Winter grazing completed

Gather App
Very few of us that own cows don't feed hay. Agmantoo has saved me alot of hay and money. Agmantoo is doing intensive rotational grazing, I rotate my herd every 2-7 days depending upon how large the pasture is and how much forage is available.
 
Just started setting up for winter here. The in-calf heifers that have been away grazing come home on first May, dropped some paddocks out of the rotation last week for them, drying off cows to reduce feed demand and hoping for continued warm wet weather through the autumn to grow the winter feed.
 
Me personally--- Try to keep my ratios of 2 acres of cool season grass-- to .75 acres of warm season grass, and 1.25 acres of crops or alternative cover crops for grazing. I also try to not put the stock back onto the cool season pastures once they leave that rotation through the summer slump. This way, I can do a better job of stockpiling forage for late winter-- after they clean up the crop residues.

I bale 1/2 of the cool season grasses for hay in the spring splurge (livestock can't keep up)- and this is rotated every other year-- also helps with nutrient levels.

I like to keep things like oats/ rye in corn stalks- forage radishes, turnips in my 'crop' fields.

I strive to feed hay less than 30 days a year- only when the snow gets too deep. I do feed grain to my growing stock.

I can't give you an accurate measure of how much feed it takes to feed (grass and hay) that animal for an entire year- because we raise multiple species and so that's virtually impossible to calculate. I try to strive to keep a cow, ewe, and goat on around an acre, or slightly less.
 
Agmantoo,
How high do you keep your fence? I think mine is a little too low in places, sometimes I find a cow or two in a paddock where they don't belong.
Thanks.....keep sending the pictures.
 
Banjo

I keep the polywire at ~31 inches. My place was once an old cotton farm and it has terraces along with the rolling hills of the Piedmont section of NC. Therefore that height can and does vary with the terrain. My calves are permitted to graze ahead of the herd. This does create a habit that is slow to break. Retained heifers seem to think they are a calf far longer than I like. Like you, I will have an animal in the wrong place from time to time. Once a retained heifer is pregnant and heavy will calf they tend to then stay where they belong with the herd. I find that the daily moves also tends to reduce them from wandering. That and a fence that has not less than 3500 volts at the paddock.
Here is a pic taken yesterday. This will give you an idea of how the herd looks after Wintering on stockpiled fescue.

IMG01122-20120326-1445-1.jpg
 
Agmantoo, what is your position on fencing in wooded areas vs. having all nutrients recycled on the pasture. I am surprised how much time my stockers spend laying around in the woods when it is not hot.
 
Douglas
My cows enjoy the woods and definitely the shade is essential where I live. On the other hand the constant trampling around the roots of the trees is IMO detrimental to the trees to the point they are stressed and possibly more susceptible to disease. I have lost a few of the large trees near the waters. I plan on fencing the cattle out to where they can assess shade on the perimeters of the larger patches of woods. I will still allow them access to the main woods from time to time to keep the undergrowth in check.
 
agmantoo":20w49ln9 said:
Douglas
My cows enjoy the woods and definitely the shade is essential where I live. On the other hand the constant trampling around the roots of the trees is IMO detrimental to the trees to the point they are stressed and possibly more susceptible to disease. I have lost a few of the large trees near the waters. I plan on fencing the cattle out to where they can assess shade on the perimeters of the larger patches of woods. I will still allow them access to the main woods from time to time to keep the undergrowth in check.
Click to expand...

Your 'undergrowth', is what will replace your old and dying... hard to have a 'healthy' forest-- and still keep all the old trees as well...

When you get an old cow that needs shipped-- do you just ship her- or do you keep a heifer calf back to replace her? Same method with trees.
 
JSCATTLE":3u8j15no said:
Kcid what part of th country are you frOm?
Click to expand...
IL- My college degrees are in Animal Sciences, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Conservation.

ohiosteve":3u8j15no said:
I just figured out kciD's username. spell it backwards. Quite clever actually.
Click to expand...

Sometimes, you have to be Frank...
 
So it's safe to say you have never walked through the woods in east or south east Texas ? There are many vines shrubs and grasses growing in our timber . And our cows will eat a lot of it . It helps to keep the fuel for fires down . This should go on the pine to pasture thread ..
 
I'd say first, last name might be daeh. Nice accomplishment on the zero hay by the way. I too am working on that goal but on a smaller scale for now. I fed less than 5 lbs/day this winter (if you can call it that) and I have even had a guy tell me my heifers were too fat. What is your favorite cool season grass to use?
 
JSCATTLE":3rodpy5y said:
So it's safe to say you have never walked through the woods in east or south east Texas ? There are many vines shrubs and grasses growing in our timber . And our cows will eat a lot of it . It helps to keep the fuel for fires down . This should go on the pine to pasture thread ..
Click to expand...

I've been to south TX-- my travels take me many places...

I do find it hard to believe that in the drought plauged TX-- you folks have the fortitude to tell we midwesterners that you have a 'jungle' growing out back- when you don't get enough water to grow grass. You may have more thorny plants-- but I bet our Autum and Russian Olive and the Mulitflora rose will counter balance that.

you come here for a visit-- I'll take you to hills you can't climb up, and places you can't crawl through. You see, we get that wet liquid called water-- which does the opposite of a growth inhibitor.
 
ohiosteve":2tou6n12 said:
I'd say first, last name might be daeh. Nice accomplishment on the zero hay by the way. I too am working on that goal but on a smaller scale for now. I fed less than 5 lbs/day this winter (if you can call it that) and I have even had a guy tell me my heifers were too fat. What is your favorite cool season grass to use?
Click to expand...
I don't have a 'favorite'- I think they all have a place-- and like to keep my pastures with a balance I guess you could say. For me, you can't beat orchard, brome, and tall fescue-- if you continue interseeding red clover on every year--otherwise you're brome and fescue will take over.

Ya, I know the fescue and the endophyte problem-- but you know what-- it's not leaving-- and the endophyte free stuff won't stick around long enough to pay for itself-- so why bother? Now, this newer friendly endophyte stuff- I'm going to check into pretty seriously.

I shouldn't promote this-- but I really love Reed Canary-- especially in wet places-- you can't beat it for yield. Heck, quite a few of the best hay fields I've seen for dairy hay has been Reed Canary and Alfalfa, as long as you cut the Reed on the same growth curve schedule as the Alf-- it doesn't get stemmy and tough.-- and man you add yield.

I've never been able to get timothy to stick around past a couple of years-- and blue grass just doesn't yield like the others...

I know you didn't ask about it- but warm season grasses are something I'm going to invest more and more in the next 2 years. I'll tell you the yield they give in ratio to the cool season-- and their ability to get through the summer slump-- and better allow me to stockpile my fall growth-- is awesome. My favorite combo is half Indian/ half Big Blue-- why? the other species either closely mimick cool season growth-- or don't have the yield that those big two do have... The downside-- time for establishment and initial cost.
 
agmantoo,
You don't try to get cows to trample some of the grass like the mobgrazers do?
Do you?
 
ohiosteve":2msabxfg said:
I'd say first, last name might be daeh. Nice accomplishment on the zero hay by the way. I too am working on that goal but on a smaller scale for now. I fed less than 5 lbs/day this winter (if you can call it that) and I have even had a guy tell me my heifers were too fat. What is your favorite cool season grass to use?
Click to expand...

ohiosteve
I believe you are correct with the name. I may regret saying this but I a beginning to think if he were to return here with an altered attitude that he could contribute and be listened to.

With your reduction in Winter feed do you think it will alter your cost of production? I do not have a favorite grass as I am committed to endophyte infected fescue and will remain with it. What I have attempted to accomplish is to create a herd that will perform on the fescue. I cannot find any forage that will give as much grazing over as long a period and in varying weather conditions with the ability to be stockpiled successfully. My cattles' haircoat is never as slick as I would like and the calves could grow faster. Since my feed costs are held low by the fescue it is not much of a penalty to keep a calf a few extra weeks. I know of no other way to improve my profit margin above where it is.
 
shaz":293r4pi4 said:
agmantoo,
You don't try to get cows to trample some of the grass like the mobgrazers do?
Do you?
Click to expand...

I do not have the acreage of most of the mob grazers and cannot take the land out of production while the land/plants recover. Trampled grass must pull the nutrients for recovery from the roots. I am going to have to come back to a paddock within weeks at times. From trampling to recover is longer than I can tolerate. Without trampling I can see a recover time to suitable grazing in just a few weeks at certain times of the year. Currently I am working removing terraces in an area that was grazed 10 days ago. If necessary, the herd could regraze that area satisfactorily now.
 
kciD":257oi4f6 said:
JSCATTLE":257oi4f6 said:
So it's safe to say you have never walked through the woods in east or south east Texas ? There are many vines shrubs and grasses growing in our timber . And our cows will eat a lot of it . It helps to keep the fuel for fires down . This should go on the pine to pasture thread ..
Click to expand...

I've been to south TX-- my travels take me many places...

I do find it hard to believe that in the drought plauged TX-- you folks have the fortitude to tell we midwesterners that you have a 'jungle' growing out back- when you don't get enough water to grow grass. You may have more thorny plants-- but I bet our Autum and Russian Olive and the Mulitflora rose will counter balance that.

you come here for a visit-- I'll take you to hills you can't climb up, and places you can't crawl through. You see, we get that wet liquid called water-- which does the opposite of a growth inhibitor.
Click to expand...
There is a huge difference between south Texas and south east Texas . About 40 inches of annual rain fall to be exact . I have not business in the mid west . But you don't see me telling y'all how to run cows either .
 

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