It is December 10th, and we still have grass in front of the cattle. Snow covers the ground, however the they do not expect, or bawl for, hay. We move them into a new lot each day where they walk around looking for grass. As their hooves scrape across the … Continue reading
Category Archives: Grazing
Mowing and Stocking Rate
Don is mowing along fence rows and tree lines this summer. Our stocking rate is too low for proper trampling. Sure, we won’t run out of grass, however with our infrastructure, it’s difficult to crowd the cattle to graze and trample near these areas. As a result, sprouts and briars … Continue reading
Balance and Progress
What a jumble. Up until a few years ago, we hadn’t given much thought to our wooded areas. We harvest timber each winter for personal use, however that’s the only traffic these areas get. As a result, a mess of woody plants and briars have just about taken over. This … Continue reading
Looking good again
The pastures are looking good again after two years of drought conditions. I think it paid off for us not to over graze but instead, supplement with hay.
Grass to spare.
The spring equinox has come and gone and the cattle still have grass before them. This will be the first season that we have grazed through the winter with grass to spare. A long-time goal has been achieved and the amount of grass to spare may very well be an … Continue reading
Just an observation.
I read few ranching and farming trade publications. Actually, read might be a little strong of a word. Skim is probably a better description. My interest in their articles is passing because they don’t often apply to our small operation. For the last two months however, I’ve noticed a change … Continue reading
What a productive day
What a productive day. We took action on a plan to make less work. Part of the plan is to utilize more wooded area for the cattle to graze and shelter in so today, we set t-posts through a stretch of woods and attached insulators to them. When the time … Continue reading
Six months rent or 15 days worth of hay
Don fed a half bale of hay on Friday. The first of the season. In a matter of days our stockpiled grass will be gone but I’m not complaining. In fact, I’m grateful that we have been able to graze so long considering Missouri’s drought conditions. In past years, we … Continue reading
When all is said and done
It finally rained on September 4th and 5th breaking a seven week dry spell on top of already dry conditions. Amazingly, the three to four inches of rain brought considerable growth and thickening to our pastures. At the end of August, the beginning of our breeding season, we moved the … Continue reading
Brown pastures and a win-win situation
Our green pastures are turning brown. April saw a few drops of rain, however May and June, to date, have been bone dry. Couple this with last year’s drought and it could mean hard times for mid-Missouri grazers. Don and I have done some preparing though. We are grazing more … Continue reading