Egyptian wheat....mowing.....planned grazing
- Thread starter dgallow
- Start date
Weather cooled down so took the opportunity to do probably the final TSI for the summer. All area is ridge crest fading into a gently north facing slope.
An area of 100+ BAF timber was hinge thinned the first morning. Really hate the short term bare soil aspect of fire in timber, but cherish the long term effect of herbaceous full ground cover after thinning.
Across the two track, is hinge cut from 3yr ago foreground and 7 yr ago background. I slept on the decision of what to do that night.
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An area of 100+ BAF timber was hinge thinned the first morning. Really hate the short term bare soil aspect of fire in timber, but cherish the long term effect of herbaceous full ground cover after thinning.
Across the two track, is hinge cut from 3yr ago foreground and 7 yr ago background. I slept on the decision of what to do that night.
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Dog is sitting by the same clump of big bluestem as pic above. Decision was made to fell remaining cull trees and treat cut stumps for a savanna ecosystem.
Ran out of herbicide and finished hinging some elm which was spared in prior years. This side of savanna could use more thinning. If weather and time permits, we will do so.
Just burn then thin timber and observe,
Doug
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Ran out of herbicide and finished hinging some elm which was spared in prior years. This side of savanna could use more thinning. If weather and time permits, we will do so.
Just burn then thin timber and observe,
Doug
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Happy Independence Day!
Hope all are having a blessed week!
4.5" of rain fell upon the mesas over a week. That will go far to providing quality forage for summer grazing/browsing. It will be interesting to see the runoff/infiltration status of that. Infiltrating 4.5" would be a record! Having the neighbors cows NOT pushing through fence to graze our side would be a blessing as well. Hope his pasture recovers quickly!
Attention turned this week to vacation and education. Watching my daughter and her 17-2s team compete at volleyball nationals in Minneapolis MN. Very proud of the girls and the coaching this season. We placed 42nd out of 64 teams in American division. We stopped in Omaha for a nice small college visit then met with another coach from IA at the tourney who has been trying to contact her since another tourney earlier this season when we met his assistant. We will schedule a visit to IA as time allows.
While touring sites of the city her and I talked at length about getting return on investment in college from her junior vball training.
Minneapolis is a city built on the power of surface water. These falls are what brought in industrial Ag in form of grain mills.
Diverting river water and dropping it 38' through turbines would generate 3000 horse power to run the 8 story Gold Medal flour mill.
Without high fertility and high soil water infiltration rates in prairie soils of the Dakotas and Wyoming area there would be no wheat to make into flour from the 100 yr time span from 1866 to 1965. The most important aspect of soil is the property of rainfall infiltration and metered exit of excess water. Without that important property of soil over the entire nation, the US has no functional ecosystems, no economy, and unstable sociality. Much of what you evidence now...daily!
Miles and miles of corn and beans....the occasional alfalfa patch....confined hogs....few grazing stock....in the upper Midwest.....miles of timber alternating with blown out fescue pasture to the south. More plant diversity along the interstate right of way than on the farms! How can you live that way? I can't!
There is more plant diversity in this seed house, than on the average upper mid-west farm. And we accept such as healthy?
Ever wonder why the US center for animal disease is centrally located? Ever wonder why such complex occupies more than a section of land? Ever contemplate the health ramifications resulting from loss of soil and plant diversity? Reprocussion of loss of water infiltration into soil?
Just travel observe and think,
Doug
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Hope all are having a blessed week!
4.5" of rain fell upon the mesas over a week. That will go far to providing quality forage for summer grazing/browsing. It will be interesting to see the runoff/infiltration status of that. Infiltrating 4.5" would be a record! Having the neighbors cows NOT pushing through fence to graze our side would be a blessing as well. Hope his pasture recovers quickly!
Attention turned this week to vacation and education. Watching my daughter and her 17-2s team compete at volleyball nationals in Minneapolis MN. Very proud of the girls and the coaching this season. We placed 42nd out of 64 teams in American division. We stopped in Omaha for a nice small college visit then met with another coach from IA at the tourney who has been trying to contact her since another tourney earlier this season when we met his assistant. We will schedule a visit to IA as time allows.
While touring sites of the city her and I talked at length about getting return on investment in college from her junior vball training.
Minneapolis is a city built on the power of surface water. These falls are what brought in industrial Ag in form of grain mills.
Diverting river water and dropping it 38' through turbines would generate 3000 horse power to run the 8 story Gold Medal flour mill.
Without high fertility and high soil water infiltration rates in prairie soils of the Dakotas and Wyoming area there would be no wheat to make into flour from the 100 yr time span from 1866 to 1965. The most important aspect of soil is the property of rainfall infiltration and metered exit of excess water. Without that important property of soil over the entire nation, the US has no functional ecosystems, no economy, and unstable sociality. Much of what you evidence now...daily!
Miles and miles of corn and beans....the occasional alfalfa patch....confined hogs....few grazing stock....in the upper Midwest.....miles of timber alternating with blown out fescue pasture to the south. More plant diversity along the interstate right of way than on the farms! How can you live that way? I can't!
There is more plant diversity in this seed house, than on the average upper mid-west farm. And we accept such as healthy?
Ever wonder why the US center for animal disease is centrally located? Ever wonder why such complex occupies more than a section of land? Ever contemplate the health ramifications resulting from loss of soil and plant diversity? Reprocussion of loss of water infiltration into soil?
Just travel observe and think,
Doug
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for encouraging words! Raising teenagers is much like improving soil function.....with the right mindset, careful planning, a small dose of luck, and an OVERDOSE of patience.....a well balanced end goal can be achieved for both parties. I watched this am from the window as a tow-truck loaded her totaled car....she was rear-ended a couple weeks ago as the lead car in a 3 car accident.....checked out fine medically (vitals and x-ray).....but tightness in her neck prevented early top performance at nationals....a team parent is a chiropractor and after a quick adjustment she was near top of her game the last 2 days. The point of this is simple....put your damned texting device in the console and close the lid on it while driving....it only takes a few seconds of lapsed attention to bring chaos to other peoples lives! Maybe someday automakers will come up with an ingenious plan which disables text and email on the drivers phone when gear is out of Park!
Enjoyed conversation in another thread about repeatedly spraying persistent weeds. And had a short consult today about weeds in fields under dual rotation (summer mix then winter mix each year) and a fellow wanting to reduce farm herbicide use. You may get few weeds with repeated non-selective herbicide spraying, but what you will lose is presence of soil fungi which depend upon a living green plant for their effect on soil properties of water infiltration, water holding capacity, nutrient cycling, minimizing nutrient leaching, alleviating compaction, and aggregating soil etc.....and you will not gain the knowledge of managing plant communities for what you want.
Weeds (like cover crops) can be broken into 4 classes of plants....cool season broadleaf, cool season grass, warm season broadleaf, and warm season grass. Each of those plant classes 'in over-abundance' can cause a planted crop 'yield reduction'......but it is more likely that only ONE of those plant classes over the long term is responsible for the majority of poor stands or poor yields. The only way to figure that out is to 'quit spraying non-selective herbicides' and 'plant/observe'. The highest probability of poor stand or yield failure of planted annuals are when 1) a warm season mix is planted into non-dormant warm season perennial grass and 2) when a cool season mix is planted into non-dormant cool season perennial grass. Perennial grassy weeds respond favorably in persistence under fully covered soil with infrequent disturbance. While broadleaf weed numbers are easily suppressed by fully thatch covered soil with dense living plants over that....and broadleaf weed seed set minimized by timely mowing. Limiting herbicide use in annual rotation systems to suppress only perennial grasses can cut herbicide need markedly and favor long term annual yields with fewer emergence/yield issues....and broad leafed plants remain unscathed to carry on soil function until the annual grasses you plant become established and fill the void o the perennial.
Doesn't it make the most sense to target the most problematic weed class and manage against it infrequently with selective herbicide requiring less labor and time? Do you burn range land every year to suppress woody encroachment?.....or do you burn infrequently to allow the plants/soil to fully recover while at the same time suppressing overt brush encroachment? Would you wipe out all your pasture legumes just to spray non-dense pasture broadleaf weeds? Those examples and principles are all similar!
This video will help you sort out some of these details which the majority of 'wildlife biologists' rarely consider and address (admit) publically!
NDGLC WINTER CONFERENCE #2
As you manage your landscape, remain unbiased in your observations and the most effective management,
Doug
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Enjoyed conversation in another thread about repeatedly spraying persistent weeds. And had a short consult today about weeds in fields under dual rotation (summer mix then winter mix each year) and a fellow wanting to reduce farm herbicide use. You may get few weeds with repeated non-selective herbicide spraying, but what you will lose is presence of soil fungi which depend upon a living green plant for their effect on soil properties of water infiltration, water holding capacity, nutrient cycling, minimizing nutrient leaching, alleviating compaction, and aggregating soil etc.....and you will not gain the knowledge of managing plant communities for what you want.
Weeds (like cover crops) can be broken into 4 classes of plants....cool season broadleaf, cool season grass, warm season broadleaf, and warm season grass. Each of those plant classes 'in over-abundance' can cause a planted crop 'yield reduction'......but it is more likely that only ONE of those plant classes over the long term is responsible for the majority of poor stands or poor yields. The only way to figure that out is to 'quit spraying non-selective herbicides' and 'plant/observe'. The highest probability of poor stand or yield failure of planted annuals are when 1) a warm season mix is planted into non-dormant warm season perennial grass and 2) when a cool season mix is planted into non-dormant cool season perennial grass. Perennial grassy weeds respond favorably in persistence under fully covered soil with infrequent disturbance. While broadleaf weed numbers are easily suppressed by fully thatch covered soil with dense living plants over that....and broadleaf weed seed set minimized by timely mowing. Limiting herbicide use in annual rotation systems to suppress only perennial grasses can cut herbicide need markedly and favor long term annual yields with fewer emergence/yield issues....and broad leafed plants remain unscathed to carry on soil function until the annual grasses you plant become established and fill the void o the perennial.
Doesn't it make the most sense to target the most problematic weed class and manage against it infrequently with selective herbicide requiring less labor and time? Do you burn range land every year to suppress woody encroachment?.....or do you burn infrequently to allow the plants/soil to fully recover while at the same time suppressing overt brush encroachment? Would you wipe out all your pasture legumes just to spray non-dense pasture broadleaf weeds? Those examples and principles are all similar!
This video will help you sort out some of these details which the majority of 'wildlife biologists' rarely consider and address (admit) publically!
NDGLC WINTER CONFERENCE #2
As you manage your landscape, remain unbiased in your observations and the most effective management,
Doug
+
rlb165
Member
Doug, I'm glad your daughter is ok! Both of our teens are driving now. I underestimated how stressful that would be.
Regarding patience, a friend once told me that when dealing with teenagers, it's best to adopt a mindset that you're continuously planting seeds, that way you're not expecting immediate results. That is some of the most helpful advice I've ever received.
Now to watch this latest video...
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
Glad your daughter is ok and it sounds like VB is still going great!
Keep throwing lessons at me, I'll eventually figure it out.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Keep throwing lessons at me, I'll eventually figure it out.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
The patch of diverse thorny woody plants has been mown twice.....once last winter when I could see rocks and logs.....then a second time last month after grazing and right before drilling a summer annual mix. Good emergence of all seeds and nice release of NWSG. Deer don't know it's a 'plot' yet so don't tell them! Will graze again this fall or early winter.
Brush is much slower to recover from close mowing.....think that is a big part of success....plus the fungal:bacterial ratio is favorable for deep rooting. Site is half the fertility levels of plots and main pastures.....that low ground could not be spread every year!
Sure wish I could do that!
The tongue is a major source of plant and soil inoculant in pasture systems. Inherent oral microbes plus remnant rumen microbes from cud chewing. Licking snot also bolsters the immune system. Plus cows groom one another.
She is the type of cow I like and 3 yo. Slick hair coat with a sheen.....depth and width to the gut and chest...easily wean a calf more than half her weight. Notice cow to the right has not completely shed....less deep and wide and in lower body condition....she is also 3 yo. Unless she changes in the next 2 year, then she will find a new zip code! All females are asked to do several things: bear a live calf, rebreed in 65 days, nurse calf to 10 mo of age, maintain a good udder/feet/tip-line/condition, and live off mainly what ranch provides!
It is easy to pick out the efficient cows which can do that quite well at young age! Raised a very good calf this year and fat! Would like to see more depth of chest/gut and flatter top line. Great udder and feet!
Bred heifers appear to have same potential for efficiency. They will have to look like this same time next year in order to make the grade despite rearing first calf, finishing growth, cutting teeth, and peer pressure from the rest of herd! Not asking too much am I?
Long term goal is efficient cows adapted to the ecosystem. Every herd has a bottom 25% in the process of culling themselves!
This heifer calf either got snake bit, injured her udder or has mastitis. Will likely be sold as a feeder calf!
They were near the mineral feeder when pic was taken. Made a few hits on cuckle bur and other forbs in that patch.
Plant diversity is key to good animal body condition. Based on acreage of each paddock, length of stay, recovery time, cow weight and intake of 3% of body weight, the 'wooly pastures' provide excellent nutrition! Based on current grazing management each acre is only asked to give up 500-1000 lb of forage to feed the cow herd. Thus, each new pasture provides the best if diet quality. During November they will be allowed to take twice that amount to provide very long recovery during winter non-growing period.
After cows come through, there is plenty diversity left for wildlife and plenty cover on the soil! If you see a herd of fat cows from grass under managed grazing, rest assured the deer herd will have quality as well! It is quite easy to have both!
Just graze and observe,
Doug
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Brush is much slower to recover from close mowing.....think that is a big part of success....plus the fungal:bacterial ratio is favorable for deep rooting. Site is half the fertility levels of plots and main pastures.....that low ground could not be spread every year!
Sure wish I could do that!
The tongue is a major source of plant and soil inoculant in pasture systems. Inherent oral microbes plus remnant rumen microbes from cud chewing. Licking snot also bolsters the immune system. Plus cows groom one another.
She is the type of cow I like and 3 yo. Slick hair coat with a sheen.....depth and width to the gut and chest...easily wean a calf more than half her weight. Notice cow to the right has not completely shed....less deep and wide and in lower body condition....she is also 3 yo. Unless she changes in the next 2 year, then she will find a new zip code! All females are asked to do several things: bear a live calf, rebreed in 65 days, nurse calf to 10 mo of age, maintain a good udder/feet/tip-line/condition, and live off mainly what ranch provides!
It is easy to pick out the efficient cows which can do that quite well at young age! Raised a very good calf this year and fat! Would like to see more depth of chest/gut and flatter top line. Great udder and feet!
Bred heifers appear to have same potential for efficiency. They will have to look like this same time next year in order to make the grade despite rearing first calf, finishing growth, cutting teeth, and peer pressure from the rest of herd! Not asking too much am I?
Long term goal is efficient cows adapted to the ecosystem. Every herd has a bottom 25% in the process of culling themselves!
This heifer calf either got snake bit, injured her udder or has mastitis. Will likely be sold as a feeder calf!
They were near the mineral feeder when pic was taken. Made a few hits on cuckle bur and other forbs in that patch.
Plant diversity is key to good animal body condition. Based on acreage of each paddock, length of stay, recovery time, cow weight and intake of 3% of body weight, the 'wooly pastures' provide excellent nutrition! Based on current grazing management each acre is only asked to give up 500-1000 lb of forage to feed the cow herd. Thus, each new pasture provides the best if diet quality. During November they will be allowed to take twice that amount to provide very long recovery during winter non-growing period.
After cows come through, there is plenty diversity left for wildlife and plenty cover on the soil! If you see a herd of fat cows from grass under managed grazing, rest assured the deer herd will have quality as well! It is quite easy to have both!
Just graze and observe,
Doug
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
How Manure Impacts Soil Aggregation
https://www.no-tillfarmer.com/articles/6904-how-manure-impacts-soil-aggregation-deu
Great basic article on manure application effect on soil. Increasing and stabilizing soil aggregates drives production and lowers production costs.
https://www.no-tillfarmer.com/articles/6904-how-manure-impacts-soil-aggregation-deu
Great basic article on manure application effect on soil. Increasing and stabilizing soil aggregates drives production and lowers production costs.
Ran all the new South Poll girls through a chute in MO.....knocked flys off with pour-on, weighed and frame scored, and checked teeth on all those 9+ yo. We then did a football style lottery draft on coin flip to split each pair by age for an even herd half for each new owner.
Extremely calm disposition is an attribute of South Poll breed. One by one they walked onto the chute, accepted the head catch/squeeze, and walked off the chute. There were no 'monkeys in a cage'....and I never had to say a damned word to make them flow!
Was also very pleased with solid teeth on the 9-11 year olds. I let the local vet age estimate by tooth wear on all cows first before giving him the actual age from official records. His calls were '5-7 year olds'! Then I would say, "No Doc, she is 10...she is 9...etc." His opinion was the same as mine....they've been on good grass and have great teeth!
Five hours later they stepped off the trailer in 93F heat, walked over to get a drink, then put their muzzles down and went to work turning plants into beef. Senepol is one breed of this 4-way South Poll composite....known for selecting a highly diverse diet....they made hits on all the forbs and brush in the lot that I would expect an adapted cow to eat...weed training won't be needed! They had access to a round bale of prairie hay to put fill back on them, only needed 24 hours to get past the soreness of a trailer ride, and two sessions to get them bucket broke. Addressed the lead cow and they followed me with a bucket down the lane for turn out on fresh pasture. Meet and greet with main herd (background paddock in pic) would occur about 30 min later when I moved them to fresh grass for 'meet and greet'.
The new 4 found the clover, put their heads down and remained quiet. Meet and greet went well....occasional ass whooping....mostly posturing and sniffing.....but overall content cows happily enjoying a fresh break of well rested plants as the sun set on the Mesa ending a hot day!
Despite the problems I had managing vetch earlier this spring, it remains one of the best seeds to put in a mix for N fixation and soil health benefit. Go with a low rate of vetch if grazing. Combine cover crops and the manure/loading of planned grazing, then watch the productivity of soil and tame pasture explode! No herbicide in 7 years.....no fertilizer in 3 years....mixed fall cover crops 6 years....planned grazing 4 years.....you be the judge!
Just graze and observe,
Doug
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Extremely calm disposition is an attribute of South Poll breed. One by one they walked onto the chute, accepted the head catch/squeeze, and walked off the chute. There were no 'monkeys in a cage'....and I never had to say a damned word to make them flow!
Was also very pleased with solid teeth on the 9-11 year olds. I let the local vet age estimate by tooth wear on all cows first before giving him the actual age from official records. His calls were '5-7 year olds'! Then I would say, "No Doc, she is 10...she is 9...etc." His opinion was the same as mine....they've been on good grass and have great teeth!
Five hours later they stepped off the trailer in 93F heat, walked over to get a drink, then put their muzzles down and went to work turning plants into beef. Senepol is one breed of this 4-way South Poll composite....known for selecting a highly diverse diet....they made hits on all the forbs and brush in the lot that I would expect an adapted cow to eat...weed training won't be needed! They had access to a round bale of prairie hay to put fill back on them, only needed 24 hours to get past the soreness of a trailer ride, and two sessions to get them bucket broke. Addressed the lead cow and they followed me with a bucket down the lane for turn out on fresh pasture. Meet and greet with main herd (background paddock in pic) would occur about 30 min later when I moved them to fresh grass for 'meet and greet'.
The new 4 found the clover, put their heads down and remained quiet. Meet and greet went well....occasional ass whooping....mostly posturing and sniffing.....but overall content cows happily enjoying a fresh break of well rested plants as the sun set on the Mesa ending a hot day!
Despite the problems I had managing vetch earlier this spring, it remains one of the best seeds to put in a mix for N fixation and soil health benefit. Go with a low rate of vetch if grazing. Combine cover crops and the manure/loading of planned grazing, then watch the productivity of soil and tame pasture explode! No herbicide in 7 years.....no fertilizer in 3 years....mixed fall cover crops 6 years....planned grazing 4 years.....you be the judge!
Just graze and observe,
Doug
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Bowman
Active Member
Birdsfoot trefoil?A small yellow flower indicative of new diversity. Any guess?
Interesting final stop for 1120 miles of cattle haul. That was a close call!
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I check tires and hub heat at every fuel stop......surprised I didn't see it.....but don't normally look at that part of tire. All fixed now.
Heck....just take the licks of life and keep on trucking....no time to mope!
Was getting dry here too but caught 1.5" rain last week. Moving cattle each 3-4 d and they only take 0.25-0.5 T/ac of forage on 50- 80 d recovery.....that is 'grazing tall' so we are keeping the soil covered to combat a nominal 80" evaporation rate during summer. Residual sward height makes a huge difference in summer water retention and forage regrowth! Average daily temps have been running 85 (upper 90s high...upper 70s low....heat index around 110 and not much damned wind).....so that means the animals don't see the magical 72F low they need to cool metabolically. They compensate by night browsing and grazing.
Hauled, stacked and sampled 39 round bales last weekend...load 3 on the trailer and unroll by hand....30 min per load. Native prairie hay tested 6% CP, 67 NDF, 43 ADF and 48 or 58 TDN depending on the equation used.
Calves were weaned on 15 July.....504 avg, gained 2 lb/d since 8 April on nothing but forage. Got them bucket broke now and bawled out...health is great (two furry calves temped 104.7 but no issues so far). For the first 24 hr, they were weaned on a single strand polywire at 9000V....only one escapee (spooky cows's calf...go figure)...all separated now....for the next week they were hard fence weaned...now mommas have been moved off the fence for a week coming this Sunday. Calves will be moved once per week on 21-28 d regrowth for good performance over the 45-60 precon phase....when Sept weather breaks, they will be shipped! They are grazing and we have bonded...life is good again. South poll cows have settled in well and are a pleasure to be around....not expecting new babies before 10 Sept.
You are correct and that plant is in the native lands.....I see it sporadically here and have no clue where the seed came from. We are quite a bit south of it's preferred growing region....everywhere in central IA for example. Nonetheless, it is another legume which adds to our legume diversity. I may add some birdsfoot trefoil seed to the fall mix if seed price is reasonable.
Too hot to fiddle much with deer or even get excited about hunting. The cow herd does most of the wildlife habitat management which saves money and frees up time. Last several years of rainfall have been favorable for wildlife in general. Wildfires and other disturbances have improved local forage quality and quantity. Many favorable changes must occur in concert before a local herd responds in production. Our young deer indicate such.
Time is near to run deer camera surveys.....whole corn is a common bait. Whole corn bagged runs $220-330 locally. Noticed a tag on a bag in a box store which listed 6%CP? We use pelleted soybean hulls to supplement weaned calves and cow herd during winter. Cost is $180 per ton bulk.....typical analysis 13% CP and 75 TDN....low starch so acidosis threat is nil. The magic questions are will it flow through a T-post feeder and will eat it. The answer to both is yes. Tests were done by adding a half 5gal bucketful to each feeder. All but one were consumed in a week
Feeding Soybean Hulls to Beef Cattle
http://www.auburn.edu/~rankidl/soyhulls.html
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Time is near to run deer camera surveys.....whole corn is a common bait. Whole corn bagged runs $220-330 locally. Noticed a tag on a bag in a box store which listed 6%CP? We use pelleted soybean hulls to supplement weaned calves and cow herd during winter. Cost is $180 per ton bulk.....typical analysis 13% CP and 75 TDN....low starch so acidosis threat is nil. The magic questions are will it flow through a T-post feeder and will eat it. The answer to both is yes. Tests were done by adding a half 5gal bucketful to each feeder. All but one were consumed in a week
Feeding Soybean Hulls to Beef Cattle
http://www.auburn.edu/~rankidl/soyhulls.html
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