The Great Experiment

[inyati13]

I am on my pathway to not feeding hay all winter. I think my odds are good. I did some other experimenting this fall. I did not run my cattle in the hayfield until about a week ago. Prior to that, I left about a fourth of it unmowed and I mowed the other three fourths at three different times. So I had 4 different stages of grass. When I turned them in about 8 days ago, I have watched where they graze the most. From my casual observations, they prefer the most recently mowed areas. I also noticed that the best grass is in the two intermediate timed mowings. The oldest grass, they have mostly avoided. The grasses are fescue, orchard grass, timothy and blue grass. There is both red and white clover. I am becoming a big believer in frequent mowing of pasture.

I plan to leave them in the hay field until it gets real wet. I will move them to prevent damage to the hayfield. Then I have two pastures that have been stockpiling to move them to. I do have 3 yearling heifers that I am keeping in one of the stockpiled pastures but I don't expect they will do much.

 

[dun]

I do have 3 yearling heifers that I am keeping in one of the stockpiled pastures but I don't expect they will do much.

You may be surprised! Properly grown and stockpiled fescue has pretty darn good nutritional value. May not be the most palatible (hamburger rather then T-Bone) but they'll still eat it. Our heifers on just stockpiled pasture over the winter have avg gaines of between 2 and 3.2 lbs a day. When we have had to start feeding hay early instead of just before greenup the avg runs closer to 1.8 to 2.3. Their avg mature weight (taken just after calving) runs 1200-1300 lbs.

 

[kenny thomas]

If you had the heavy frost like we did yesterday notice that after 2-3 weeks the cows will eat the older fescue grass better. We tested some stockpiles fescue last winter in late January and it tested higher than any of our hay.

 

[dun]

If you had the heavy frost like we did yesterday notice that after 2-3 weeks the cows will eat the older fescue grass better. We tested some stockpiles fescue last winter in late January and it tested higher than any of our hay.

That's why a couple of years ago, half jokingly, the U of MO recommended feeding hay first then switching to stockpiled fescue later in the year when the nutritional requirements are higher.

 

[Banjo]

If you had the heavy frost like we did yesterday notice that after 2-3 weeks the cows will eat the older fescue grass better. We tested some stockpiles fescue last winter in late January and it tested higher than any of our hay.

That's why a couple of years ago, half jokingly, the U of MO recommended feeding hay first then switching to stockpiled fescue later in the year when the nutritional requirements are higher.

The sugar content rises after a frost and according to the experts its gradual...not all at once. The same thing happens to orchardgrass too and about everything IMO even weeds/greens that can stand the frost

 

[Bigfoot]

Me again being the odd ball. I prefer the older grass for stockpiling. I don't have the water, or time for mig. I can only rotate my pastures. I pursue the new growth in the summer. I just about don't mow anything. I prefer to spray for weeds, rotate my cows, and rotate my hay fields. To me mowing doesnt solve the weed problem. It just makes it less noticeable. My yard is a good example. It's about the only place on my farm that I don't spray. I have more weeds in my yard, than any other place.

 

[Banjo]

Me again being the odd ball. I prefer the older grass for stockpiling. I don't have the water, or time for mig. I can only rotate my pastures. I pursue the new growth in the summer. I just about don't mow anything. I prefer to spray for weeds, rotate my cows, and rotate my hay fields. To me mowing doesnt solve the weed problem. It just makes it less noticeable. My yard is a good example. It's about the only place on my farm that I don't spray. I have more weeds in my yard, than any other place.

If you ever got truly hungry and that day may come for all of us someday.....the weeds in your yard would keep you from starving to death.....most are edible and highly nutritious. Same way out in the pasture...I just have gobs of chicory in my pastures, it used to annoy me, because we all would like our fields to look like a golf course right? But it doesn't crowd out the grass and the cattle will strip the leaves off it so I just live with it. If you have cocklebur or ragweed growing solid then its just because the grass isn't established very well and vigorous, the soil will cover itself one way or another.

 

[Bigfoot]

For me, the more I spray the thicker my grass gets. The thicker the grass gets, the less I have to spray. I know lots of weed have nutritional value. I'm not doubting that at all. A weed doesn't stockpile at all. I would rather see my fertilizer obsorbed by fescue, than a rag weed. When fertilizer got so high, that's when I started looking for ways to get all the grass I can.

 

[AllForage]

I am on my pathway to not feeding hay all winter. I think my odds are good. I did some other experimenting this fall. I did not run my cattle in the hayfield until about a week ago. Prior to that, I left about a fourth of it unmowed and I mowed the other three fourths at three different times. So I had 4 different stages of grass. When I turned them in about 8 days ago, I have watched where they graze the most. From my casual observations, they prefer the most recently mowed areas. I also noticed that the best grass is in the two intermediate timed mowings. The oldest grass, they have mostly avoided. The grasses are fescue, orchard grass, timothy and blue grass. There is both red and white clover. I am becoming a big believer in frequent mowing of pasture.

I plan to leave them in the hay field until it gets real wet. I will move them to prevent damage to the hayfield. Then I have two pastures that have been stockpiling to move them to. I do have 3 yearling heifers that I am keeping in one of the stockpiled pastures but I don't expect they will do much.

The real trick is to have the right amount of cows and management to orchestrate a grazing wedge so the tractor stays parked. Generally when the tractor gets started you can just start tearing your money up. I fall short every year but that is the goal.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Inyati loves to mow his pastures and I doubt that will every change.

Heck, I wish I were at the farm full time 'cause I'd be a mowing son of a gun myself.

 

[Banjo]

I like learning new tricks and one that I learned this year is that if you will mow/clip fescue before the stems and seedheads turn brown it won't hardly go dormant, but if you mow/clip while it is still green and growing even fully headed out but still green...it will keep on growing thru the summer. If you let it get dead....brown stems and seedheads then you will have to wait until it breaks dormancy in the fall in the meantime the summer grasses will dominate until frost.

 

[snake67]

We never spray the pastures - we clip them and fertilize them

Grass chokes out most of the weeds.

Weeds that cattle will eat are not weeds - they are simply a different food source - some weeds have more value than grass

Bez

 

[inyati13]

We never spray the pastures - we clip them and fertilize them

Grass chokes out most of the weeds.

Weeds that cattle will eat are not weeds - they are simply a different food source - some weeds have more value than grass

Bez

I have reached the same conclusion. Amen, brother!

 

[inyati13]

I like learning new tricks and one that I learned this year is that if you will mow/clip fescue before the stems and seedheads turn brown it won't hardly go dormant, but if you mow/clip while it is still green and growing even fully headed out but still green...it will keep on growing thru the summer. If you let it get dead....brown stems and seedheads then you will have to wait until it breaks dormancy in the fall in the meantime the summer grasses will dominate until frost.

Amen, Amen. We need to get Bigfoot on board. I have absolutely demonstrated the same thing to myself!!! What I love about the cattle husbandry business is that it is all a big laboratory to play in.

 

[Bigfoot]

Lotta truth in what you boys are saying. That's why I've been pursueing a warm season grass so hard. I would rather pursue my spring growth with a rumen, or my disc mower. Switch to the warm season for the dormant period, and then come back on the stockpiled fescue.

 

[inyati13]

Inyati loves to mow his pastures and I doubt that will every change.

Heck, I wish I were at the farm full time 'cause I'd be a mowing son of a gun myself.

Larry, you know me too well. I would rather mow than eat when I am hungry. Cost be dam! I do have a nice tractor, air conditioned, radio, 4 wheel drive, 83 hp, reverser, air shock seat, etc. It is the best place to be on the farm when it gets real hot.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Inyati loves to mow his pastures and I doubt that will every change.

Heck, I wish I were at the farm full time 'cause I'd be a mowing son of a gun myself.

Larry, you know me too well. I would rather mow than eat when I am hungry. Cost be dam! I do have a nice tractor, air conditioned, radio, 4 wheel drive, 83 hp, reverser, air shock seat, etc. It is the best place to be on the farm when it gets real hot.

And to top it all off it's a Deere!

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

The real trick is to have the right amount of cows and management to orchestrate a grazing wedge so the tractor stays parked. Generally when the tractor gets started you can just start tearing your money up. I fall short every year but that is the goal.

Amen, Amen. We need to get Bigfoot on board. I have absolutely demonstrated the same thing to myself!!! What I love about the cattle husbandry business is that it is all a big laboratory to play in.

I keep telling Ron he needs more cows! :lol: We are still on grass, but getting pretty close to going to hay. One more pasture to rotate through, and we took a fall cutting off of it, so it has maybe 6 or 8 inches of growth so it will be a flash graze for them.
Ron, I feel the same way, my pastures is my experimental lab! Right now, my big pasture is planted with half Orchard/clover (with some nasty buckhorn that came in!) and half Marshal Rye and clover. We are getting more grazing time on the Marshal Rye than the Orchard. I am putting more of that in next fall!

 

[TexasBred]

I keep telling Ron he needs more cows! :lol:

And a lady friend.....one with only two legs.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I keep telling Ron he needs more cows! :lol:

And a lady friend.....one with only two legs.

So now you got him looking for an ostrich.