questions is how many acres does it take to support a cow for a certain period of time? In other words if I have 10 acres fields parsed out for 20 cows with grass 12-18 inches tall how long will that field support 20 cows? I know a cow will eat about 3% of her body weight but am not sure how that would translate to an acre of stockpiled forage.

KW

20 cows will need 500 to 600lbs/day.....assuming 1000lb cows x 20 = 20,000 divided by 2,5 to 3 percent would be 5 to 6 hundred lbs.
Its not an exact science, but I would look out across the fields and roughly guess what that would make if baled. Sounds like you got some good grass there so maybe 3 ...5x6 bales? If so, then 3-1500 lb bales is 4500 lbs.
4500 divided by 600 is 7.5 days of grazing per acre. 7.5 times 10 is 75 days. Iknow that sounds like a lot, but the key to it is strip grazing that ten acres. If you don't have much infrastructure...i.e. electric fencing, lanes etc. you will need a fence charger and polywire with step in posts.
Start at a water source and start cutting them off a small slice every day is my recommendation.
If you just turn them in on it all they might only go half that time or less....from trampling, manuring etc.

 

[Sd1030]

I am new to the stockpiling process, but i think bango is giving you some good advice. I have my cattle on a stockpiled pasture and im strip grazing it and it has been going great so far. I strip it out to where i usually move the fence every two days, i have two reels and just leap frog the fence over the other one when i move it. I can move the fence and have everything done in bout 20 mins. I started running my cattle on it on oct 31 and im thinking i can get to feb before i have to feed hay. I know in theory most people in my part of the country dont start running cattle on stockpiled pasture until dec 1. Overall ive been very pleased with the results so far.

 

[Banjo]

I am new to the stockpiling process, but i think bango is giving you some good advice. I have my cattle on a stockpiled pasture and im strip grazing it and it has been going great so far. I strip it out to where i usually move the fence every two days, i have two reels and just leap frog the fence over the other one when i move it. I can move the fence and have everything done in bout 20 mins. I started running my cattle on it on oct 31 and im thinking i can get to feb before i have to feed hay. I know in theory most people in my part of the country dont start running cattle on stockpiled pasture until dec 1. Overall ive been very pleased with the results so far.

That's a J instead of a G...LOL. That's ok.
Yes, rationing is the key. Years ago my Dad would stockpile a hay field then the first of Dec or later just turn them in on it. All your Ag colleges recommend strip grazing stockpiled grasses.
1) It makes it go farther
2) It allows the grass that you have not gotten to to keep growing(maybe slowly) as long as its above 40 degrees.

 

[ram]

I was thinking about the stockpiling of grass in the pasture, and had a brain phart. My barn is full of grass that I stockpiled off my pastures. With the timely rains we had this year, I cut hay off of 4 pastures that I normally need for grazing. I like knowing exactly how much pasture "hay" that I have for the winter. Stockpiling grass in the pasture works good for those that folks that don't own hay equipment. IMO

 

[Banjo]

I was thinking about the stockpiling of grass in the pasture, and had a brain phart. My barn is full of grass that I stockpiled off my pastures. With the timely rains we had this year, I cut hay off of 4 pastures that I normally need for grazing. I like knowing exactly how much pasture "hay" that I have for the winter. Stockpiling grass in the pasture works good for those that folks that don't own hay equipment. IMO

"Nothing is so powerful as an idea whose time has come"_ Victor Hugo

 

[dun]

Stockpiled grass is usaully too short to cut and bale very well and the yeilds are down somewhat. Since you are only dealing with a couple of months of growth,, with the right grass (fescue) it will keep growing slowly till usually late november/early december. The cows can harvest that grass a whole lot cheaper then baling can. That's the point in stockpiling. Economical harvesting and not needing to feed hay till january/february. In normal growth years we don;t feed hay till late march. We have about 6months of hay in the barn so we let the cows graze the hay fields in the late summer and fall then bring them up closer where we have freezeproof waterers for the freezing part of winter and turn them into stockpiled grass. Thisyear we didn;t get any rain for about 3 months so the stockpile is pretty short. Yesterday we got 5 1/2 inches of rain and as long as it stays pretty much above freezing we'll get more growth this early winter. We've been feeding hay for about a month already.

 

[Banjo]

Stockpiled grass is usaully too short to cut and bale very well and the yeilds are down somewhat. Since you are only dealing with a couple of months of growth,, with the right grass (fescue) it will keep growing slowly till usually late november/early december. The cows can harvest that grass a whole lot cheaper then baling can. That's the point in stockpiling. Economical harvesting and not needing to feed hay till january/february. In normal growth years we don;t feed hay till late march. We have about 6months of hay in the barn so we let the cows graze the hay fields in the late summer and fall then bring them up closer where we have freezeproof waterers for the freezing part of winter and turn them into stockpiled grass. Thisyear we didn;t get any rain for about 3 months so the stockpile is pretty short. Yesterday we got 5 1/2 inches of rain and as long as it stays pretty much above freezing we'll get more growth this early winter. We've been feeding hay for about a month already.

Dun, you be missin all the fun of makin hay. op:

 

[ram]

Maybe if we could grow fescue here I wouldn't have to bale as much hay. But I'll be danged if my cows will own me, my cows work for me. I can't imagine being tied down having to move a wire every day. But if you enjoy it and it works for you great. But I'd rather pull 2 trailer loads of hay in a pasture and go to Florida for a week during the winter, screw the ice and snow.

 

[dun]

Dun, you be missin all the fun of makin hay. op:

My wife doesn;t understand it but a do enjoy haying, she hates it.

 

[Sd1030]

Banjo sorry about the using the wrong letter, wasnt paying attention. Ram i can see your point in one sense about cattle working for you and not owning you, but i can also argue that point in the fact when it comes to making/feeding hay your still putting in the work as i am moving a fence. Do i still make hay, yes i do and ill prolly have to feed some. In my setup can i go move a fence and have about the same amount of time involved as getting and putting out hay for feed. Dont get me wrong im not saying im right and your wrong, my point is i feel both methods have equal amounts of work invovled. For me im just letting the cows harvest the hay themselves instead of me doing it.

 

[Banjo]

Banjo sorry about the using the wrong letter, wasnt paying attention. Ram i can see your point in one sense about cattle working for you and not owning you, but i can also argue that point in the fact when it comes to making/feeding hay your still putting in the work as i am moving a fence. Do i still make hay, yes i do and ill prolly have to feed some. In my setup can i go move a fence and have about the same amount of time involved as getting and putting out hay for feed. Dont get me wrong im not saying im right and your wrong, my point is i feel both methods have equal amounts of work invovled. For me im just letting the cows harvest the hay themselves instead of me doing it.

Well said.

 

[Banjo]

Maybe if we could grow fescue here I wouldn't have to bale as much hay. But I'll be danged if my cows will own me, my cows work for me. I can't imagine being tied down having to move a wire every day. But if you enjoy it and it works for you great. But I'd rather pull 2 trailer loads of hay in a pasture and go to Florida for a week during the winter, screw the ice and snow.

Are there no cool season perennials that will grow south of I-40?

Better not stay in Fla. too long this winter, somebody might come in and haul off a load or two of cattle.....cattle rustling is alive and well. Maybe you have someone to keep a good eye on everything who is trustworthy.

 

[Banjo]

Dun, you be missin all the fun of makin hay. op:

My wife doesn;t understand it but a do enjoy haying, she hates it.

Yes it can be enjoyable......till something breaks or tears up.

 

[dun]

Dun, you be missin all the fun of makin hay. op:

My wife doesn;t understand it but a do enjoy haying, she hates it.

Yes it can be enjoyable......till something breaks or tears up.

In most cases is just find that irritating, rarely stessfull.
But as I tell my wife just before she wacks me "It builds character"

 

[tnwalkingred]

Thanks for the replies. I just turned the cows onto a 10 acre section and have 3 more sections that are stockpiled as well. Hopefully each section will hold them for about a month but will learn a lot about that after they graze this one down. Each section has it's own freeze proof water tank. I cannot realistically strip graze these sections so I'll have to make do with the 4 big sections. I'm going skiing in CO for a week in January so hopefully these will last until I get back from that trip and not require having to have someone feed hay for me while I'm gone. At my other lease it's only divided into two 50 acre lots and I'm stockpiling one of those now. The cows are in the other and I've been feeding hay there for about a month. I would much rather feed hay now while the weather is decent and use my stockpiled acreage during the colder months.

KW

 

[Chris H]

Ryegrass won't hold up for stockpiling as well as fescue. If any fields have a higher percentage of ryegrass, I'd feed that one first.

 

[ddd75]

20 cows on 12" high grass .. 10 acres..


maybe about 5-6 days.

 

[Banjo]

20 cows on 12" high grass .. 10 acres..


maybe about 5-6 days.

That's an awfully short time....how do you figure?

 

[kenny thomas]

I bet I can take 20 cows on 10 acres of 12" grass and strip graze it for a month.