Heavy grazing mix?

B

bigbluetruck

Active Member
I'm wanting to put a plot in a pasture. Its on my lease, over here: http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?threads/1st-lease.4202/

It needs to be able to handle fairly heavy cow grazing for a month or so, then be able to come back. Its good dirt and a low area, but doesn't get extremely wet. Years ago it used to be a field but when machinery became too big to use the road to get to it, it got turned back into pasture. Right now its not easy for me to get a shredder in there but I'm thinking the cows should do plenty of mowing for me.

I'm thinking a clover/chicory plot, I can get to it easily with my 4 wheeler drill. Maybe throw in collards?https://www.greencoverseed.com/product/1063/ supposedly they should overwinter and reseed themselves. Will definitely throw in some WR and Oats for a nurse crops. My other plots will be kill plots with some WR that goes to seed the next summer.

What kind of rate and species do you recommend? I have some leftover alfalfa seed to throw in as well.
 
Winfred forage brassicas are advertised for cattle grazing and deer. Clover is good for almost any type of feeding situation as seems to like abuse. I think cows would destroy a plot of clover and chicory but I have not tried it. I think for cattle being able to eat and trample with hopes of the vegetation coming back you need to plant something with pretty decent tonnage.
 
bigbluetruck said:
I'm wanting to put a plot in a pasture. Its on my lease, over here: http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?threads/1st-lease.4202/

It needs to be able to handle fairly heavy cow grazing for a month or so, then be able to come back. Its good dirt and a low area, but doesn't get extremely wet. Years ago it used to be a field but when machinery became too big to use the road to get to it, it got turned back into pasture. Right now its not easy for me to get a shredder in there but I'm thinking the cows should do plenty of mowing for me.

I'm thinking a clover/chicory plot, I can get to it easily with my 4 wheeler drill. Maybe throw in collards?https://www.greencoverseed.com/product/1063/ supposedly they should overwinter and reseed themselves. Will definitely throw in some WR and Oats for a nurse crops. My other plots will be kill plots with some WR that goes to seed the next summer.

What kind of rate and species do you recommend? I have some leftover alfalfa seed to throw in as well.
Click to expand...
Go back and look at some of Dgallows old threads when he used to post on here. He is one of the few members that ran cattle on his property and used a variety of planting especially in the fall and allowed the cattle to do his trampling, planting, and weed control. And I've walked it in person and it changed how I view my plots anymore despite having no cattle. And part of the reasoning of my Buffalo plot and using the tractor to give me the affect of grazing and trampling every 30-90 days.
 
Im hoping the cows will graze it short enough that I wont have to mow it, theres alot of other grass for them to eat. Maybe a straight clover plot might be better, some areas have some wild clovers in them naturally and if I give them something like a brassica in there too, it might be worse for grazing to the ground.
 
Ya without putting up some kind of fence, once they're in there, it's free range except for the CRP fields

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
Turkish said:
I could be mistaken, but I think dgallow had the ability to keep the cows off his food plots when he wanted to. That’s a pretty important detail.
Click to expand...
Yep and thus his 60-90 day rotation. Uses a cheap fix of electric easily moveable single strand fence. Point is more that the cattle can do the work of discing, plowing, planting, or mowing. Not sure of Bigblues land but from what time I've spent in NE, I doubt the cattle would be parked in that locale for an indefinite time. Just an option for the question asked.
 
dogghr said:
Yep and thus his 60-90 day rotation. Uses a cheap fix of electric easily moveable single strand fence. Point is more that the cattle can do the work of discing, plowing, planting, or mowing. Not sure of Bigblues land but from what time I've spent in NE, I doubt the cattle would be parked in that locale for an indefinite time. Just an option for the question asked.
Click to expand...

Nope they wouldn't be there more than 2 months. Not sure on total stocking rate for the farm, this is just a single 1/4 of it. Theres 3 more 1/4s of grass that are a part of it as well, but theyre about a mile away from this one. Probably have about 75 pairs on it next year, don't think itll get grazed this year because our stocking rate is lower than it should be and we were over a month late getting cows out this year.
 
I also graze some of my plots. Whatever you plant originally, be ready to overseed. If the cattle think your plot is candy it may get a lot of pressure. Ideally, you could check it out before the cattle are rotated out. If you're worried about regrowth then, broadcast something quick like rye. The cattle will trample it in for you.
 
That's kinda my thought as well. I'm hoping that since were most likely not going to graze it this year, Ill get a good stand of clover and chicory, then if I need to overseed it with rye, radishes etc.
 
Guys ...a question ...( been gone from the farm a long time) BUT ...I'm remembering there are times clover is dangerous to cattle (bloating?)
but I don't recall the exact timing sequence that sets up the problem ...so check it out ...heres hoping I'm remembering wrong!

Bear
 
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