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

[dgallow]

Thank you for the compliment!

Turkeys and crows are attracted to manure with seeds in it. Some of the cow harvested grain becomes bird food....but more importantly dung is shredded for faster soil recycling. Dung beetles are out and active as well. Diversity of life begets diversity of life and that impacts soil life and health.


We are 4 for 4 on fall babies and that is very good despite the presence of black-headed vultures and the coincidence of Mexican vulture migration. Babies can make herd moves problematic. Most of the herd moved through the lot early morning. A couple cows and their new babies wouldn't go through the lot, so I made a temporary lane with polywire and moved them through a different gate that morning. One baby stayed behind all day and hid in the brier cover of the destination plot....saw him while drilling. His mother came back for him at sunset, then I drove both of them on foot through the lot and into the new pasture just before dark and before he had time to fill his belly of milk. Most herd moves take less than an hour....but some can take a day or more with babies on the ground. Babies use the brushy parts of pasture to avoid predators (vultures).

The last summer annual planting is being grazed...it is a new pond reclaimed land planting. Opened the hotwire around the new pond and watched cattle filter into it during the day. When one or two cows go, the rest of the herd follows...then everyone is there until it's gone....so I get a 'mob' effect there from nothing more than a 'preferred forage' planting. I broadcast seed from drill cleanout and some of the ryegrass mix onto that area while it rained that evening for winter soil stabilization. Took this picture while drilling the pasture they were in the last 12 days....mowing of bermuda or forbs not needed....white clover patch (middle of pic) is recovering rapidly.


Noticed the native winter annuals and forbs emerged last week in cattle loafing areas and thin pasture. That is the Nature's signal of changing seasons.

The drilled annual mix is emerging and will be stable at the 5 leaf stage. Temps have remained hot and dry up to this recent cool front which brought an effective 0.3" of rain (effective meaning downpour and moderate rain). Weather pattern is supposed to settle into the 60s low and 80s high range with ample sunshine. That should precipitate ample brassica growth before first frost.....but doesn't do much to spur daylight deer movement.


Egyptian wheat, sorghum and millet are recovering from grazing. They will provide partial shade to aid establishment of winter annuals and provide stockpiled dry forage for cattle in winter. Look closely and new growth of chicory and perennial clovers can be seen.


90% of acres to be drilled are done. The remaining plantings will be to broadcast a ryegrass mix (plus, fescue, red clover, white clover, chicory, turnips and radish) into weedy areas as the herd is moved through stockpiled pastures. The main concerns and items to monitor are: 1) fall armyworms and 2) sufficient moisture to recharge subsoils. Worm damage is normally minimal because of our insect predator population and sufficient residual pasture height for habitat of insect predators. Ample recharge of subsoil moisture is most important because if it is inadequate, that can lead to severe drought in 2017. Cattle won't return to pasture plantings for about 75 days and won't have access to the plot plantings until about 100 days.....more than ample time to stockpile sufficient growth and allow for full plant establishment.

If something new develops, then I will update this thread.

 

[dogghr]

Thank you for the compliment!

Turkeys and crows are attracted to manure with seeds in it. Some of the cow harvested grain becomes bird food....but more importantly dung is shredded for faster soil recycling. Dung beetles are out and active as well. Diversity of life begets diversity of life and that impacts soil life and health.


We are 4 for 4 on fall babies and that is very good despite the presence of black-headed vultures and the coincidence of Mexican vulture migration. Babies can make herd moves problematic. Most of the herd moved through the lot early morning. A couple cows and their new babies wouldn't go through the lot, so I made a temporary lane with polywire and moved them through a different gate that morning. One baby stayed behind all day and hid in the brier cover of the destination plot....saw him while drilling. His mother came back for him at sunset, then I drove both of them on foot through the lot and into the new pasture just before dark and before he had time to fill his belly of milk. Most herd moves take less than an hour....but some can take a day or more with babies on the ground. Babies use the brushy parts of pasture to avoid predators (vultures).

The last summer annual planting is being grazed...it is a new pond reclaimed land planting. Opened the hotwire around the new pond and watched cattle filter into it during the day. When one or two cows go, the rest of the herd follows...then everyone is there until it's gone....so I get a 'mob' effect there from nothing more than a 'preferred forage' planting. I broadcast seed from drill cleanout and some of the ryegrass mix onto that area while it rained that evening for winter soil stabilization. Took this picture while drilling the pasture they were in the last 12 days....mowing of bermuda or forbs not needed....white clover patch (middle of pic) is recovering rapidly.


Noticed the native winter annuals and forbs emerged last week in cattle loafing areas and thin pasture. That is the Nature's signal of changing seasons.

The drilled annual mix is emerging and will be stable at the 5 leaf stage. Temps have remained hot and dry up to this recent cool front which brought an effective 0.3" of rain (effective meaning downpour and moderate rain). Weather pattern is supposed to settle into the 60s low and 80s high range with ample sunshine. That should precipitate ample brassica growth before first frost.....but doesn't do much to spur daylight deer movement.


Egyptian wheat, sorghum and millet are recovering from grazing. They will provide partial shade to aid establishment of winter annuals and provide stockpiled dry forage for cattle in winter. Look closely and new growth of chicory and perennial clovers can be seen.


90% of acres to be drilled are done. The remaining plantings will be to broadcast a ryegrass mix (plus, fescue, red clover, white clover, chicory, turnips and radish) into weedy areas as the herd is moved through stockpiled pastures. The main concerns and items to monitor are: 1) fall armyworms and 2) sufficient moisture to recharge subsoils. Worm damage is normally minimal because of our insect predator population and sufficient residual pasture height for habitat of insect predators. Ample recharge of subsoil moisture is most important because if it is inadequate, that can lead to severe drought in 2017. Cattle won't return to pasture plantings for about 75 days and won't have access to the plot plantings until about 100 days.....more than ample time to stockpile sufficient growth and allow for full plant establishment.

If something new develops, then I will update this thread.

I remember that pond and that is amazing growth on what I remember to be pretty poor looking soil. Good job. What is the humus pellots you spoke of somewhere on one of your threads? And what would be the spread rate of those. Spring or fall is best?

 

[dgallow]

Topsoil around this pond was good and there was a fair weather ditch which was dredged and used as topsoil. Fertility is as good as the plots on that pond...you are seeing the response to improved aeration of that soil (anaerobic tendency...slab bedrock 6' down). That is the pond by middle gates on first mesa.

The native unit pond reclaim was the one back in timber. Didn't get very much growth this summer in areas where topsoil was heavily disturbed. I was planning on mixing the compost pellets with fall blend and drilling that....but forgot and will do it next spring with summer mix....just blend pellets and seed in the cement mixer.

Humus pellets come from GreenCoverSeed and I don't remember the cost per 50 lb bag...wasn't too much. Rate for drilling is 20-40 lb/ac of pellets delivered in the slot with seed. I don't think it would be economical for broadcast. The goal is to 'jump start' soil biology in soil which no longer has a humic layer and has trouble holding water. Should have no problem growing the cool season stuff....it was up last week when I checked.....that will help the soil biology get started as well.

 

[dgallow]

Extended summer or a late fall? Does it really matter?

Temperatures have been above average and rainfall below average over the last 45 days. That is what matters. And there is nothing we can do about it correct? Or maybe incorrect?

Having proper residue cover on soil to support early seedling growth during dry hot times matters. We spent time and money thinking about a seed blend and purchasing it? But did we think about residue as a natural insurance policy for soil water conservation? Would it surprise you to know fertilizer never crossed our mind this year? Did it matter?

Established perennial cool season forages are soaring in growth given shortening days, cooling nights, and heavy dews. That matters! Are you noticing the top few inches of soil are holding their water longer into the day? That matters if you are an annual plant! If you are a perennial plant is doesn't matter a great deal, because you have a huge reserve of carbs and massive root system in the soil which is meant to deal with dry times. Or did you plan that into your perennial forage system?

Annual cool season forages (native and introduced) arrived about a month later than normal. That matters!

The latter two statements really matter to the animal, because the stockpile of quality winter forage has fewer days to stockpile itself. Soon will come the 'non-growing period' or 'slow growing period'! That really matters! Too many animals entering winter with too little quality available forage is never good the for animal or the plant and eventually ecosystem health if the viscous cycle is allowed to continue! Has reducing fall animal density crossed your mind?

Are you surprised that I have parked the brush-hog? Are you surprised cattle have started consuming more forbs in the diet after they have completed pollination stage?

If subsoils fail to recharge with ample water this winter, could we be facing another catastrophic summer drought in 2017?

Okay so what really matters?.....1) we live in a true chaotic environment where there are few guarantees except life and death (only life if you are an optimist), 2) plant diversity inclusive of at least 2 members (3 is more ideal) from the 4 major plants classes (cool season broadleaf, cool season grass, warm season broadleaf, and warm season grass) provides suitable resilience and resistance to most environmental stress, 3) a mix of perennial and annual forages within warm and cool season classes provides further insurance against total loss, 4) that dead stuff on soil we call 'residue' is a good thing in dry times, 5) if all of the above are not in order then it is easier to waste water via runoff than to infiltrate and store water for later use....and 6) given ample selection opportunity across a wide range of plant classes the animal can eke out a living....maybe not the best living in hard times....but a living nonetheless!

Has our management interfered with the animals natural ability to live through hard times? Are they 'tough animals' or 'candy asses'?

Not too long ago the cow herd swept through this first plot and did their job of 'biomass reduction'. Existing warm season plants drew upon their reserves to provide themselves new leaf and additional shading/wind break cool season seedlings underneath....those massive established root systems also 'leak water' to shallower rooted plants as they draw such water from the depths. Call it 'mutualism' or 'symbiosis'. Or 'big brother helping little brother'! Nonetheless, stage 1 and 2 growth of cool season annuals are available for deer (and being used) until the cow herd returns in late winter.


Boy....two weeks sure makes a difference....'biomass reduction' was done on this plot a week later and it drilled two weeks later than the above. Still we have new life and improving yet not ideal growing conditions. That is the advantage of residue!


Cow take on the first 105 d recovered paddock was light. I have it noted as 'undergrazed' on the grazing chart. But considering the current growing conditions a light take is not deleterious...it might be 'properly grazed' in reality! A light take means you will have more stockpile in early winter to draw from and a full complement of roots to take advantage of the remaining growing degree days of fall. Make comparisons of 'forage take' down the fence row....and while walking/driving through the pasture!


Notice, the cow in the middle is taking one last bite of lanceleaf ragweed before moving on. The big difference between fewer forbs in 2015 compared to more forbs in 2016....is mineral consumption is about two-third lower this year. Does a 2/3rd reduction in mineral costs matter? FWIW.....the ryegrass vetch cover crop was broadcast in frame of pic last fall....you can see the weed suppression afforded spring 2016.


Calving in an amazing thing....the cow will drop 150-200 lbs of weight seemingly overnight. And like women, some keep and shed weight (condition) more easily after birthing and for a longer degree of time thereafter. The postpartum cow doesn't really care what you say about her weight....but postpartum women seem all to be ailing from PPD! LOL My point here is that when times begin to get lean, the 'candy ass' cows will show themselves (they can't build nor hold body condition on pasture resources)....they present themselves for culling at least once a year (or must be fed heavily to flesh)....and our management shows weaknesses in our ecosystem (the match/mis-match of calving season x animal genetics x land resources). Body condition is fat....it is a stored forage reserve for lean times....it can only travel with the female if she is allowed the opportunity to put on condition! Owner has stated for a month that he needed to 'pull the bull'....maybe he should have done that three weeks ago when yearlings were hauled off? (trailer was hooked up)....or two weeks ago when cows were in the lot being sprayed for flies? (pulling the bull or fly control?..which really matters)....or maybe those who do not believe in the merit of your planning will do many things to either make you 'yield' or try and make you 'fail'? Note weed patch top right of pic....that is on very shallow bedrock....a place where cover crops are not really going to change things short term!

 

[dgallow]

Revisiting the natural grassland model

It is nice to see that the post about throw and grow plotting remains popular. That method of planting is a 'modernization of the natural grassland model'! However, mowers, herbicide and purchased seed and synthetic fertilizer were not available when the true natural grassland model was born. So I want to take a moment to digress here and describe for you the 'natural grassland model', then you can compare this account to what you are doing to see your fit of management to the natural world. I will also go over a couple of lessons I've learned the hard way!

The natural grassland model (aka the natural model) began eons ago due to the interactions between animal life, plant life, and soil life upon this growing medium we call soil. Effects of weather, climate, and changing interactions among the life forms would dictate the visual outcome of the landscape and shifts in the ecosystem character over decades or more of time. Until recent times, the natural grassland soil was virgin and fertile and highly productive with no imported inputs (just the use of all natural resources). Certain tribes of men came upon the land and their government decreed, "you must break and improve the land"! Perhaps for the needed societal resources at that time short-term improvement (??) meant a better quality of life for those people, but the long term quality of life is not so good for many descendants of those tribesmen who often now face low soil productivity and cost prohibitive 'supplemental resources'. Divergence from the natural model is done, it is past history, tribal government hasn't changed, but the viewpoint and needs of people in government have become a yo-yo on a long string! A few current novel thinking tribesmen have returned to working upon the soil with the natural processes and resources as top priority. Collectively, this refound old art has be termed 'working with nature' or following the 'natural model'! The art transcends US borders and becomes a universal model for many tribes to follow!

In the central US, large herds of bison and elk, held in tight units due to hoards of predators, would eat a portion of the plant biomass and trample the residual into 'residue' covering the soil. If you spend any time at all with herding animals, then you will soon learn that degree of trampling (beating stuff back) varies greatly according to animal behavior...and...TIME. The herd will spend more time in some areas and slightly less in others (due to visibility, terrain, weather, and degree of fouling), thus the aftermath of trampling was NON UNIFORM IMPACT! And for good reason, non-uniform trampling is how you encourage plant diversity (interspersed early successional forbs legumes and woodies) and stable but regenerated short, mid and tall native grasses. That 'biomass' is similar to the biomass you must mow or spray to create 'residue' for throw and mow food plots. So, if your mowed thatch does not appear 'uniform', then do not fret as I will explain more soon.

There are a few more key steps in the natural grassland model beyond simply knocking back the tall stuff and offering the land new seed. With their feeding ground being fouled with dung and urine and available preferred forage limiting, the large herds moved themselves to fresh unfouled habitat (cleanliness and healthy habits are hard learned behavior of wild ruminants) where they could fill their stomachs again (if the animal doesn't stay full, the stomachs fail and death is imminent)! Moving and a full belly are necessary for life of the herd!

At this point, established plants not too 'beat back' were allowed to recover and put on new growth of leaf and stem. In areas where impact was heavy the dead or severely injured plant was replaced by annual forbs, legumes, and woody species and some new grass seedlings due to opportunity of bare soil, latent seed in the soil, and sunshine. Similar to this reason, your throw and grow seed blend should contain many plant species (both annual and perennial), so that there is opportunity to completely cover the soil with new plant roots given a non-uniform thatch load (non uniform impact)! Areas with heavy thatch should by nature hold water around the seed longer giving the largest seeds more opportunity to germinate and establish. Areas of heavy impact (less competition) should favor growth of smaller rapidly sprouting seeds provided moisture and temperate are adequate for their germination. So if you follow this train of thought, then a throw and mow food plot should have varied growth and diversity across the acre which is perfectly natural and due to non-uniform impact!

The natural recovery period afforded by wild herds allowed plant roots to heal hoof compaction....they managed TIME and SPACE! Machinery compaction is best avoided by staying off of moist soil or by using small non-compacting equipment. I won't delve there!

I will end this digression with comments on fertilizer and soil fertility. In the true natural grassland model, fertility is inherent to each area and fertility can only be transferred from one area to another by wind erosion, water erosion, or by the past 96 hours of ingested material carried by the herd from old to new ground. Thus, natural fertility was rarely ever augmented from outside sources...in other words resources were fixed in amount! Soil fertility in the natural grassland model was high due to high above and below ground biological activity.....TIME and SPACE management. It is the hyper-active soil biology which sped up the decay cycle of residue (past plant life) making nutrients available sooner to plant roots/shoots (new plant life) and ample preferred forage available sooner for the animal (migrant animal life). Savvy?....the speed of nutrient cycling is determined by animal impact....and...available water! Standing non-trampled vegetation was the slowest to decay (could be lost due to oxidative weathering), trampled vegetation moderate in decay rate, ingested biomass excreted as manure modest in decay, and ingested biomass+water excreted as urine was the readily available plant nutrients. Note, the slowest to decay residues have the least water! Impact and water are drivers of the cycle along with temperature!

The point I want to make here is that the most readily available form of natural fertility (the first nutrients available to recycle) were in the least quantity returned to the soil system and were diluted with lots of water! So...if you truly want to mimic the natural model with throw and grow plotting, then keep use rates of synthetic fertilizer low also and time the use with ample water availability! High rates of soluble nutrients are NON-natural! Not saying don't fertilize....just saying a hell of a lot less is needed than most of us are led to believe!

Back to low-input plotting (aka throw and mow). As both above and below ground plant/critter diversity increases with this new form of plotting, then you will begin to see many of the benefits of minimal soil disturbance on plant health and soil productivity....and you should begin to understand that by managing for what you want those things you don't want soon fade as issues. And sometimes managing for what you think you need is thwarted by some aspect of the natural model you have yet to learn first hand! Note, this is not failure, this is being schooled by Mother Nature while studying art of the natural grassland model! On prior tilled ground without herd animal impact, expect at least 5 years before the above ground benefits of the natural model begin to manifest (remember you don't have animal impact to speed the cycle)....your deck is missing one of the 3 key cards (ie animal impact and animal biology impacts...the two differ).

 

[dgallow]

Mimicking the natural model should be almost lazy and low input

The plot below was first disced in spring 2011 and then never disced again. From fall 2011 to present (5 years), a diverse seed blend has either been drilled or broadcast in fall and in spring and a full soil cover of residue maintained. A few years ago, I learned that calibrating a fertilizer buggy is probably something I should not try again.....an 8 ac synthetic blend was spread on 3 acres....plant growth was lackluster for a couple years thereafter (read as yield loss and soil life damage....I paid my dues!). Cattle impact has occurred on this ground once per year for the last two years (and will be a twice over provided future conditions are permitting). No supplemental fertility has been supplied for over 12 months. This is the same plot featured earlier in this post just a different reference picture looking from far side of plot back toward where the others were taken. EW regrowth after grazing provides ample screening cover for wildlife, winter stockpile for the cow. The lush winter annuals are seeing daily deer use and providing the type of forage that type of animal requires. I would rate current growing conditions as below average for this time of year compared to same time frame in past years. Plants do not appear lacking in fertility nor moisture (but a nice rain and cooler would be helpful). The pic was taken last weekend with temps near 90F!


Reflecting upon the past!

With the more active times of deer movement soon to arrive, a little time was spent installing black-out curtains in boxblinds. We used old landscape cloth for curtains and a piece of old 17 ga wire for curtain rods (low input). When done, I had a moment to sit there waiting on my ride to return, tested the windows, and took this picture and then just dwelled on the past for a few more minutes. When we started 'wildlife management' nearly a decade ago, the recommendation for this piece of old abused native rangeland was to fence it off from cattle as a 'wildlife sanctuary'. Plants initially responded with increased diversity, but were soon replaced by plants of low palatability and low preference which dominated in the absence of disturbance...animal carrying capacity declined.....and fuel loads were insufficient to conduct the damned recommended prescribed fires! The rangeland further degraded despite doing what we were told by the wildlife biologists! How can that be? Well....it doesn't take a rocket scientists to read what I wrote about the natural grassland model and decipher that removing the cow herd would lead to further ecosystem degradation. Perhaps, I just had to prove that to myself....or maybe the biologists wanted to me to figure that out on my own through observation and novel thought! When we brought back the cow herd under planned and timed grazing two year ago, the landscape pic through that window is the current result of the new plan....increased plant diversity, increased animal carrying capacity (both wild and tame), and sufficient fuel load for prescribed fire!

I do not fault the wildlife biologist for their cross-fence recommendation to keep cattle out! Instead, I fault myself for failing to fully understand the meaning of a cross fence. During April 2010, we bled, sweated, and donated a little more blood to parasites while putting up the 2 wire fence to keep cattle out. Today, as I look back through that blind window, the real purpose of the cross fence is now understood. The fence was not to keep the cows totally out. The purpose of the fence was to keep our past ignorance of proper grazing management out of degraded rangeland. Once we saw first hand the fallacy of removing the cow herd, then a new gate in the fence was opened allowing management of TIME and SPACE of grazing to be implemented! Savvy?....following the natural grassland model a cow herd is a tool useful for wildlife management...fencing controls the time and space aspects!

 

[catscratch]

Turkeys and crows are attracted to manure with seeds in it. Some of the cow harvested grain becomes bird food....but more importantly dung is shredded for faster soil recycling. Dung beetles are out and active as well. Diversity of life begets diversity of life and that impacts soil life and health.

This is something my dad has done for a long time... he feeds his cows corn. I asked him why once and he explained that it keeps the pasture clean. Birds, bugs, and critters in general kick the manure around to get to the undigested corn and it speeds up the decomposition. He also liked having all the critters around. He saw more wildlife in general while feeding corn. Plus... it made his cows happy. Win. win. win.

 

[deer patch]

I still remember that plot after the episode with the syn fertilizer seeing it first hand when I visited your farm. You have definitely turned it around for the better. I also really like your blackout curtains and was going to do the something similar to one of mine that I put the deerview windows in. IMO they are to light of a tent. They are a lot lighter in person than the pics on their website.

So far weather has been good for stockpiling grass for winter forage for cattle but it sure hasn't helped in deer movement. With this front moving in deer should be up and moving some the next few days.

 

[dogghr]

Revisiting the natural grassland model

It is nice to see that the post about throw and grow plotting remains popular. That method of planting is a 'modernization of the natural grassland model'! However, mowers, herbicide and purchased seed and synthetic fertilizer were not available when the true natural grassland model was born. So I want to take a moment to digress here and describe for you the 'natural grassland model', then you can compare this account to what you are doing to see your fit of management to the natural world. I will also go over a couple of lessons I've learned the hard way!

The natural grassland model (aka the natural model) began eons ago due to the interactions between animal life, plant life, and soil life upon this growing medium we call soil. Effects of weather, climate, and changing interactions among the life forms would dictate the visual outcome of the landscape and shifts in the ecosystem character over decades or more of time. Until recent times, the natural grassland soil was virgin and fertile and highly productive with no imported inputs (just the use of all natural resources). Certain tribes of men came upon the land and their government decreed, "you must break and improve the land"! Perhaps for the needed societal resources at that time short-term improvement (??) meant a better quality of life for those people, but the long term quality of life is not so good for many descendants of those tribesmen who often now face low soil productivity and cost prohibitive 'supplemental resources'. Divergence from the natural model is done, it is past history, tribal government hasn't changed, but the viewpoint and needs of people in government have become a yo-yo on a long string! A few current novel thinking tribesmen have returned to working upon the soil with the natural processes and resources as top priority. Collectively, this refound old art has be termed 'working with nature' or following the 'natural model'! The art transcends US borders and becomes a universal model for many tribes to follow!

In the central US, large herds of bison and elk, held in tight units due to hoards of predators, would eat a portion of the plant biomass and trample the residual into 'residue' covering the soil. If you spend any time at all with herding animals, then you will soon learn that degree of trampling (beating stuff back) varies greatly according to animal behavior...and...TIME. The herd will spend more time in some areas and slightly less in others (due to visibility, terrain, weather, and degree of fouling), thus the aftermath of trampling was NON UNIFORM IMPACT! And for good reason, non-uniform trampling is how you encourage plant diversity (interspersed early successional forbs legumes and woodies) and stable but regenerated short, mid and tall native grasses. That 'biomass' is similar to the biomass you must mow or spray to create 'residue' for throw and mow food plots. So, if your mowed thatch does not appear 'uniform', then do not fret as I will explain more soon.

There are a few more key steps in the natural grassland model beyond simply knocking back the tall stuff and offering the land new seed. With their feeding ground being fouled with dung and urine and available preferred forage limiting, the large herds moved themselves to fresh unfouled habitat (cleanliness and healthy habits are hard learned behavior of wild ruminants) where they could fill their stomachs again (if the animal doesn't stay full, the stomachs fail and death is imminent)! Moving and a full belly are necessary for life of the herd!

At this point, established plants not too 'beat back' were allowed to recover and put on new growth of leaf and stem. In areas where impact was heavy the dead or severely injured plant was replaced by annual forbs, legumes, and woody species and some new grass seedlings due to opportunity of bare soil, latent seed in the soil, and sunshine. Similar to this reason, your throw and grow seed blend should contain many plant species (both annual and perennial), so that there is opportunity to completely cover the soil with new plant roots given a non-uniform thatch load (non uniform impact)! Areas with heavy thatch should by nature hold water around the seed longer giving the largest seeds more opportunity to germinate and establish. Areas of heavy impact (less competition) should favor growth of smaller rapidly sprouting seeds provided moisture and temperate are adequate for their germination. So if you follow this train of thought, then a throw and mow food plot should have varied growth and diversity across the acre which is perfectly natural and due to non-uniform impact!

The natural recovery period afforded by wild herds allowed plant roots to heal hoof compaction....they managed TIME and SPACE! Machinery compaction is best avoided by staying off of moist soil or by using small non-compacting equipment. I won't delve there!

I will end this digression with comments on fertilizer and soil fertility. In the true natural grassland model, fertility is inherent to each area and fertility can only be transferred from one area to another by wind erosion, water erosion, or by the past 96 hours of ingested material carried by the herd from old to new ground. Thus, natural fertility was rarely ever augmented from outside sources...in other words resources were fixed in amount! Soil fertility in the natural grassland model was high due to high above and below ground biological activity.....TIME and SPACE management. It is the hyper-active soil biology which sped up the decay cycle of residue (past plant life) making nutrients available sooner to plant roots/shoots (new plant life) and ample preferred forage available sooner for the animal (migrant animal life). Savvy?....the speed of nutrient cycling is determined by animal impact....and...available water! Standing non-trampled vegetation was the slowest to decay (could be lost due to oxidative weathering), trampled vegetation moderate in decay rate, ingested biomass excreted as manure modest in decay, and ingested biomass+water excreted as urine was the readily available plant nutrients. Note, the slowest to decay residues have the least water! Impact and water are drivers of the cycle along with temperature!

The point I want to make here is that the most readily available form of natural fertility (the first nutrients available to recycle) were in the least quantity returned to the soil system and were diluted with lots of water! So...if you truly want to mimic the natural model with throw and grow plotting, then keep use rates of synthetic fertilizer low also and time the use with ample water availability! High rates of soluble nutrients are NON-natural! Not saying don't fertilize....just saying a hell of a lot less is needed than most of us are led to believe!

Back to low-input plotting (aka throw and mow). As both above and below ground plant/critter diversity increases with this new form of plotting, then you will begin to see many of the benefits of minimal soil disturbance on plant health and soil productivity....and you should begin to understand that by managing for what you want those things you don't want soon fade as issues. And sometimes managing for what you think you need is thwarted by some aspect of the natural model you have yet to learn first hand! Note, this is not failure, this is being schooled by Mother Nature while studying art of the natural grassland model! On prior tilled ground without herd animal impact, expect at least 5 years before the above ground benefits of the natural model begin to manifest (remember you don't have animal impact to speed the cycle)....your deck is missing one of the 3 key cards (ie animal impact and animal biology impacts...the two differ).

Very well described,D. A really good, informative, and simple read. We think much alike with slightly different avenues. Enjoyed it.

 

[Lewi B]

Very informative posts on the natural progression of rangeland. In the absence of tame livestock, could one use the whitetail population to trample the excess vegetation thru broadcasting corn lightly for several days. The hoof action would not be as heavy but should accomplish some trampling. The other methods at my disposal are to bushog, or to use the rolling baskets of a doall, or drag an old timey mule drawn stalk chopper across the fields. The stalk chopper will leave some soil exposed for the seed bank to replant bare areas.
Don't want to derail this thread. Just trying to come up with a mode of operation to rebuild worn out crop fields. I'm in north Mississippi. About 55 inches of rain per year but seems like in late summer, we are mostly in drought.
Thanks for your patience and time spent to teach.

 

[dgallow]

I still remember that plot after the episode with the syn fertilizer seeing it first hand when I visited your farm. You have definitely turned it around for the better. I also really like your blackout curtains and was going to do the something similar to one of mine that I put the deerview windows in. IMO they are to light of a tent. They are a lot lighter in person than the pics on their website.

So far weather has been good for stockpiling grass for winter forage for cattle but it sure hasn't helped in deer movement. With this front moving in deer should be up and moving some the next few days.

You know where my house is....just stop by and grab a sheet of landscape cloth off the front porch...make ur curtains.

The doe will determine when the bucks move....shouldn't be long....body condition is good.

I think the key on that plot was finally getting roots to break up the plow pan. Excess salts will accumulate atop the plow pan and become toxic to roots...then the plant. That soil type has way more yield potential than I was getting.

This year will teach a bunch of people valuable lessons about starting a 60d Bermuda stockpile Aug 1 and a 90d fescue stockpile on Sept 1. When you get above average late summer/fall rain it can work wonderfully....but when that time frame is dry and hot, you will be feeding hay earlier and perhaps for all of winter. Extension and NRSC need to take a real hard look at stockpiling. We are grazing 105 d diverse stockpile right now and despite the hot and dry weather our regrowth rate is incredible. The plants all have a full compliment of roots and the soil has stored ample water...it is just awesome....should get two full grazings before Jan 15.

 

[dgallow]

This is something my dad has done for a long time... he feeds his cows corn. I asked him why once and he explained that it keeps the pasture clean. Birds, bugs, and critters in general kick the manure around to get to the undigested corn and it speeds up the decomposition. He also liked having all the critters around. He saw more wildlife in general while feeding corn. Plus... it made his cows happy. Win. win. win.

I didn't take any pictures but the amount of life in the 105d rested pastures is insane! Young earthworms (no collar yet) crawling over residue, dung beetles literally shredding manure, crickets chasing seed, etc. The ground was soft and like walking on a mattress (until you came upon some rocks which you can't see).

Supplement can be useful at times and whole corn is about the least expense and hassle. Most energy supplements are around $200/T...and whole corn has the advantage of slower rumen fermentation over a 24 hr period compared to processed grain....so you are less apt to disrupt fiber digestion but still need to be careful feeding it. A whole kernel can get wet and still maintain integrity/nutritional content....whereas many meal type grain byproducts will spoil under those conditions.

I have 2 degrees in animal nutrition.....honestly, I would rather manage the cow to balancer her diet using natural resources, than formulate a ration for her. One purpose of the fall cover crops we use is a 'winter supplement' for the cow herd. Diversity of plant and plant roots can do some awesome things to the soil which feed in a bag can't provide. Planning calving to fit your forage/ecosystem/life-style is another key to reducing stored feed need. Why would I want to calve in fall...right in the middle of planting season?....and right in the middle of deer season?....and then have to feed cows during duck season? If I want heavier spring calves, the simple answer is to hold them until long yearlings and then sell!

 

[dgallow]

Very informative posts on the natural progression of rangeland. In the absence of tame livestock, could one use the whitetail population to trample the excess vegetation thru broadcasting corn lightly for several days. The hoof action would not be as heavy but should accomplish some trampling. The other methods at my disposal are to bushog, or to use the rolling baskets of a doall, or drag an old timey mule drawn stalk chopper across the fields. The stalk chopper will leave some soil exposed for the seed bank to replant bare areas.
Don't want to derail this thread. Just trying to come up with a mode of operation to rebuild worn out crop fields. I'm in north Mississippi. About 55 inches of rain per year but seems like in late summer, we are mostly in drought.
Thanks for your patience and time spent to teach.

If deer on your property are not a significant source of income, then you will go broke trying to feed them grain just to get animal impact. Further, deer tend to be delicate in hoof placement and won't give the desired impact on certain plants and they have greater spatial requirements than herding animals. When deer are fed in an area, increased density can lead to overbrowsing and reduced number of preferred native food sources.

The stalk chopper and rolling basket could give desired result of laying down reside and terminating some plants while spurring diversity. Mowing tends to promote more grass than forbs (watch roadsides)......unless the mower height is varied a bunch.

Worn out crop fields respond very well to diverse cover crop mixes, no-tillage, and manure as fertilizer. Just that program alone has saved some farms in the south from bankruptcy. This is probably your best option for improving those soils.

It has been several years since a hurricane of tropical storm has hit the western gulf....that is what I attribute to current late summer and fall dry conditions in your area. The way to deal with that is to plant later in fall when sun angle is lower in horizon and small rainfall events can be captured and held in the soil longer as 'effective rain'. Tropical storm activity is normally a steady source of moisture over several days and often followed by a week long cool front. Without the tropical activity, it seems rain is much more spotty, the cool fronts short in duration, and the heat of summer expended. I'm not a weatherman but I do keep record of weather data and adjust management accordingly.

 

[dgallow]

Keep asking questions or adding commentary fellas. All are welcome I will answer as time allows over the next couple weeks.

 

[catscratch]

^^^ I'll try to keep you occupied

I want to try some things on our new "home acreage". We built on 50 acres of hilltop grass and hillside hardwood forest. This area has been fenced off since our house was built a yr ago and has had no access to cattle. It's growing up really nicely in both the native grass and in the understory of the forest. I want to periodically manage this area with cattle but... I've planted an orchard and foodplots. The foodplots being exposed to cattle is no big deal as I think it could be beneficial at the right times. My biggest worry is cattle getting to the tree's I've planted. It wouldn't take 2 hours for a knothead bull to destroy a lot of investment.

The herd isn't electric fenced trained. How would you approach this? When would you let the herd on (27 cows, 1 bull, late winter calves being sold in a week or two) and when would you take them off? How would you protect the trees to ensure they don't get to them?

My experience with cattle and foodplots is to let them on in Jan, Feb, and March. Take them off in time for the cereal grains to head out, then throw n mow for a fall plot late in the summer. This gives the cattle some green in the coldest part of the winter but doesn't change hunting. Helps cut on hay and cube usage. The soil never seems to compact and there is something growing all yr. It seems to work well to broadcast some clover and vetch a week or two before taking the cattle off the plots in March.

Any ideas on how to improve my plan for plots, include grassland management with it, and understory veg. management?

 

[deer patch]

Thanks for the offer. Deer didn't move any better today with the cooler weather but it's getting closer. Take some pics of those pastures for me.

 

[dgallow]

The 'pet 9' was out under persimmon tree at 2 pm yesterday....not too sure he isn't 3 yo. Sure is hot for this time of year. I'll see what I can do on pasture pics....won't look impressive but the manure scores and fill on cattle tell of quality pastures...late winter calvers are putting on condition and most fall calvers coming into first heat.....14 babies if I counted correct yesterday....nobody was left behind which is main point. The inch of rain last week and adequate growing degree days is growing warm season grass. Native unit looks thick through binos. The pic of SIL I sent you is NWSG which hasn't been impacted since 2013.....notice all the dead leaves and very little green.....that is a back corner of the old field regen project which is outside of hotwire.....we'll burn it next winter.....every year you need to knock back native grass or risk losing crowns.

Thanks for the offer. Deer didn't move any better today with the cooler weather but it's getting closer. Take some pics of those pastures for me.

 

[dgallow]

^^^ I'll try to keep you occupied

I want to try some things on our new "home acreage". We built on 50 acres of hilltop grass and hillside hardwood forest. This area has been fenced off since our house was built a yr ago and has had no access to cattle. It's growing up really nicely in both the native grass and in the understory of the forest. I want to periodically manage this area with cattle but... I've planted an orchard and foodplots. The foodplots being exposed to cattle is no big deal as I think it could be beneficial at the right times. My biggest worry is cattle getting to the tree's I've planted. It wouldn't take 2 hours for a knothead bull to destroy a lot of investment.

The herd isn't electric fenced trained. How would you approach this? When would you let the herd on (27 cows, 1 bull, late winter calves being sold in a week or two) and when would you take them off? How would you protect the trees to ensure they don't get to them?

My experience with cattle and foodplots is to let them on in Jan, Feb, and March. Take them off in time for the cereal grains to head out, then throw n mow for a fall plot late in the summer. This gives the cattle some green in the coldest part of the winter but doesn't change hunting. Helps cut on hay and cube usage. The soil never seems to compact and there is something growing all yr. It seems to work well to broadcast some clover and vetch a week or two before taking the cattle off the plots in March.

Any ideas on how to improve my plan for plots, include grassland management with it, and understory veg. management?

Training to hot wire:
1) run polywire and tread-ins a few feet on inside of lot fence.....keep cattle on water and hay for a day to acclimate....best if you run wire across back half of water trough..they will investigate and learn with a wet muzzle.
2) run hot wire on inside of 3-5 ac grass trap fence.....make one side 'zig-zag' so is interrupts linear flow....put three strip fence wires on farthest half of trap.....if they run through these.....put cattle back in lot, fix fence, and try again. When they stay in the first half, then call cows and remove one strip fence.....do the same the next day.....and again the next day....they should be trained to the wire by then and exposed to it daily.

Since you feed, your cattle are already broke to lead...so all you have to do is fence train....5000+V IMO for training purposes...2000 V is fine for adapted cattle which are broke to the wire..

Single strand of poly 28" high should do around orchard.....pull the bull and put him in the bull pen.....his is not needed until May anyway.

For set stocked cattle, you have 3 high impact tools....mineral feeder, feed troughs, and hay. You can use those tools to knock back underbrush.....move troughs to a new spot after each feeding.....place a bale or unroll it in a new spot each time. I would withhold salt/mineral for 2-3 week stints....then put the mineral feeder on spots you want impacted.

If you '3 hr limit graze' the food plots using hot wire, you can stretch the green out longer over winter and spare regrowth for deer. You will need 15-30 ac of green to do limit grazing for 27 head.....done right and supplement need is eliminated...but babies can complicate moves and coyotes can get hungry in winter. If you just have a few ac of food plots, then don't anything special...cube when needed. When they become disinterested in stockpiled rangeland, then start offering hay.

Winter calving can be tough and expensive, but if you can make it work go ahead. Winter calving began during the era of screw worms as ranchers were trying to cut newborn death losses incurred in spring. After screw worm eradication, folks figured out the winter calf was heavier when sold in fall run so many didn't shift back to spring and lighter calves. That was fine when commodity prices were cheap but not so good when prices rose and the cost of wintering a wet cow ate up the heavy calf profit. What is the cost of that 100 lb heavier weaning weight?

My only teenage calving assist memory came from one late February evening after cutting wood while dad fed cows. He said come help me get this cow in the lot. I was into weight lifting back then and dad just had heart surgery...so you know what that meant. Temps were in the 20s with a Northwestern gusting to 20 mph and spitting sleet/snow. Between contractions, I got the little feller's head and feet oriented properly, hooked up the chains, then let my weight and an pull do the rest in one fluid half moon motion. I honestly wish she had prolapsed so I could have put my frozen hands back in that warm uterus....the cold hurt that bad! What a miserable evening and I swore to never do it again!

My point here is that calving in spring can give you less expensive options for wintering a dry cow and you don't have babies in the way for intensive winter strip grazing. Spring weaned calves can be held on good winter pasture with a supplement to keep them maintained through winter.....then get compensatory gain on the spring flush and sell as yearlings. Just an idea!

Anyway, once cattle are trained to hot wire, then you can just bring the herd onto whatever acres you want to plant....broadcast seed before letting them in....make sure they have shade and water....once in fall and/or once in spring.

 

[deer patch]

Well the pet 9 will be a good thing if you can keep him alive for a couple more years. Maybe he will learn he has a sanctuary on your place. After reading you post it made me look again at you pic a little better and I see what you are talking about but isn't this the time of year it normally turns brown anyway? I know mine is. Don't worry about the pasture pics if you want because I have a good ideal what it looks like anyway.

Electric fencing cattle. Cattle learn quickly. We have 3 of the AI'd bulls (we are keeping 2 of and selling 1 in the spring) up which has a hotwire around it and needless to say they know what it is in a short amount of time. As a kid I used to walk by with my brother which is older than me and I would grab the hotwire and him at the same time. He learned quick to.

 

[deer patch]

BTW...I don't think I'm very good at aging your deer that's why I don't try anymore.