grazing & pasture management
TRANSCRIPT
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Grazing & Pasture
Management
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Forages
• Those of us in the
cattle business need
to be really good at
managing and
grazing forages.
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Grass Growth
• In order to manage
grass harvest
properly, we need
to understand how
the plant grows and
what it needs to
remain healthy.
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Grass Growth
• Grass plants
survive through the
winter on energy
stored in the roots
and stems of the
plant. Think of this
as the plant’s gas
tank.
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Grass Growth
• In the spring when the temperature,
moisture and day length is correct the
plant starts to grow. The plant uses
stored energy to grow until there is
enough leaf area to begin
Photosynthesis. It then begins to
produce energy of it’s own.
• Negative energy flow
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Grass Growth
• When the plant is
big enough, there is
more energy
produced than is
needed and the
plant stores this
energy back in the
roots (gas tank)
• Positive energy flow
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Grass Growth
• Why worry about positive or negative energy
flow?
• If the plant is grazed too early or too long and
late in the grazing period, the plant will have
to use stored energy and will go into the
dormant period in a weakened state.
• If this is repeated year after year – the plant
dies.
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Important to Have a Grazing
System and Manage WellIf you own livestock and a pasture, you already have
some type of grazing system.
What type of system do you have?
Is it working well?
How healthy is the pasture?
Do the livestock perform well?
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Designing a Grazing System
No one system is perfect or the “best”
system. If you are happy with your
current system, stay with it. If not
change your plan.
Need to consider the following:
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System Design
Timing of Grazing
Avoid repeated
grazing during
critical stages of
plant growth. (new
growth). Allow 4 to
6 inches of height
before grazing
begins.
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Frequency of Grazing
Avoid grazing too often during a single
growing season. A plant can be grazed
several times if given a chance each
time to replenish energy.
Not enough grazing can reduce
production from choking.
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Severity of Grazing
Avoid removing too much of a plant’s leaf
area. Leaves are the main sites of
energy production for the plant. (solar
panel) If too little leaf area remains, a
plant will be unable to grow and
replenish its energy reserve.
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Severity of Grazing
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Selectivity
Livestock will eat most desirable plants
first and leave objectionable ones. Can
result in crowding out of good grasses.
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Selectivity
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Types of Grazing Systems
• Continuous Grazing
• Deferred
• Rest Rotation
• Rotation Grazing
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Rotational Grazing Test
• 16 head of
replacement heifers
– in weight 560 avg.
• In on April 21, 2018
• 20 acre pasture
• Out on Aug 11,2018
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Rotational Grazing
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Rotational Grazing
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Rotational Grazing
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Rotational Grazing
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Rotational Grazing
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Moving Cattle
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Results 2018
• 112 days on pasture
• 3,932 pounds of beef produced on 20
acres
• 197 pounds per acre
• 16 head ADG = 2.2 pounds per day
• Avg start wt = 560
• Avg out wt = 808
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Results 2018
• Number of days
grazing each
paddock = 18 days
Last 13 days had
access to all paddocks
except for #8
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Results 2019
• 98 days on pasture
• 3,565 pounds of beef produced on 15
acres
• 238 pounds per acre
• 15 head ADG = 2.43 pounds per day
• Avg start wt = 537
• Avg out wt = 775
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Results 2019
• Number of days
grazing each
paddock = 16 days
Last 11 days had
access to all paddocks
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Pasture Records
• Let’s look at a
spreadsheet.
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Keys to Intensive Rotational
Grazing
• Divide pasture into paddocks – size of
paddocks will be determined by pasture
size and # of cattle. (stocking rate)
• Graze for no longer than 5 – 7 days.
Shorter period better.
• Allow paddocks to rest for at least 21
days before going back.
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How Long Was the Grazing
Season Each Year on the
Pasture?
100 days – Approx.
Then what?
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Extending the Grazing Season
• How?
1. Stockpiled Forage
2. Crop aftermath
3. Cover crop grazing
4. Bale grazing
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Cover Crop GrazingWhat we have learned:
• Seed - late April – early
May.
• Various seed mixes
available.
• Mixes - cereals,
legumes, turnips,
radish, canola. Millet,
sorghum sudan, etc.
• Soils/rainfall play big
role.
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Cover Crops
What we have learned:
• Forage quality is very
good:
• Conducted forage tests
at turnout time: (3rd
week of June)
Crude Protein% = 16% to
19%
TDN% = 56.9% - 58.5%
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Available Forage
What we have learned:
• Varies – Most
producers have had
3 to 4 tons of forage
available.
• Lowest – 1.5 tons
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Turnout Time?
What we have
learned:
• Depends on cover
crop growth – let
crop get ahead of
the cattle.
Late June – early July
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Paddock fencing
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Paddock Fencing Cont:
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Swath and Windrow Graze
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Windrow grazing
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Windrow Grazing
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Bale Grazing
Option:
Bale extra forage:
1. Graze in field
2. Feed in winter
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Water Source
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What About Big Operations?
• Can use this rotational grazing principle.
• Look to divide big open ranges – rotate.
• No opportunity to fence into smaller
pastures? Move cattle – with riders,
salt, water source, etc.
• Look for grazing opportunities late fall &
winter
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Summary
• Grass business –
treat your grass well
• Allow grass to
recover
• Use some kind of
rotational grazing
• Have a forage
source for later
season grazing
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Questions
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Matching the Cow to the
Resource
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Crude Protein Levels of Grass
Forages
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Cow Requirements - Spring
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Cow Requirements - Fall