February 2008 Newsletter
As the market drew to a close last year, many people asked me how we were going to get the cows through the winter after last year’s drought. The answer is management. To have a functioning grazing system you must manage your pastures as a crop and not as a holding area for cattle while the weather is still pretty. Our cattle are concentrated in one area for a short time and then rotated. This practice allows the vast majority of the farm time for rest, regrowth, and recovery which leads to thicker sods that minimize runoff and act as a sponge capturing every precious drop of rainfall.
While a lot of farmers in the area started experience angst in August, we took action in April. We started preparing for the drought last year while it was in its early stages. With management intensive grazing (also called rotational grazing) the first rule of thumb is to rotate the cattle at the speed the grass is growing. Some of our paddocks that we are grazing this winter had as much as an eight month rest before being grazed. Last year that number was closer to three months of rest.
The result? I have included three pictures taken on Feb. 12th.
The first one is a close up shot of a section of typical pasture yet to be grazed this winter. You can see how far above my boot the grass reaches. This will be rationed out very stringently. The cows will be given a new small section every 1-2 days to minimize wasted forages and maximize longevity of the pasture. This strict ration of available food sounds like it might be hard on the cows, doesn’t it?
The second picture shows that the cows are doing quite well in this program. You will not find many cow herds in this good of condition this winter, no matter how much hay or feed you give them. For about 10 years we have been selecting only the hardiest and most adapted animals to breed back in the herd. This herd has been crafted to thrive in low-input conditions. If this genetic line of cows can thrive on restricted amounts of grass and no hay, imagine how well their offspring will perform on open pasture and supplemented with high quality hay.
The third picture is the aftermath of the cow herd. Evenly grazed pastures with an evenly distributed layer of natural (and free) fertilizer. This can’t be done as well with any machine because it was meant to be done with cows.
And that, my friends, is how Mother Nature does winter.
Thanks and Happy Grazing!
Will Clark
Rich Valley Grazers
