Egyptian wheat....mowing.....planned grazing

[dgallow]

So far the ponds hold water well and ruts aren't a problem. Hot/dry summers take them down a lot but they refill quickly with decent rains. Maybe like you said they won't refill as quick if we can get the soil to hold more water and have less runoff. It seems that in the winter when we hay it's either dry or frozen. When it is wet we just stay on the roads (gravel). The FIL wouldn't mind fixing ruts, but he sure doesn't want to damage grass.

Also don't see the cows fighting over hay or cubes when we feed. They just belly up to a spot and stand there until they are done. The calves mill in and out but they aren't eating feed yet. They just come because mamma does. It funny to watch the young ones chase the truck around and then look at you blank faced when you stop. They know to chase it but don't know why. They learn well from mom.

The cattle love JG here but I can't say I've ever seen them eat serecia. The JG would get out of control if not for grazing. The serecia seems to stand tall when everything else around it gets eaten down.

If you save replacement females, wean late and then breed with the cows, there seems to be less heiarchy issues because the 'family unit' bond for each cow/heifer is less disrupted. Heifers can be back-grounded on good pasture for 130 d after weaning at 10.5 months age then put back with the cows for breeding at 15 mo age and left with them to calve, for example. That is more economically done (less stored feed need) with fall than spring calving cows from a forage availability standpoint, but the spring heifers will endure a harsher back-grounding which selects for high fertility due to winter forage deficit/deficiency issues and favors longevity and long term profitability. New animals coming into the herd of widely differing age or sources seems to create a bit more long lasting chaos. Ours are 2 and 3 yo...3 origins, same middle man ranch but separate herds.....some of the 2 yo get knocked around occasionally but not bad enough to affect well being or performance. Cattle are much like bison, elk and deer in terms of 'family unit sociality' yet like the former two they form a herd.

One of the KS fire/serecia videos talked about different native ecotypes of serecia or a modification/selection of the plant DNA for increased persistence......some being more palatable than others due to tannin content....some difference in seed set also. Soil type and environment can also affect tannin content. Serecia here is about 6-8" tall....time to make the first 'hit' on it. This new herd still has a 'leaning curve' in terms of alternate plant selection besides grass and they are run at lower density than in past so it will take time to get to where we were with the other cattle. Serecia hay was a prized commodity not too many decades ago.

With last 2 yrs of above average rainfall....ERC and brush pose more encroachment threat than serecia....here. Per the Mesonet, we are at 38" on 365 d rainfall......if slightly dry trend continues, that should slow brush encroachment yielding better results for suppression with fire, cutting/treating, or mowing.

He pays me to be his straight man

It is hard to have meaningful conversations if no one asks a question! Hope all is well in the south land....heard you had some moisture but are still behind the 8-ball?

 

[deer patch]

What's the word on the street for cattle prices in the next 30 to 60 days? Need to sell some fall calves.

 

[dgallow]

What's the word on the street for cattle prices in the next 30 to 60 days? Need to sell some fall calves.

I don't keep too close an eye on markets but will forward you some weekly market email reports this week. Last week fat prices were down $2-3/cwt. I would expect a normal downtrend after June 1 as demand for spring feeder calves under 600 lb declines. You can get a small premium by putting weaned calves on a VAC45 program prior to marketing.....not sure what the program for AR is termed....call your auction barn and ask hat preconditioning program they want.

The better question to ask is what is you cost of production and break even per lb of calf?

 

[dogghr]

See, D, that is finally a good reason to live in these hills.. Just take rolled bale along slope, and let unroll down hill. By end of winter, much of farm been covered by fresh alfalfa hay leftovers.
I will say the round and particularly square bales of the west, i. e. , WY, MT, CO are nearly small house size and they crack me up how they like to stack the bales in artistic mounds. I thinks someone has too much time on their hands but looks cool nonetheless. Always wondered their management of the monster sq bales, I'm sure you know how they are spread.
I will say one of the coolest pics I never took was a young lady on horseback in WY, along with her Border collie, moving a heard to new pasture. Wish I had that pic but its in my mind. Of course the other that compares, was watching a ranch hand unload a bull from trailer into new pasture with cows. Bull was a mean SOB and dude had his hands full getting him unloaded.
I aways do the math with you on your herd costs, and find them pretty impressive. Pretty good understanding of those costs as well as with sheep. Goats have made an inroad slightly around here for farmers to herd but not sure on them. Look to me to be more PIA than sheep in my mind.

 

[dgallow]

There is a guy over here off interstate 49 which lets the hay roll down the slope to help it revegetate.....I presume the large mound of earth is tailings from highway construction. While rolling has is a good tool for the revegetation context of poor soil, when one looks at the whole pasture system the stocking rate is above carrying capacity and the whole pasture a 'pool table top'....the other necessary tools are missing. That is kinda like putting straight gas in a 2-cycle engine.....it will only run until lack of oil seizes the piston in the cylinder....then the engine stops until it is rebuilt and fueled with correct oil/gas mixture. Simply put you won't have much grass and build very much soil, if there is too many stock standing on the same land all the time!

HAy can be stacked open air in the semi-arid and arid west because of low humidity and very slow decay rates. Twine on large squares can be cut and fed as flaked hay just like on small squares....you just need a bale lift on truck or a tractor to load the hay.

I must keep variable costs low so the herd can pay for these start-up costs in a timely fashion. About 20% of fence infrastructure has been redone and I will post on that here in a minute...also patching hard fence as needed.

Goats have high nutrient requirements like deer....thus goats have high animal husbandry needs....one needs to be there daily and have good herd dogs for goats.

 

[dgallow]

With reduced animal numbers now is the time to revamp e-fence infrastructure to keep stock density comparable to the past for uniform graze/trample effect. When said and done we will double or better current paddock numbers with each paddock having open land area of 4-7 ac.....that adds considerable flexibility to the plan.

There are numerous benefits to lanes in the grazing design of which I will list 3 to incorporate that into existing roads: 1) manure is loaded in pasture not roadbeds for better nutrient management, 2) roads and ditches maintain integrity because can become almost fully vegetated under low impact and 3) cattle can easily be moved long distance without undue handling effort.

Where farm road makes a Y, lane fencing will form a 3-4 way gate. Layout was done with treadins at first to get proper gate line length and gate post spacing. The actual insulated gate posts are made from 6-7' t-or c-posts cut in half with hand band saw, driven in ground so 16-18" remains above ground, then a 39" length of 2" PVC conduit slid over metal post and it driven 6-8" in ground. Here is basic layout.....I will try existing 6V energizer and see what voltage reads.....if insufficient I will use 10' risers to bring voltage over road from tape which is on 12 V energizer and install 1-2 cutoff switches to dead leg lines not used and increase voltage on lines needed. The point of all that is to demonstrate flexibility in the e-fence system....gates are easy and inexpensive!

Y lane layout.

Gate handle and insulated post from another spot last week.

Turkeys on far hillside inspecting my work. I get a ton of turkey scouting done while working on fence!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[deer patch]

Thanks for the email. The ones that I know that sold this past Friday said cattle prices were up again which goes against what the email said. Not sure why but may be a local area thing.

As far as that mound of dirt you are referring to I have seen it many times as you describe and what I've heard the state owns that mound of dirt but not the property it sets on. I don't know all the details but it is from a reliable source.

 

[dgallow]

One of the emails I will send you is a weekly summary for all AR auction markets......there can be area difference in price and type of cattle needed. Like any commodity market the cow market is hard to time...we start off in the hole by purchasing inputs at retail and selling beef at wholesale...that doesn't help things!

The more savvy producers make their money by low stress back grounding, minimizing shrink, seeking premium niche markets, minimizing input costs and/or in some cases stacking enterprises per acre to reduce risk and increase revenue (ie polyculture). Finishers don't want to spend money treating sick cattle....they want to make money selling feed and renting lot space. The closer calves get to 18 months of age before being stressed the less the morbidity issues they have....so it makes sense if you can to market fully weaned calves at 12 months of age than at 7 mo from a health risk standpoint downstream.

Now that cattle numbers are back up....I think you will see the trend return for 8 cwt feeders form finishers in fall and strong demand for 5 cwt in April from stocker operators. The guys in forage country shooting for 7 cwt weaned calves going straight to grain are going to find that there isn't enough money at the end of the month at todays prices to cover input costs and those big cows require too many groceries...this ploy didn't work in the 70s and 80s either!

Market for good replacement females will always be there due to terminal cross breeding programs....premiums and demand best when prices are high and stock numbers low (ie post drought market). Right now the replacement market is split between demand for 6+ frame in grain country and for 3-5 frame cattle in grass country....that is unlikely to change. The big plus for the forage finishing and grass fed folks is that grass finished beef recently attained 7% of beef market share....that triggered the big boys (JBS and Cargill) to enter the grass finishing enterprise.....that increased grass fed demand considerably.

My calves are pretty much sold when they hit the 6-8 cwt range....there is a standing order for 10K grass feeder calves at 1K/mo for 10 months.....likely where my calves will go for a premium due to their genetics....all I have to do is make a phone call and set a date for the trailer to enter the gate. The grassfed premium is likely only as long lived as the demand is high and numbers low with favor given to 'proven grass genetic lines' (not breeds...lines). So I don't really concern myself much about the market because at the end of the day I have a set of cows bred to eek out a living on grass and infrastructure set up to support efficient forage use. The calves are neither too big nor to small and can go any where on sale day or be sold in several market entry points! With low input management profit potential always exists. Due to distance, land, and time limitations this cattle enterprise will help support a family but not fully cover family income needs. My hobby hasn't changed (grazing for landscape betterment)....only stock ownership, gross income potential and management flexibility/intensity.

 

[catscratch]

I don't imagine the grass fed market is going anywhere. I know many people who would "rather" have grass fed, and I know several people who go way out of their way to get grass fed. Some of these people have stated that grass fed means there were no hormones or antibiotics used in raising that beef. The latter is usually very willing to spend great money for what they want...

I'm curious (you've probably said already), but where do you keep your bull most of the yr? How long is he with the herd? How long is he separated? How far away is he kept? Or are you AI?

My fil is getting spayed heifers this summer instead of steers. This is going to be a new experience for me... not sure how they are going to act or how neighboring herds will act. Any hints or advice?

 

[dgallow]

Every market premium settles over time...as is the case with CAB and more recently cert red angus...rarely a premium now with certain bull lines fetching the high end price range and those bull lines dominating AI sales. Simply put if you don't breed to the right AI sire or sons of that AI sire, then you don't get top dollar for feeders/finishers...and buyers are looking at this. That is where I see grassfed down the road

Grassfed has many standards according to the group you follow....no antibiotic, no ionophore, no homone implants are the common grounds of grassfed and cert organic standards...not necessarily non-GMO and the ever cloudy area of 'acceptable supplements and supplementations amounts'. There is also no current 'origin documentation' on grass fed.....for ex, when Brazilian or NZ imported grass fed wholesale cuts hit the US, they are inspected in a USDA plant, stamped 'USDA inspected', fabricated into retail cuts, then sold as US product....which misleads the consumer into thinking that beef is 'US Farm bred and raised' which is not the case...this is common in the larger retailers and chains. For now if one want's 100% US farm bred and raised grass fed, then the best thing to do is find a local grass finisher, visit his farm, know which local packer he is sending cattle to, and pay the packer when your beef is ready....at some point in the near future my group will have a 'US Farm raised product sticker' only labeled on known US Farm Bred and Fed grass beef.

Correct, the Millenial and GenX seem to be a very health conscious and nutrient dense food group...and they are raising their children the same way....so the demand should last...and that demand should influence future markets and politics...we have the right presidential mindset to stimulate US Grass Fed over imports. I will say one thing about grass fed beef from many years participating in beef taste and sensory panel evaluations....if you really want to know the proper flavor intensity of beef, then take a bite of grass-finished beef when it is cooked and before it is seasoned.....it is a 10 on a scale of 10 for flavor intensity compared to flavor intensity of 5 in most grain fed beef...(the difference is in the fat and flavanoid profile of grass fed). With no prior sense of a strong beef flavor some folks may not like the taste of grass finished. There will always be demand for cheap grain fed beef in certain retail venues...rightly so...so be it.

Spayed heifers should be no issue....it is when they come into heat that they want to go find a bull and cause chaos...or when there is a hint of estrous in the air and the neighbors bull comes calling wrecking all fences in his path...if he is a bull of his worth (high libido), that is what he should do...eg breed the whole neighborhood and the fence post when he is done! The big difference you will see in heifers is that they flesh faster than steers so will be closer to finishing composition when you sell them....some finishers like that....most still discout heifers $10/CWT. Spaying animals which should never become breeders is the right thing to do IMO.

All breeding stock we bought were verified bred by a vet using ultrasound...so no bull need until Dec.

For 305 days of the year a bull does nothing but eat groceries, stare across the fence, look for trouble and is apt to turn on you even the 'docile' ones....they also tend to be 'herders' which may counter your herd handling objectives right in the middle of the gateway! Then from calving season to the first day of planned breeding he needs to be kept separate in a bull pen or the like which creates extra work. I will say one thing....when a bull is properly introduced to 'hot wire', then he is trained for life....there probably isn't a more superstitious creature in terms of voltage and space. The same cannot be said of barbed wire and a determined bull!

I plan to AI to certain lines of red angus, then use cleanup bull of the South Poll breed....that keeps the top grass fed lines in the herd and brings in 'southern influenced grass adapted genetics' for heterosis in the cow herd and adaptation to heat/humidity/parasites....calves from these red angus lines crossed onto south poll cows also make high demand feeders. Clean-up bull will be leased for a 60 d term then returned to the owner or shuttled to another lessee....the risk in injury and money lost (full bull value less salvage value). So no bull for 305 days is the plan! Any cow which doesn't AI breed or bull breed within 60 d time slot is an animal we don't need! The extra handling of cows at breeding time should be no issue since we move frequently across pastures, lanes and through the lot/corral. Cost wise the AI/loaner program is comparable to buying a top-end bull, using him for 2-3 yrs, then getting a new one.

 

[dgallow]

Spring has sprung for most of the country and a normal coolness in the air from an early NorEaster! Many are thinking about food plots and minerals for the animals, which trees to buy and plant, and which areas need to be 'cleaned up'. IT is quite easy to get caught up in such common hype to the point where we totally ignore what Mother Nature has started to lay upon the annual animal dinner table and how that will affect animal health and nutrition for the rest of the growing season. Do you know the natural resource status of your farm? Spring is the time of year when forbs en masse begin to once again become available for animal use, both in number and in kind, some more highly preferred than others. Many forbs are termed 'weeds' and God forbid a reasonable man to let his neighbors see he has 'weeds'! I think weeds are viewed by some as a comparable case of mumps or measles or head lice...those afflicted in some way being shunned by their peers! The social pressure of this madness often leads one to becoming 'cidal'! Isn't that what people afflicted with weeds do? Don't they go out and purchase many things on the shelf ending in the suffix "-cide"..."-cide" meaning to kill...or read books/fliers/forums about practicing 'cidal methods' using the correct '-cide' for the given affliction?

Seven years ago we came to the revelation that no matter the '-cide' used or 'cidal program' followed forbs and weeds were an inevitable part of the landscape so we stepped out of the realm of spraying pastures with '-cides' to see what would happen. To this day the earth is still round and has not become flat.....nothing has imploded...animal disease didn't run rampant...the animals are healthier than they once were...the naysayers are still eating crow meat....and the money we saved can be spent on more important things! Do not think for a moment that if you opt to go 'non-cidal' that your property will immediately become the 'land of milk and honey'. Quite contrary...you will become a 'virgin in Nature's classroom' and will enter a period of time with some very steep learning curves! But at some point you will learn that very few forbs are actually weeds (ie forbs which animals don't eat, trample or use in some way). You will learn the difference between acceptable and non-acceptable forb density (both too many and too few), when to intervene with alternate suppression methods, how to avoid the non-acceptable, when to leave well enough alone, which forbs attract the most beneficial insects, which plants follow the successional path paved by forbs, which forbs the animals relish like candy, when the animal refuses use of most all forbs, how much money you saved by changing your thinking, which forb/other plant mixes form communal benefit, etc.

One big thing you will learn from being 'non-cidal' is that when the mass killing stopped plant biodiversity exploded! Finding new species of plants each year brings the same satisfaction as finding Easter Eggs when you were a kid...even adults need something to look forward to finding!

This post is not an 'organic' rant or anti-herbicide blog. Herbicides are a tool and do have a rightful place for situations where tough plants which halt biodiversity must be reduced in number by spot treatment.....where use of other forms of plant community intervention are apt to fail or not restore the needed biodiversity for proper soil function....where total non-use may lead to economic collapse of a viable business or lead to unwanted contamination of a marketable farm product. But like any other tool, overuse and stubbornness to change thinking often lead to ecological, economic, and/or social disasters!

A forb or a weed are merely a broadleaf plant which occupies an ecological niche which favors their growth and development...nothing more nothing less...and certainly not a disease but their presence may indicate soil dysfunctions! The ecological niche occupied by a forb may either be man-made or God-made! Forbs and weeds form beneficial relationships with soil microbes like any other plant. Forbs and weeds tend to be rich sources of N, proteins, carbohydrates, a wide array of mineral elements and contain medicinal compounds...all vital to biochemical reactions in the body of the healthy animal (or man). Each one of those nutrients/compounds cost substantial money if you go buy them from the shelf to supplement directly to the animal or soil diet....or you could grow your own 'natural resources'! The nice thing about promoting forbs and animal use of such is that the dumb animal is more than capable of figuring out this plant nutrient/chemical complexity on their own based on gut feedback...not as dumb or dependent as what we thought!

Before undertaking steps to promote natural forbs in your landscape or encouraging animal consumption, it is a good idea to have a firm grasp on the nutritional content of forbs and how they help make a complete animal diet. Understand the resource value of what you are promoting. These 3 articles are at the top of that list!

QUALITY OF NATIVE PLANT FORAGE SPECIES IMPORTANT TO WHITE-TAILED DEER AND GOATS IN SOUTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
https://www.noble.org/globalassets/docs/ag/pubs/wildlife/nf-wf-04-02.pdf

The Nutritive Value of Common Pasture Weeds and Their Relation to Livestock Nutrient Requirements, Virginia Cooperative Extension
http://onpasture.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Nutritive-value-of-common-weeds.pdf

Which Weeds Are Good For Your Livestock? On-Pasture
http://onpasture.com/2017/04/03/which-weeds-are-good-for-your-livestock/

 

[dgallow]

Can you make out anything in these pics? HAve a to enhance pics?

 

[dgallow]

next two in series

 

[deer patch]

Do you get many bobcat pics in your area?

 

[dgallow]

Yes...bobcats are very common (that happens when you hinge cut). I wanted to post some coyote pics at that site a few days earlier as reference but trying to get those downloaded from photobucket is a nightmare. The cat in that picture is taller than a coyote and longer bodied!

 

[catscratch]

Bobcats are absolutely cool! The way they move through the forest is so fluid and silent it's unbelievable.

 

[dogghr]

I hate IR pics as they are so deceiving. But blowing up that pic, it certainly looks like a large cat or dog type animal. but I've seen too many night pics that just weren't what they seemed. I'm guessing you thinking ML?? Could be, don't see much of a snout, but then don't see much of a tail. Sasquatch is in that area you know.

 

[dgallow]

If you scroll that series of pics through a viewer sure looks like a long tail.

Someone asked in habitat forum how to clean up old hinge cuts. Prescribed fire cleans up the old dead tops, leaving a fresh slate to hinge anew.

These pics were taken 1 April to show quail nesting/brooding sites in winter grazed rangeland adjacent to burn for CSP requirements. Would like your input on quail nest suitability?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dgallow]

Herd is being socialized with dog.

New plants showing up in tame pastures? Any ideas?

Herd starting to diversify diet with winged elm....she ate serecia prior to this pic. Calves seem to be teaching the cow what to eat.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Oklabucks]

Herd is being socialized with dog.

New plants showing up in tame pastures? Any ideas?

Herd starting to diversify diet with winged elm....she ate serecia prior to this pic. Calves seem to be teaching the cow what to eat.

That new plan looks like some type of plantain?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk