There is no time like the present to evaluate your pasture fields for damage from over grazing and weather related stress. While you are trying to warm up after feeding your livestock and checking on their water, it is a good time to evaluate your recent management successes and challenges. After dealing with a drier [...]
When the management of grazing is discussed, what are the topics of that discussion? Typically, they involve forage growth, forage varieties, soils, animal nutrition, grazing behavior, and paddock layout and design. These are all valuable topics for a grazier to understand and use to effectively manage his system. Rarely do you hear discussions on the [...]
The days are getting longer, which means spring is just around the corner! Having grown up in a warmer climate than Ohio, I like to remind myself spring will come as we head into the coldest months of the winter. Reminding myself of spring also motivates me to prepare for its arrival. Some tasks need [...]
Let me paint you a winter pasture management picture. Here sits our grazier, indoors next to a cozy wood stove fire while the farm’s livestock graze contentedly on stockpiled forages and… what? Oh yeah, that’s right, once again we had a dry fall period and instead of being able to stockpile forage growth, we actually [...]
Winter is here, are you ready? The single largest expense of keeping livestock is winter feeding costs. Winter feed costs will be expensive this year considering forage and grain prices. Livestock owners can reduce and minimize the cost with a little planning. Reduce costs It sounds strange but feeding low quality hay now might be [...]
The lack of adequate rainfall in our area this summer and fall left many producers with less forage than they would like, but that doesn’t mean they are all feeding hay yet. If you do not have forage left for livestock to graze at this time of year you may want to reconsider some of [...]
As the lazy, hazy days of summer have been replaced by Jack Frost and thoughts of sugar plums dancing in our heads, our farm chores are also changing. Pasture growth has slowed down and may be stopped for all practical purposes, however our livestock still have daily needs to be met. Our efforts in managing [...]
Fall is in the air and Jack Frost will certainly arrive soon. Each year after the first hard frost, I usually answer phone calls from forage producers who are very concerned about the dangers of feeding frosted forages. A very few, but certainly not all, of our forages can be extremely toxic soon after a [...]
October signals the coming end to our pasture-growing season. In some cases the growing season equals the grazing season. When pasture growth ends, so does the grazing. However, for those graziers who have managed their pastures and watched over pasture health, the grazing season extends beyond the growing season.
How has fertilizer prices impacted forage production on your farm? How do you think fertilizer prices will influence your production in the future? Can you afford to spread fertilizer on hay and pasture fields these days? Are you sure you can afford not to spread fertilizer on your fields? How are farmers going to be [...]
