Now that the time has changed, my thought process has changed to planning for the winter and into next year. I went into a mild panic last weekend when I was feeding thinking I would need a lot more hay than I have. When I went into the house and wrote it down, I realized […]
A small farm livestock owner recently asked me about the benefit of pasture aeration and the application of fertilizer and lime. To answer the question, I had to do some review of studies that investigated pasture aeration and fertilization.
That started me thinking about soil quality, pasture condition and the effect that pasture management might […]
Winter is here, are you ready? The single largest expense of keeping livestock is winter-feeding costs. Livestock owners can reduce and minimize the cost with a little planning.
It sounds strange, but feeding low quality hay now might be a good strategy to reduce winter-feed costs. The reason to feed poor quality hay now is […]
BARNESVILLE, Ohio — The Barnesville Progressive Home Helpers held a meeting Sept. 19 at the Main Street United Methodist Church in Barnesville.
The fair was discussed. This was the last meeting of the club year. The new club year will begin Oct. 10 with a meeting at 10 a.m. at the church and an election of […]
There are a limited number of days left in our growing season here in Ohio and the opportunity to increase your dry matter as stored feed or stockpiled feed before winter is winding down quickly.
The plants your livestock graze the next few weeks will impact those plants’ growth not only now, but possibly next year […]
Earlier in the year there were several articles in this column addressing planning ahead for the possibility of drought.
In April, Mark Sulc warned us to “Plan now for the summer slump,” which is the time of slower growth we experience every summer. In his article he addressed the importance of not overgrazing your pastures, […]
Fall is one of the most crucial time periods for our cool season pastures. The most important activity a livestock producer should be doing to help the pastures survive winter and remain productive next year is to avoid overgrazing.
Why is fall a critical time for our cool season perennial forages? The grass plants in […]
By Chris Penrose
Now that we have up most of our hay for the year, we can start to determine if there will be enough stored feed for the winter.
Many farmers I have talked with have had significant reductions in yields this year leaving hay in short supply. In addition, many areas have been experiencing […]
The hot dry weather that typically accompanies the months of July and August reduces the growth and production of cool season pasture grasses.
It can be a challenging time to balance forage supplies, pasture health and livestock numbers.
One option that some graziers use to fill in this summer slump period is warm season forages. […]
When grass is green and abundant, our world as it relates to pasture management is serene. Perfect all the times, wouldn’t it be nice if life could always be that way?
Unfortunately, we will experience drought, excessive mud, severe winters, excessive forage growth, summer slumps, livestock sickness and livestock death. The truly successful grazers have a […]
