Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2009 15:43:09 GMT -5
This is a short piece reprinted from the ADCA, I think it may provide insite to some that are interested in rotational grazing.
"We love to see our Dexters grazing
peacefully in the morning
light. Standing on the back deck
with a cup of coffee in the morning
watching the world wake up
and the Dexters slowly grazing
across our small spot of earth, it
makes me pause and think about
why I started raising cows and
what made me think I could do it
successfully.
Dexter cattle are raised primarily
by folks with a small
amount of ground to devote to the
venture. Although the folks may
have other ground devoted to a
farm operation or have a
day job in the city, by and
large Dexters are raised by
small land holders. And as
such, we Dexter lovers
must squeeze the most value from
that land.
Here in the Midwest, that may
best be accomplished by rotational
grazing, achieved by cross
fencing and having enough water
sources to accommodate the different
grazing pastures. In a nutshell,
rotational grazing is dividing
your grazing area into smaller
pastures or cells, or paddocks. It
would help if you have a mobile
container for mineral supplements.
All pastures could use
some time off, and a rotational
grazing system is the perfect solution
to the problem. The idea is
that you'd like the animals to
graze an area for no more than
five to seven days and then let
that area recover for about 21 to
31 days after it has been grazed.
When you have a rotational
grazing system, you can stretch
your forage supplies because the
plants are healthier and their
ability to recover is much, greater.
And don’t forget the herd mentality
can affect how much water
cows receive. Because bovines are
social creatures, they often follow
the herd leader toward or away
from water sources. Lead cows
and those closest to her usually
get as much water as they need.
Cows at the end of the pecking
order often don't get enough, because
they leave the water source
to follow the lead cow back to pasture
or shade.
Some ranchers still use a traditional
grazing system; livestock
are free to roam the pastures, consuming
any available forage they
may find. Typically, cattle will
over-graze the younger, lush forage
plants as they re-grow and
ignore nearby mature forage. This
overgrazing weakens younger
plants by reducing the leaf area
required for photosynthesis and
depleting carbohydrate reserves
in the roots. If you are currently
using the continuous grazing system
and want to move to a rotational
system, you can begin by
splitting your pasture in half so
that you've got two cells. Then
eventually you take those two
cells and split them again.
While continuous grazing is
still in widespread use, pastures
constantly over-grazed risk poorer
re-growth potential and crowding
out of desirable grass and legume
species by undesirable weeds. On
the other hand, when a rotational
system is used and livestock are
moved from one paddock to the
next, it is possible that when
managed correctly you can provide
enough forage growth early
in the grazing season to harvest
feed for later use from one-fourth
to one-third of the grazed acreage.
After you've made a first cutting
from approximately one-third of
the grazing area, you can then
work it back into the grazing cycle
in the second or third rotation. A
forage mix of 50 percent to 70 percent
grass, with legumes making
up the remaining 30 percent to 50
percent is recommended as an
adequate mix.
We have been raising Dexters
for several years with no grain or
feed other than our own forages,
and it has been a wonderful learning
experience. We put up hay for
winter feed, and the Dexies
roam from paddock to paddock
in the summer. For us
it is the most economical
and earth-friendly way to
keep ourselves and a few others in
beef. Our animals are healthy and
look like it; we use no drugs simply
because we don’t need them.
Our pastures benefit from the
natural fertilization, and the cows
do the spreading, saving us the
trouble.
If you think that rotational
grazing is something you may
want to try, keep these things in
mind. First, have an adequate
water source in each grazing area.
Second, have the proper forage for
cattle nutrition. And third, look at
your cattle and the forage base
every day; if either one is declining,
take the corrective measures
to ensure the good health of your
cattle.
Good luck with your endeavors
and long live the wonderful Dexter
breed.
Jim and Rhonda Wooten
Honey Creek Dexters
Raising Dexters a Half-Acre at a Time
We Dexter lovers must squeeze the
most value from our land."
"We love to see our Dexters grazing
peacefully in the morning
light. Standing on the back deck
with a cup of coffee in the morning
watching the world wake up
and the Dexters slowly grazing
across our small spot of earth, it
makes me pause and think about
why I started raising cows and
what made me think I could do it
successfully.
Dexter cattle are raised primarily
by folks with a small
amount of ground to devote to the
venture. Although the folks may
have other ground devoted to a
farm operation or have a
day job in the city, by and
large Dexters are raised by
small land holders. And as
such, we Dexter lovers
must squeeze the most value from
that land.
Here in the Midwest, that may
best be accomplished by rotational
grazing, achieved by cross
fencing and having enough water
sources to accommodate the different
grazing pastures. In a nutshell,
rotational grazing is dividing
your grazing area into smaller
pastures or cells, or paddocks. It
would help if you have a mobile
container for mineral supplements.
All pastures could use
some time off, and a rotational
grazing system is the perfect solution
to the problem. The idea is
that you'd like the animals to
graze an area for no more than
five to seven days and then let
that area recover for about 21 to
31 days after it has been grazed.
When you have a rotational
grazing system, you can stretch
your forage supplies because the
plants are healthier and their
ability to recover is much, greater.
And don’t forget the herd mentality
can affect how much water
cows receive. Because bovines are
social creatures, they often follow
the herd leader toward or away
from water sources. Lead cows
and those closest to her usually
get as much water as they need.
Cows at the end of the pecking
order often don't get enough, because
they leave the water source
to follow the lead cow back to pasture
or shade.
Some ranchers still use a traditional
grazing system; livestock
are free to roam the pastures, consuming
any available forage they
may find. Typically, cattle will
over-graze the younger, lush forage
plants as they re-grow and
ignore nearby mature forage. This
overgrazing weakens younger
plants by reducing the leaf area
required for photosynthesis and
depleting carbohydrate reserves
in the roots. If you are currently
using the continuous grazing system
and want to move to a rotational
system, you can begin by
splitting your pasture in half so
that you've got two cells. Then
eventually you take those two
cells and split them again.
While continuous grazing is
still in widespread use, pastures
constantly over-grazed risk poorer
re-growth potential and crowding
out of desirable grass and legume
species by undesirable weeds. On
the other hand, when a rotational
system is used and livestock are
moved from one paddock to the
next, it is possible that when
managed correctly you can provide
enough forage growth early
in the grazing season to harvest
feed for later use from one-fourth
to one-third of the grazed acreage.
After you've made a first cutting
from approximately one-third of
the grazing area, you can then
work it back into the grazing cycle
in the second or third rotation. A
forage mix of 50 percent to 70 percent
grass, with legumes making
up the remaining 30 percent to 50
percent is recommended as an
adequate mix.
We have been raising Dexters
for several years with no grain or
feed other than our own forages,
and it has been a wonderful learning
experience. We put up hay for
winter feed, and the Dexies
roam from paddock to paddock
in the summer. For us
it is the most economical
and earth-friendly way to
keep ourselves and a few others in
beef. Our animals are healthy and
look like it; we use no drugs simply
because we don’t need them.
Our pastures benefit from the
natural fertilization, and the cows
do the spreading, saving us the
trouble.
If you think that rotational
grazing is something you may
want to try, keep these things in
mind. First, have an adequate
water source in each grazing area.
Second, have the proper forage for
cattle nutrition. And third, look at
your cattle and the forage base
every day; if either one is declining,
take the corrective measures
to ensure the good health of your
cattle.
Good luck with your endeavors
and long live the wonderful Dexter
breed.
Jim and Rhonda Wooten
Honey Creek Dexters
Raising Dexters a Half-Acre at a Time
We Dexter lovers must squeeze the
most value from our land."