Amazing Graze
A publication of The Ohio State University Extension, Edward M. Vollborn, Editor
May, 1998
Dear Friend:
Having "something" to sell is an important part in a sustainable farm operation. Joel Salatin of Virginia is probably the best known innovative organic/sustainable farmer in our times. The next time you read about the Salatin operation, think about the number of different "items" they sell. Our "family farm" has gone from marketing about ten items to only two or three items in the past thirty years. We have become very dependent upon those few enterprises. As a farm youth my year end bonus came from the sale of a flock of geese that were hatched by a hen in the spring, grazed the barn lot by day and housed under the grainery by night (ate grain falling through the floor). This whole process took nothing from the rest of the operation - hence a bonus.
Graziers are low-cost producers! The fact remains that a product must be sold in order to generate income. Should cow-calf producers look at sheep? Should sheep producers look at goats? Should dairy graziers look at pasture poultry? Would selling fresh vegetables lead to selling grass finished beef to the same person? Can "weeds" be sold as dried flowers?
Helping develop a "new" low input enterprise that is owned and managed by a child or grandchild could be a great investment in sustaining agriculture.
Sincerely,
Leader, Grazing Program
OSU Extension, South District
EOARDC Hay Day - Belle Valley, Ohio (June 20, 1998); Contact Person: Dave Miller(740-732-2381)
OARDC Jackson Branch - Southern Ohio Hay & Pasture Day (June 30, 1998); Special Feature: Keynote Speaker, Dr. Paul Peterson, Virginia Tech; Contact Person: Dave Samples(740-286-5044)
Horticulture & Crop Science Field Day - OSU Waterman Lab, Columbus (August 13, 1998); Contact Person: Dr. Mark Sulc (614-292-9084)
Ohio Cattleman's Summer Roundup (June 26-27); Farm tours on June 27 will feature several forage based operations in Brown County, including OARDC Southern Branch (reservations needed). Contact O.C.A. office (614-873-6736). Editor's Note: OARDC Southern Branch has a 12 grass variety research plot that was established spring 1997.
A concern of most cattlemen when considering grazing alfalfa is the possibility of bloat. Cattlemen should not avoid using alfalfa pastures for fear of bloat. However, they should be aware of what they can do about it. A good method of control is to feed 1-2 grams per 100 pound bodyweight of poloxalene (Bloat Guard) daily in a crushed corn-salt mixture. Bloat Guard or Bloat-blox (laureth-23) are also available in free-choice molasses-mineral blocks which do not require daily hand feeding but intake may not be as consistent. Rumensin, a feed additive, will also give some degree of protection.
Other practices which will help avoid bloat are: don't turn hungry animals onto alfalfa, especially
if it is wet or immature. Cattle can be fed dry feed before being placed on alfalfa. They can be
rotated to a new paddock after the dew dries. If a bloat preventative is being fed in a limited
amount of grain, feed it during the hot part of the day where the cattle have congregated under
shade - so that they all consume it daily. It should also be fed two-five days before turning them
on alfalfa so that it is present in the rumen when grazing begins.
THINK AT THE MARGIN (From: Handout materials) - June Grabemeyer, Agr. Economist, NRCS, Pennsylvania
Maximizing profits is not the same as maximizing production. To maximize profits you need to
compare the cost of the last unit of output to the value (income) from that unit of output.
(Example: in feeding a steer; is the feed and other expenses paid for by the last pound of gain?)
OPTIMIZE HEALTH THROUGH NUTRITION - By: Sam Barringer, DVM, West Virginia University (Summary of article in April 15, 1998 "BEEF Cattle" newsletter. Stan Smith, OSU Extension, Fairfield County)
In summary, quality forage is the key to "feeding right" on cow-calf farms. Testing of forages is essential to determine if supplementation is necessary to prevent disease. Failure to provide a balanced diet with adequate protein levels to breeding animals will result in delayed onset of estrus, infertility, early calving, difficult calving, and poor colostrum production. Balanced diets will provide all the materials for the immune system to build the tools for disease prevention. If a farm is experiencing any of these health problems, professional advice from a veterinarian and/or nutritionist should be sought.
Editor's Note: Work conducted in southern Ohio has shown that copper levels in tall fescue are
extremely low. In a 1994 study, 88.6% of the samples were below the 8 ppm. level. Copper
levels of 10 ppm. are now suggested by NRC for beef cattle. A network of cow-calf producers in
Gallia County have been using a custom blend mineral, based on the results of forage analysis for
the past four years. The practice of using a blend mineral, based upon need is the same concept as
using a blend fertilizer, based upon soil test results. Producer groups with similar needs grouping
their orders and purchasing several tons at one time have realized discounts of as much as 50
percent versus a standard product purchased a few bags at a time.
STOCKING DENSITY VERSUS STOCKING RATE
Simple but often confusing. Stocking density is the relationship between the number of animals
and the specific unit of land being grazed at any one point in time. High stock density causes
animals to graze quickly and then rest, resulting in better performance. Low stock density causes
uneven grazing of forage. An example of a 65 head stock density would be 130 head of cows
grazing a two acre paddock for one day. Stock density is the number of head divided by size of
paddock. Stocking rate is the relationship between the number of animals and the grazing
management unit utilized over a specified time period. Stocking rate is the number of head
divided by size of grazing area. An example of a stocking rate of 1.5 head per acre would be 60
head of cattle grazing over 40 acres for the season.
ADAPTING SEEDING TECHNOLOGIES TO SPEED THE SEEDING OPERATION - By: Dr. Stephen Barnhart, Extension Forage Agronomist, Iowa State University (Taken from paper presented at National Alfalfa Symposium)
Broadcasting seed with dry, granular fertilizer using "spinner" spreaders. An old technology adapted was the high-volume broadcast "spinner" being used by the dry fertilizer industry. Commercial and farmer-operated dry fertilizer spreaders are capable of spreading dry granular fertilizer over a very side swath. Producers viewed this as an opportunity and began to have alfalfa seed (and cereal grains) blended with dry granular fertilizer for rapid broadcast spreading of the combined materials. The "art" of using a large, broadcast, "spinner- spreader" comes in knowing the delivery rate of the implement and blending sufficient alfalfa seed for the desired seeding rate; keeping the seed uniformly mixed with the granular fertilizer material; and knowing the "ballistic spread characteristics" of the alfalfa seed and fertilizer to providing sufficient spread overlap to produce a uniform spread pattern.
The ability to meter and spread alfalfa seed with this method was quickly perfected, however the age-old problem still exists in how to then provide shallow seed coverage and good seed-to-soil contact. Disks and harrows are routinely used for this purpose with successes relative to the control obtained. Too often, the best alfalfa establishment is that in the wheel tracks of the machinery used, where the best seed-to-soil contact is achieved. Cultipackers can be used very effectively to provide shallow coverage and the desired seed-to-soil contact.
Concern was raised about the fate of alfalfa seed placed in close contact with chemically reactive fertilizer materials for extended periods of time. Would the 'salt effect' damage or cause any lasting effect on alfalfa seed germination of seedling vigor? And, would the contact with granular fertilizer adversely affect the rhizobia bacteria in the seed inoculant?
Producer experience often showed that alfalfa seed germinated at an 'acceptable' level when
blended with and in contact with granular fertilizer for a few hours and as long as a day or two.
Dr. Gerald Evers conducted limited greenhouse studies with several winter annual legumes at the
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (Overton, Texas) in the 1980's and concluded that seed
germination and seedling vigor began to decline after 12-18 hours in contact with granular
fertilizer. Producer and commercial applicators still express concern over the fate of rhizobia on
legume seed under these conditions. Dr. Evers study monitored only the seedling weight and not
the effect on rhizobial populations or nodulation effects.
CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT WHEN DESIGNING A GRAZING SYSTEM - By: Bob Hendershot, USDA-NRCS, Grassland Management Systems Conservationist
Careful consideration of the location of shade, water, mineral and supplemental feeding areas should be taken when planning a grazing system. These items listed above tend to congregate animals which result in significant trampling of the grasses and cause compaction of the soil. This will in turn increase soil erosion and water runoff and decrease rain infiltration. These heavily used areas also tend to have significant amounts of manure and urine. The increase in water runoff allows sediment, manure nutrients, bacteria and organic material the opportunity to enter water courses lowering the water quality of the stream.
Designing grazing systems with the shade, water, mineral and supplemental feeding areas away from streams help insure a higher level of water quality. Each of these items should also be separated to allow the animals to disperse their activity over a wider area causing less damage to the grass and soil. Plan for buffer areas of grass between feeding areas, mineral feeders, and water troughs and the streams. The buffer of grass will help filter sediments and manure from the runoff water before it enters the stream. The grasses in the buffer areas need to have adequate height to filter the sediment and manure.
Grazing systems that have portable water, mineral and feeding areas help disperse the impacts of these high traffic areas over the pasture field. Management Intensive Grazing (MIG) systems move the animals from area to area in the pasture field. This provides even more assurance for better water quality because it allows the grasses the opportunity to regrow. The resting the paddocks of a MIG system also allow the soil time to recover from soil compaction which will maintain higher infiltration rates and reduced runoff.
The soil, water and plants are a very important part of any land use management system. Properly
managed pasture land can provide the best treatment to our natural resources and still allow for
maximum use of the land.
WHY DO WE MAKE HAY? - From: Forage Systems Update Forage Systems Research Center, Linneus, MO, Jim Gerrish, Editor
Do you ever stop and think why exactly do we make hay? That is, what is the primary objective for making hay? The most common response would be: to provide winter feed. That certainly is a high priority, but what happens when we let that be our main objective?
Generally, we start the season by identifying where we are going to make hay, based on the expectation of harvesting X number of bales so that we can feed hay for X number of days. We tend to delay harvest until we have favorable weather which results in lower quality hay as cool-season grasses mature. Frequently, harvest comes so late that the regrowth following hay harvest is poor offering limited opportunities for fall grazing. The net outcome is that the grazing season is shortened and we are left facing a long hay feeding season with marginal quality hay.
I would suggest another approach to hay making starting from a fundamentally different point of view. Rather than having generating X number of bales as the basic reason for making hay, consider hay making as a tool to manage pasture quality and supply. With this approach, we will generally start making hay earlier in the season, accepting greater risk of unfavorable weather but most likely producing higher quality hay, though lower yield. Regrowth is likely to be significantly greater than following later hay harvests due to more favorable soil moisture and temperature levels. Because of better regrowth on hayed pastures, the main body of pasture will not need to be grazed as severely, allowing for a rest period going into the fall season and allowing more pasture to be stockpiled, thus shortening the hay feeding season.
Plant maturity is generally considered to have the greatest effect on pasture and hay quality. Digestibility typically decreases at a rate of about 1/2 percent per day following boot state in cool season grasses. Based on this rate of decline, delaying harvest for three weeks after boot to wait for more favorable weather would result in a digestibility loss of ten percent. To put this in context, if digestibility is sixty percent at boot and declines to fifty percent three weeks later, the hay has gone from being adequate for a lactating beef cow to being inadequate for even maintenance of a cow.
Several researchers have reported the quality loss due to increased grass maturity to be significantly greater than loss incurred if the hay had been harvested at boot stage and rained on. While this trend is certainly true for grass and grass-dominant hay, alfalfa and other legumes are much more susceptible to serious weather damage. However, if we are considering hay harvest from pastures, in all likelihood it will be a grass-dominant sward.
If we are harvesting hay from paddocks in a rotational grazing system, there are again two different approaches to determine where hay is harvested. One approach is to designate certain paddocks at the beginning of the season to be harvested for winter feed. An advantage of this approach is that paddocks may be selected on the basis of ease of harvest or managing a particular weed problem. An alternative approach is to graze all the pastures initially and then identify the paddocks where grazing management has been least effective and use hay harvest as a tool to clean up grazing management mistakes. This approach certainly makes the farm look more attractive for a summer field day!
So before you fire up the equipment this spring or even before you turn the stock out, think about
why you are making hay and what you would really like to accomplish with haying in the context
of your total forage-livestock system. Good pasture management extends the grazing season and
reduces the need for hay. Poor hay crop management shortens the grazing season and increases
the need for hay.
FROM OUR READERS:
Robert Griesheimer, Valley City, Ohio
During the second World War, I spent three and one-half years overseas - mostly in the South Pacific working as a pharmacist in a station hospital. We were located on the hospital island of New Caledonia, about 1,000 miles north of Auckland, New Zealand.
As a misplaced dairy farmer, I consequently corresponded with Professor William Riddel of the dairy department of Massey Agricultural College at Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Having operated my own dairy operation since 1936, I was interested in the modus operandi of dairy farmers in New Zealand. I knew even at that time already that their dairy industry was based on a grassland agriculture. He apprised me of the progress they had made with intensive grazing and also about the extremely good results they were having with a giant strain of white clover they had developed.
After I returned home from my Army service, my brother and I decided to try intensive grazing on our small home farm. We seeded meadows with Ladino Clover and grasses and proceeded for the next ten years or so by advancing an electric fence across fields every 12 hours.
During the 1950's this worked beautifully . . . The 1960's came in much dryer and we experience problems . . . Consequently, we had to turn to alfalfa. In our area, alfalfa grows as a favor rather then naturally. Our waterloo came with hurricane Hazel, when the cows stepped in six to eight inches and destroyed the seedings. Also, our herd had grown in size and our limited accessible grazing acreage became too small to support the extra animals.
During the time we strip-grazed, we led our county in fat production for seven straight years. We did have the problem however, with cows losing weight and it seemed like it took all winter on corn silage to get them back in condition again . . . Later on, we discovered that we probably were short changing the cattle on available minerals, especially trace minerals . . . one of the first to use MUSE extensively . . .
We had to dig this out all on our own as the universities and Extension were of no help at that point in time. One of those years, our herd was recognized at the State level as being the winner of the efficient production award for the northeast quarter of the State. . .
Editor Note: Thanks to Mr. Griesheimer for sharing this wonderful experience with us. Valley City is located in northwest Medina County in northeast Ohio. A picture was included of Brown Swiss cows strip grazing behind an electric fence complete with tread-in pig-tale top post (just like the one we re-discovered a couple years ago). This picture was taken in the early 1950's for a feature in "Successful Farming Magazine."
Evidence of the Griesheimer influence still exists. Although the herd was dispersed in 1992, their prefix "Hawthorne" is still winning. "Hawthorne Rhthmic Riki" now owned by a Brazilian, was the Grand Champion Swiss at the 1997 World Dairy Expo.
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Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Keith L. Smith, Director, Ohio State University Extension.
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