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

[catscratch]

Age has it's downfalls, but it's better than the other options. Sorry to hear about your butt health. Haven't had that experience (yet) but I'm sure my time will come. Been to the doctors more in the last couple of yrs than I had been the previous couple of decades. Probably not going to go less in the next couple of decades.

Moosifer is going be ornery. You can see it in his face. Good luck with him!

You're not a Trekie for watching a Star Wars movie

 

[dogghr]

You and dog and daughter story made for a good laugh this morn. I deal with same females, and am scared of both. Continue to play the game. Dog and children will keep you young. Get well.

 

[dgallow]

Cat, I wrap both versions of Gaucho around pipe posts which have no 'grab' and are the hardest post to anchor wire to yet have no issues....tighten just enough to take the slack out of each wire (when barbs closest to you start to twist stop and wrap).....wrap around the corner post twice, first over the wire then second under the wire....take out excess slack before wrapping....allow for a 2' tag end....progressively tighten wrap as you move toward tag end....final wrap is backwards over a barb.....minimum of 8 wraps at the corners. Wood corner post is much easier as wood has 'grab'. If a gate latch post, then knock barbs flat on the two wires chain goes between so you dont cut yourself opening/closing gate.

Dog...at least I can sleep through the night now....those first 2 days were rough.....no body position without pain!

The ill effects of US soil health on plant, animal and human health have changed little since such was made public in the 1950s.
How can God's people turn such a blind eye to this age old problem?

We know much more today about soil health than in 1950.
Why do we continue to ignore corrective measures?

Why do we not look at animal behavior and not attempt interpretation then formulate corrective measures?

The soil health movement is not new, but our downplay of the issue persists. Why is that?

Take 22 minutes of your time to watch this old film....absorb the information and reflect upon your local observations....think how you can improve your soil health simply by changing management!

HUMAN HEALTH AND SOIL FERTILITY 1950s FILM WITH DR. WILLIAM A ALBRECHT 42594

+

 

[dogdoc]

Well hopefully that drought map will change after this weekend. Not looking forward to the possible ice but we need any kind of moisture we can get right now!

 

[dgallow]

Hope u are right about the moisture....good time to recharge subsoils. Noticed a nice pop in the green stuff from the snow and few days of warm weather....snow adds a little N to the soil but not much moisture in 2" snow....but main thing is sunshine. Temps plummeted this afternoon so dropped the hog in the rest of briers/ thorns to clean up a few more acres of bottomland ahead of the front...can get pretty wet there and hoping to be able to drill it to mixed covers late Feb. complete overcast today...prolly stay that way till Tues.


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[dgallow]

Green stockpile status zone 7a Jan 21 2017.....been dry fall with some hard winter cold fronts. Have we really improved forage through Ag research and development? Or have we simply improved the ability to place forage seed where we want at the plant density desired at an increased cost to do such? These pics make those questions an interesting discussion.

This is perennial wild rye, a native rangeland cool season grass, growing where Nature placed it on an eroded slope under partial shade in soil which receives no fertility management etc. This is typical 'green native stockpile' we see down at the ranch in zone 7b and was one of the first plants cattle were selecting last week when the herd was moved into 300 d stockpile timbered rangeland. This plant appears from the soil seed bank for free and the only expense is cost of land disturbance activity to shift and sustain the native plant community.

Fifteen yards away are annual cool season grasses, cereal rye and triticale (cereal rye x wheat hybrid), growing in a high fertility no-till garden soil with 6% organic matter. Fertility was purchased and applied over years at a cost per acre which would not be sustainable at landscape ag scale. This is suitable 'green stockpile' for turning cattle into small grain pasture for the first grazing. The pic is 90 days after planting. These plants must be placed in the soil with a given increased cost of fertility and cost of machinery etc above the cost of purchased seed.

Plant density obviously differs in the two pictures and thus animal carrying capacity/ac would differ. Observe the pics closely again and reread growing site management for both. Other than plant density diffs in pics, has Ag research and development really improved rye forage above what the Natural Model has done for eons?



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[lakngolf]

Interesting with the drought this year the perennial rye grass that pops up at Mandy Hollow did not regenerate until late into the winter. After we got a few rains it has covered the landscape now. I noticed it when I was mowing around some of the sawtooth trees and mowed more territory than I planned because I knew that would release it even more. Deer have been hitting it hard, and some fence stretching heifers make their way over periodically.

Here is a strip in a shooting lane that I cut

 

[dgallow]

Watched deer eat annual ryegrass and annual brome grass for many years in winter. With planned grazing, we have less of the annuals now because summer pasture and range grass is more persistent.

Hard drought like you had sent warm season perennial grass into dormancy and no fall rain for any regen. That gives annual ryegrass and annual brome grass a prime opportunity to flourish once it does rain. It will take a few years to reduce annual numbers as without stock grazing or hay there no good way to keep seed set in check.....plus they deplete soil N and water.

I doubt perennial ryegrass persist that far south.....normally zone 6 and cooler. This time of year perennial ryegrass looks just like fescue.

Look at seed heads in May....ryegrass is obvious and there are a handful of annual bromes common to your area which have a different head.

Gulf and Marshall are the most used annual ryegrass varieties in the south.


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[catscratch]

What (and when) is your favorite soil disturbance to encourage forbs and woody shrubs?

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[catscratch]

Also, I've always lived under the impression that cool season grasses were not good for quail as they tend to carpet the ground, suppress plant diversity, and make travel difficult for them. Comparing your pics of native cool season vs planted might suggest that native cool season grasses are a little more sparse than a planted mix. Do you think there is a significant difference for quail (I really like quail and want to manage for them as much as for deer).

 

[dogdoc]

I'm seeing a little growth from my clover after the rain a week ago or so. Had some 60 degree days which I guess warmed up the soil enough to get a tiny bit of growth, rye in the plots showed some growth also.

 

[lakngolf]

I doubt perennial ryegrass persist that far south.....normally zone 6 and cooler. This time of year perennial ryegrass looks just like fescue.

Look at seed heads in May....ryegrass is obvious and there are a handful of annual bromes common to your area which have a different head.

Gulf and Marshall are the most used annual ryegrass varieties in the south.


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I get my annual and perennial mixed up. Those terms define opposite of how they sound. We mainly plant Marshall Rye, which used to be about $18 per 50 lb and is now above $30.
Talked to cattle guy who rents land around my Mother's house. He wanted to drill some rye but cost was steep. He was able to find several bags of deer mix for $16 and drilled it.

 

[dgallow]

What (and when) is your favorite soil disturbance to encourage forbs and woody shrubs?

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Our rainfall amount and patters encourage woody plant specie increase over the long term....it is an ebb and flow above and below the 40" annual rainfall average....dryer years slower brush encroachment....wetter years faster encroachment. Management of brush is in parallel with that....more frequent brush defoliation is needed in wet trends and less frequency in dry trends.....base that on a 10 yr time frame in general....it also varies with health of the perennial grass ecosystems. Thus, this area is more suited to brush suppressive management....keeping both height and density of woody species in balance with other plants....because in a few years of doing nothing you can end up with all brush and more intensive/costly control needed to restore diversity! Grazing with goats, prescribed fire, mowing when young, and spot herbicide treatment of some species are the most economical forms of brush management. In order to promote brush, then you need to keep in mind woody species in general have extremely slow growth periods compared to forbs and grass....thus brush promotion requires recovery periods on the order of 10 yrs or more....that is more along the lines of long term rest to allow long term succession.

Any action which lessens dominance or lowers persistence of perennial grasses and timber will promote forbs. Due to the shallow bedrock and rocky nature of our soils and the shade/soil water use along tree edges, we will always have forbs as there are areas where perennial grasses and trees will always have persistence/dominance issues. SO we have a mosaic of natural forb density varying from 70% in some areas to as little as 10%. The steps to increase forbs is a combination of 3 factors over time.

The first factor with forb management is to stop 'pasture weed spraying'...or any other form of 'uniform mass area treatment'...including mowing and continuous grazing which are damaging as they promote monocultures over time! Several years (5-10) of wet and dry cycles without mass area forb control will allow you to see what forbs are available. Then you make decisions on how to manage what 'comes in' based upon it's forage value or desired forb density!

The second step is to control timing, extent and duration of grazing because grazing stock use forbs in the diet with 20% use being the low end of the spectrum across stock classes.....herd impact can also increase or decrease forbs. Grazing at the right time and animal density can suppress less desirable forbs in spring.....long recovery periods between growing season grazings promote late growing season forbs.....few herbivores use forbs during pollination stage and that is the best time to suppress less valuable forbs via mowing......vegetative growth period of desirable forbs can be extended simply by ensuring the plant is bitten or trampled once during the growing season.....those are just examples of what you will learn from planned grazing. I pay particular attention to cattle use of forbs and deer attraction to the same behind the cow herd. Planned grazing is where you learn to manage for or against forb abundance and specie diversity. IT is a dynamic process which is also affected by rainfall and seasonal weather patterns....no two years rarely being similar. Reserve herbicide and mowing only for 'truly needed situations', then replan to lesson/avoid the need in future!

Fire is a great tool for forb increase but I list it as third because the primary value of fire as a tool is to retard brush encroachment into grassland or to thin dense timber. A perennial grass ecosystem with up to 30% forb density managed using planned grazing should rarely ever need fire if at all......brush spot treatment with mowing or herbicide should suffice and be much more economical long term...or graze some with goats. IF the grassland is being burned to remove prior year poor quality thatch, then the issue is of poor stock density grazing and impact in the dormant season to put thatch in soil contact for faster decay. Burning then grazing can increase forb density well beyond what is desirable in the short term. The best place for fire IMO is wooded or brushy areas where the value of vegetative plant cover is well below the cost of brush control or spot treatment will provide little benefit for the labor time needed or terrain limits other types of brush management. Long term wooded landscapes are likely to have the best response after fire since fire removes alelopathic leaf mulch. scarifies some seed, lessens perennial plant dominance and the area itself is less likely to have been exhausted of historic beneficial native plants due to prior land misuse.

I don't really have a favorite or a best recommendation for you.....but grazing is the most available tool since cattle are a 365 d affair. But there are times of year I would rather not burn (when it's already damned hot) and times I'd rather not mow (when it is hot and forbs are pollinating). Some folks physically may not be able to handle the load of pollen a 70% density rag weed field will throw into the air.....would you be willing to mow knowing you and the tractor will be yellow when done?.....gotta be motivated to do that!

 

[dgallow]

Also, I've always lived under the impression that cool season grasses were not good for quail as they tend to carpet the ground, suppress plant diversity, and make travel difficult for them. Comparing your pics of native cool season vs planted might suggest that native cool season grasses are a little more sparse than a planted mix. Do you think there is a significant difference for quail (I really like quail and want to manage for them as much as for deer).

You ever see pheasant and blue quail feed in a winter wheat field?

In general you are correct.....when rangeland in the southern great plains is managed properly, cool season plants (either annual or perennial) rarely exceed 30% density....the bulk is warm season grass and forb with minor brush thicket. The native cool season grasses tend to grow in niches on certain slopes where conditions favor them but they don't blanket the earth like fescue or smooth bromegrass, excepting the case of degraded tall grass prairie which is overrun with winter annual grasses or degraded short grass western rangeland dominated by wheatgrasses (some areas it's normal others invasive). I have not seen any cool season native perennial grass become dominant here, turkey and perhaps quail use the seed heads in summer as most of the cool season native perennials are 'short panicums in class' rarely over knee tall total.

Quail seem to thrive best in rangeland of moderate productivity (short to mid-grass prairie or average rangeland condition for tall-grass). The long term quail formula, seems to be where grass plant density seems to vary across the landscape exposing some bare ground or low litter areas, moderate density of forb and brush thicket, and moderate to modest grass dominance with most of that midgrasses on average. A solid 8' tall field of switchgrass won't serve quail very well but it is a dynamite spot for rats......maybe deer at odd times of year. Deer do just fine and have historically done very well in moderately productive rangeland (western OK midgrass sparse/tall rangeland and outfitted deer hunting as example) and deer do NOT need constant excellent tall range conditions. Coincidentally the moderately productive rangeland of western OK is the best quail hunting in the state...maybe even the US!. Quail numbers got low over there but they never died out and when weather conditions became favorable last few years the population exploded exponentially.

In eastern OK, return of quail is a much slower process.....when we had good quail....everybody had cattle...rare were overgrown fields or pasture of 'excellent range condition' rat house status. The landscape appearance was more 'average' than 'excellent' range condition. Higher humidity, more parasites, and higher predator density are also factors here....no one really knows for sure about quail here..... When quail left turkey exploded....now turkey are modest and quail returning...at least on our place. For several decades prior to 1990, eastern OK was drier than average or average.....that would equate to moderate-modest range conditions....that meant decent quail. The cause and effect of quail isn't so easy to figure out!

One thing the monitoring process of planned grazing teaches you is to rate paddocks based on forage yield or carrying capacity (cow-days/ac) and to fence those accordingly to afford best management of each area. The paddocks with most grazing days would be a 1, then ratings of 0.75, 0.5 or 0.25 x that productivity for the rest. It is very likely quail prefer the 0.5-0.75 productive rangeland for habitat. When you know that information, then it is simple to defer grazing on those paddocks during the nesting season to promote quail. You can do the same for deer or any other wildlife you want to promote simply by deferring grazing of preferred habitat during critical times for that species. As example, the deer fawning season and breeding season are on my grazing calendar so it's easier to plan the stock flow at those times.

 

[dgallow]

I get my annual and perennial mixed up. Those terms define opposite of how they sound. We mainly plant Marshall Rye, which used to be about $18 per 50 lb and is now above $30.
Talked to cattle guy who rents land around my Mother's house. He wanted to drill some rye but cost was steep. He was able to find several bags of deer mix for $16 and drilled it.

An annual must come from seed each year.
A bi-annual completes it's cycle over 2 years.
A perennial lives constantly, but can go dormant in non-favorable conditions. KY31 fescue is not summer dormant in MO but may go through times of slow or no growth in southern OK heat, yet Cimmaron fescue is true summer dormant fescue in OK. A perennial may spread itself through seed or rhyzomes.

Same here....but $40 a bag for Marshall.....the cover crop movement is mostly to blame for high annual seed prices. I can buy a bag of fescue for the same $40 and do just as well on less effort long term. IMO....long term ranch economics favor mixtures of perennial warm and cool season forage (or reasonable amount of reseeding annuals/bi-annuals) in both range and tame pasture, range cube supplements on dominant warm season stockpile, less acres of planted winter annuals and/or more intense grazing of the annuals such as limit grazing to increase efficiency and spread use over more time. Some of the newer annual ryegrass varieties (jumbo, TAMTBO, winterhawk) offer better fall growth than Marshall for the same money maybe less. I see $10-15 per acre less seed cost with a ryegrass based mix than a small grain based mix but the small grain mix has the higher yield over the whole growing season. The old time rec was 1 ac of winter annuals planted per cow.....now I think a guy needs to look at 0.5 ac/cow or less under better grazing management.

It is the time of year when I start going though budgets and taking a hard look at 'cutting off the fat'. I see a need to reduce overall seed cost by cutting out some annuals while maintaining perennial seed supply. Deer guys are usually interested in switchgrass so here are prices last week from Johnston Seed (Enid OK) to nearest $/lb of PLS (pure live seed):

Blackwell switchgrass - $10
Alamo switchgrass - $7
Kanlow switchgrass - $7
Johnsongrass - $5

According to the Noble Foundation calendar Jan-Feb is time to spread native perennial grass seed.....I like to do a second light seeding on areas with appreciable winter annuals at May graze out. Those seeds are for broadcast onto marginal sites or good sites where brush has been suppressed to increase overall production, provide wildlife cover, soil benefits, better grazing efficiency, and longer term brush competition. Switchgrasses are in an equal mix by weight for better chance of establishment across sites....JG separate. Remember the goal is to have 3 tiers of grass intermixed with forbs and brush....not a monoculture of switch! Both switch and JG will tolerate 35-50 day recovery period between grazings once established and persist....vs....big blue or indian grass which require 60+ days of recovery to persist. By using switch and JG we can increase the 'native effect' in tame pasture without sacrificing the good grazing on short recovery period afforded by tame grass perennials.

 

[dgallow]

I'm seeing a little growth from my clover after the rain a week ago or so. Had some 60 degree days which I guess warmed up the soil enough to get a tiny bit of growth, rye in the plots showed some growth also.

Same here.....15 geese found the green stuff also and were digging through cow pies....which isn't real good for them nor the annuals...I can live with manure dispersion and goose poop. Think they may take to the new pond on second mesa and make it a home.....geese seem to like a pond with green stuff in walking distance. IT takes at least 1" of rain to get the N and C cycle in dry soil started via increased soil respiration rate.....at 50+F your soil micro-herd just started working for you! I am real happy to see good forecast for sunshine....great for the psyche!

 

[catscratch]

Quail like a mix, or edge just like most things. That is why they recommend burning or discing in strips on a three yr cycle. The reason I asked about soil disturbance is because I have a patch of land (50 acres) around our house that doesn't get cattle right now. That may change but not in the immediate future.
I find green in quail craws all the time.

 

[dgallow]

Quail like a mix, or edge just like most things. That is why they recommend burning or discing in strips on a three yr cycle. The reason I asked about soil disturbance is because I have a patch of land (50 acres) around our house that doesn't get cattle right now. That may change but not in the immediate future.
I find green in quail craws all the time.

Sounds like fire, mowing or brush management are your best options.

I would divide the 50 acres into five or six management units roughly 8-10 acres in size. Divide them according to breaks in the terrain, differences in vegetation type and plant species, differences in productive capability, slope aspect, bottom vs upland, differences in soil type, etc etc. Just don't make them a square like is common when fencing a parcel with barbed wire. The boundaries for each unit should be something which can serve as a fire break: say a fence row you keep cleared and sprayed, a two-track along crest of a ridge, creek or ditch, narrow strip you till for a clover food plot or quail, timber edge, etc. Do the management you want for the desired landscape on one unit each year, this could be fire, TSI, or tree planting. Don't get locked into this 3 year interval thing....reason being is that drought can set back the plants enough that fire return interval should be delayed to maintain desired plant persistence. IF conditions are favorable for a 3 yr fire return interval then burn two units/yr....if not favorable then burn 1 unit/yr for a 6 yr return interval. Each unit doesn't have to be burned and it is wise to have one unit where you do nothing at all as a 'control' or 'check'. When and if you do get cattle, then e-fence can be placed on the divisions for each unit to make paddocks and grazed accordingly. The other thing some people find useful for quail are swales to increase water and humidity in a small area....kinda like buffalo wallows of the old days.

Around the first of the year, I was asked by my friend, Brad Law, to do a radio talk show interview about rotational grazing geared toward a producer audience. Brad is a farmer and agronomist for Willcross Soybean in St Joseph MO. He and I first met through posts on CropTalk, then were/are still are mentored by one of Dr Albrects old soil science students. Brad was grazing cover crops at the time and would ask me questions about grazing. The talk show was put on YouTube recently in four series and here are the links to that interview. My interview starts in the part two. NW MO is a long way from SE OK but the principals of soil health and forage management are the same. I discuss both cattle and wildlife management in the talk.

Rotational Grazing 1 of 4 Doug Galloway 1 7 16 Bull Sessions

Rotational Grazing 2 of 4 Doug Galloway 1-7-16 Bull Sessions

Rotational Grazing 3 of 4 Doug Galloway 1-7-16 Bull Sessions

Rotational Grazing 4 of 4 Doug Galloway 1-7-16 Bull Sessions

 

[catscratch]

It would be easy to break it into 6 paddocks based on terrain and plant community:

11 acres of mature hillside forest (mostly oaks)
6.2 acres of mixed timber and brush (Few oaks. Mostly; elm, redbud, hedge, etc. Not many over 15-20ft tall)
3.0 acres in plots and new orchard
6.0 acres of hilltop grass and rocks
6.0 acres of steep hillside grass
4.5 acres of brushy hillside in a long narrow strip by the roads.

There's lots of edge where these paddocks meet each other. Each could be burned separate of the others. Not a lot of it is tractor or mower friendly but I can do throw-n-mow. As I read your posts and think about it, I'm leaning towards strips of milo/millet following the edges. I also think anything I can do to promote forbs in the 6 acres of hilltop grass would be good. I'm understanding that promoting the forbs might be a longer term commitment than I originally thought.

 

[dgallow]

You have done your homework!

Your students need a new project this spring to work off excess energy!

Step No. 1: Inventory your current forage base


This step helps producers determine what forage is present on their operation. "Inventory is a real simple process," Jennings says. Producers can use a notepad or get an inventory sheet from the UA Extension to record what is in their pasture. This includes grass, legumes, weeds and bare ground. Pick a section of pasture and walk across the section in a straight line, Jennings advises. "About every fifth step, look at the toe of your boot and see what’s there. Mark it on the sheet." The total calculation is a percentage based on 100 data points in the pasture. For pastures of 10 acres or less, Jennings says to collect 50 data points. In this case, the tally for each item is multiplied by two to get a percentage. The practice gives producers a snapshot picture of their available forage. If a variety of forage is present, it may be necessary to take inventory at different times of the year.

"If you have a mixture of grasses and legumes, do it in the springtime and again in the summer," he says. Doing inventory helps determine what forage is available and how to manage each pasture. It also helps producers plan grazing for each season. "If you have fescue and lespedeza both in a field in the springtime, you won’t see lespedeza until the summer," Jennings says. "Manage it one way in the springtime to get lespedeza to grow in the summer."

http://www.angusbeefbulletin.com/ArticlePDF/300-Days-Grazing-09_16-ABB.pdf

Promoting forbs is more of an ongoing management....good observation and timely disturbance. Start by taking forage inventory via the 'boot toe method' then repeat after each management practice. During the early growing season, walk several transects across the 6 ac hilltop representing the entire unit (don't just walk an edge which is bias). Every 3 or 5 steps, stop and record what is at your boot toe (grass, forb, bare soil, thatch, legume, woody etc). When done record plant composition as a %.....as example 30 forb counts per 100 steps is 30% forb density. You can do another inventory in summer to catch late emerging forbs and to record forb use by plant type. You can have your class do this as a field day!

The best short-term management I know of to markedly increase forb density is spring patch burn grazing.....put cows on a burn when grass is 3-4" tall then move them off when the grass has been bitten twice and suppressed....a bunch of e-fence isn't needed as the cows will camp on the burn. You will get a BIG flush of forbs for the next two years.....but I would not do this on a frequent basis for sake of native grass/soil health! Burning itself should increase forb counts in the first two years returning to grass dominance in yr 3-4......if your place has not been burned in a long time, then I would just do a burn prescription and monitor....you should be happy!

The Noble Foundation is redoing their webpage.....looks like all of the fire stuff is archived in one place!

Prescribed Fire
https://www.noble.org/news/prescribed-fire/