any ideas for converting to rotational grazing?

Something like that that you could put a straw chopper on like a combine has. Then again maybe there wouldn't be enough straw to matter. One thing I'm sure everyone experiences is that what the tractor tires run over will just stand back up seed heads and all.

Walking the pasture yesterday ,I noticed I have dung beetles. Do I still need to drag the pasture? Or wait and let them work? I never noticed them before, until seeing someone post about them on here... Great thread...

My grazing system, which was designed by the NRCS, has been functioning very well since I purchased it in 2010. I have not grown into it, though. The previous owner was working in excess of 100 cow/calf pairs in his peak. I only have 20.

I intend on taking advantage of my small herd size by cutting down the 10-15 acre paddock sizes using poly-wire, step in posts, and 100 gallon stock tanks. As I have been contemplating this move, I have slowly began to appreciate how well the NRCS did in placing water, fence and gates. Plasson QC taps are located in a number of very convenient spots.

My question involves shade. My very next paddock in the rotation, if I were to keep it whole, only has shade in a stand of hedge at the very center of the paddock. If I elect to carve this paddock up, should I incorporate that stand of shade is some manner in each sub-paddock? I can make nice, tidy sub-paddocks if I don't worry about shade. Giving them shade will require a bit of creative thinking.

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Don't know if this idea will help anyone-we still can only mow about 14" but 8" was all we could do before. On our old bushhog we moved the pins for the three-point down to just above the deck. The pump on our old Massey Ferg would knock like crazy if we tried to mow with the lift all the way up-moving the pins lets us put it midrange and it seems happier.

IMO shade is essential....I like the idea of permanent lanes to shade and water.

Great idea.

If you drag it makes it harder for the beetles to do their work. However, if you're on a small (relative, I know) place then the cattle will never get so far ahead of their own manure that they truly leave the fly larvae behind. So, as always, the answer is "it depends". Got a fly load? Drag 3-4 days behind the cattle. That should give the beetles time to do their thing and move on, while still reducing flies. I'm not dragging this year at all, but am not too happy with the fly load so far. 75 acres, 1/3 acre moves twice a day, the patties are never too far away... guess I need to get my egg mobile into service.

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If you drag it makes it almost impossible for the beetles to do their work. Some of the dung beetles lay their eggs in the manure, some lay eggs in the ground under the manure, etc. None of the dung beetles are adapted to laying eggs in or under manure and then having the manure spread out all over the pasture by someone dragging a harrow over the pasture.

When you drag the pasture you disrupt the entire world of the dung beetle and it's hard for new ones to hatch out.

Dragging a pasture all the time doesn't seem very low input or holistic to me.

Most of us do more work than we need to or have to including me, but I'm working on that. If your rotations are long enough they shouldn't have the smell they do initially to a cow. Also, dragging this time of year just causes them to dry out and soil life needs moisture. I've heard that left intact they are like miniature compost piles.

Just a few comments regarding several recent posts. I realize that my cattle to land ratio probably exceeds what most folks are doing and I am aware that what works for me may not adapt readily to many of those that are doing rotational grazing.

I do drag grazed paddocks after a 3 to 5 days period following grazing. I do this for several reasons. Since I apply no commercial fertilizer and depend mainly on the cattle manure I want the manure to be evenly distributed. Cattle will not eat the recovering grass that is growing from a manure pat. When I return the herd to the paddock I want the entire paddock forage to be consumable. I also feel that since the dung beetles that are present on my farm are tunnelers that they have had an opportunity to work the fresh manure and that all is well with the beetles. The spread manure will dry out rapidly following the distribution of the manure and IMO this effort may help in fly control. Do realize this work is done within days following the grazing so there is not much ground cover remaining when ~126,000 lbs of cattle were fed for 24 hours on ~36,000 square feet of paddock. I also clip seed heads because my major grass is fescue. This effort is done to reduce the endophyte that is stored in the seedhead. I have tried numerous other grasses but none have held up and produced the volume of forage over such long periods of time as the fescue here in zone 7. Here is a couple photos taken today of a paddock that was grazed roughly 2+ months ago and then dragged with a harrow and the tops clipped a few weeks ago. You can see how uniform the color of the forage is and that some of the fescue that had not headed back then did go to seed. My herd is accustomed to eating fescue and the small amount of seed head remaining should not be an issue. I know that I am getting a good return on the investment of fuel and time for these small tasks. The profit margin from this small cattle operation supports my position.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

What are you clipping your pasture with?

Agmantoo,
One can't argue with success. You certainly have my highest respect. I guess I'm not sure what plays the biggest role in productivity....the manure, or the high stocking density that you have, or the ongoing growing up of the grass and then defoliation. I know all three play a very positive role plus time. As each year passes the pasture should get better and better.
I have combined two herds this year about six weeks ago from two farms that are parallel to each other. After moving the one herd over to the other farm the remaining farm has just been growing without cattle on it yet so far. I noticed today that my lanes are growing quite well too, as a matter of fact, they are growing as good or better than the paddocks. I've just been letting the cows pick in the lanes at will all last year and this year up until I moved them. All I can figure is that my lanes have been getting an incredible amount of stocking density with the traffic of the cows even though they are basically getting overgrazed. Not sure what to make of it, except that the stock density must be very important to the over all production.

am1too

I am clipping with a Bushhog brand rotary cutter. I can get a higher clip using a semi mount type when the fescue is nearly seeded to the point of maturity. I also have a drawbar type and it works OK when I come in after the cattle have grazed the fescue and left trampled stems and uneaten manured grass. Sometimes I am now pulling the drag behind the mower to accomplish both task in a single pass. The tractor is using roughly 2 gallons of fuel per acre when pulling both implements. On my flatter land I can cover ~3 acres per hour. Each day that I can graze a paddock offsets the cost of 3+ large round bales of hay. I will let you do the math. For me, the effort is justifiable plus I enjoy running the machinery.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

I have just started reading this thread im going to read it from the top. I dont think that im ready to start rotational grazing but it seems like a great thread. Agmantoo i do have a question, other then being red how does this cow compare to your ideal for rotational grazing? She's three years old and just had her second calf three weeks ago. She's 48 inches tall at her hips.

FarmerDavid

From my viewing of the pic the 3 year old cow would be great for rotational grazing. Nice straight back, good hips, right frame and small udder. She should be cheap to keep and produce a very marketable calve off grass alone.

If you start rotational grazing now you should have an advantage by the time Fall arrives and you should be able to go into Winter with enough experience to reduce your hay use by 25 % IMO. Good luck and thanks for sharing the pic of the cow.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

At this time I don't think I have the water access to go to a system like yours. I had intentions of putting in some frost free waterers but don't have the funds to at this time. I'm running 20 females on 20 acres. I did decide the 20 acres into 4 five acre paddocks. One of those only has water only in the spring. The paddocks are to big but helping.

That cow is what I immediately thought of with one of your descriptions and your pictures. She is probably the best example of my cow as compared to what you look for but is representative of half the cows. The other half are bigger. I just wanted to post the pic to make sure I was on the same page as far as her type.

Also as i previously stated I've just recently started to read this thread and an only on page 8. Ill read a page or two a day as I have time so this my have been previously addressed, have you done any ultrasound on your cattle?

I have not had any ultra sound work done. I have thought about possibly doing it myself but I do not know very much about the equipment nor the cost. My daily activities seem to occupy more time than I have. As a one man show I often let things go that should get my attention.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

Thanks so much. I am just trying to get an idea how to work my grass the best way possible. I am still trying to just get grass. I am doing better with all this rain. Oh what a relief it is. The fire hydrants quit asking dogs for water.

Right now it is to wet to do much more than walk on it.

FarmerDavid, I've seen some very inexpensive, creative, temporary waters. I just put an affordable Jobe float in an old plastic 100 gallon tank that is serviced with a long garden hose. It isn't fancy, won't work in the winter, but I don't care. I have cows on a new smaller paddock that didn't exist until 2 days ago.

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