any ideas for converting to rotational grazing?

I have the older powerflex posts and I needed no pilot hole. I understand the new ones are the same, though they are hollow allowing a t post driver with I pilot built in.

I dont know about the new powerflex posts because I have not used them. But I can tell you I have put the old style post through their paces and they take a beating while still continuing to perform. Also mine are closing on 3 years old and still look brand new less a little bird crap for decoration. They are super easy to drill and attach wire also. I know nothing about the pasture pro posts. i assume if they are similar they would be great. But I would not consider any other type of post for line posts than the composite I am a big big fan.

I live near enough to seymore Mo to pick up an order when I need stuff. But that being said they often offer free shipping so even if you have to order still a good deal.
I also like that Powerflex fence really supports graziers. they are a sponcer of the stockman grass farmer. they often put on customer appreciation days and have seminars for education. I am a firm believer in supporting those whom support you. THe G2's have been out for about a year now so surely you could get a review. Though I would doubt powerflex would dump a good design unless they found a superior one.

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Sold the farm no more critters
I have a postage stamp lot now
I aim to make it the most organic productive 1/3 acre in southwest Missouri
With a 20 acre plot to be added in 3 years or so

After about 5 days of them in the area.

agmantoo
Hubby is off this weekend and we will be going to try and get the tractor running. He is pretty good mechanically and yes we would be willing to do a modification to the mower.
IF we get it going should we bush hog this weekend?
I will check into the remedy and the crop oil you mentioned.
thanks

lamoncha lover

Examine the sericea closely for the lowest position on the largest stemmed plant where seed pods exist. Mow the plants off below this level. Do not work the soil. Doing so will be the same as planting the seed.

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

Relegate Herbicide 1 Gallon (Same as Remedy Ultra Herbicide)
$75.95
Same active ingredient as Relegate Ultra - Why pay more? 60% Triclopyr (Relegate Ultra & Garlon 4 are 61% Triclopyr)
Is this ok agmantoo?

lamoncha lover
It is the active ingredient we are after so it should work. Realize if it is being shipped you need to compare the "landed" price of both herbicides. We still want the surfactant also. I prefer Hook surfactant but doubt if it is available as few places carry it.
http://hookadjuvant.com/pdf/CL%2037%...ig%20Stick.pdf

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

agmantoo..Thanks!

ok, so we overdid it with the clover seed last winter...this spring the crimson clover was spectacular....the cows loved it, though it might have been a bit much for them.....it has gone to seed, I am sure it will be back....now there is a lot of the white clover, which we also generously sowed.....

but the grasses in the clover area are not doing as well as they should....so how do we get a better balance of different forages....??....when we have hot,dry weather the clover slows way up, but then the ground is too exposed....

I can see that in other pastures we will be more judicious in our overseeding of the clover....it is pretty and all, but I am thinking we need more variety...

any suggestions as to what to overseed with come fall or now for that matter would be appreciated

Hi

It is hot and you have been very dry from what I have seen on the weather stations. That combination has negatively impacted the grasses as they are cool season and like wet. Come Sept, after rain, be prepared to plant a mixture of 15 lbs of annual ryegrass (marshall) and 10 to 12 lbs of fescue (ky31). Since the existing plants will be short, IMO, try to no till drill if possible.

If you want to plant something now for feed consider 20 lbs/acre of pearl millet. Again no till drill into the existing heavily grazed remaining plants that are in the pasture. You do not want a full stand of the millet as it will shade the existing plants. There will be no bloat risks with the millet.

How are the persimmon sprouts?

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

agmantoo
just wanted to clartify
we do as suggested with the herbicide then go back over with the "Hook"
Is it possible to do it all at once...add the hook with the other? Would save a ton of time and gas if we didn't have to make 2 passes. Of course we want the best bang for our buck too so whatever you advise.

Good that you posted. Here is the procedure. You are to use 1 1/2 pints of the herbicide per acre. You are to use 20 gallons of water per acre as the carrier for the herbicide. The surfactant, Hook, is added to the herbicide and water mix to enhance the herbicide/water mix. With all 3 items put in the tank in this order....water, herbicide, surfactant. With the 3 items in the tank and mixed then you are ready to apply. When calibrating the applicator just use water until you are satisfied that you are applying as near to 20 gallons per acre as accurately as possible. What you are wanting to achieve is getting the 1 1/2 pints of herbicide per acre, no more or no less, on the sericea. If when setting the applicator and you find that you are getting a little more or a little less water per acre than desirable just accept that but mix the herbicide to still achieve the 1 1/2 pints /acre at the rate the applicator is putting out the water. As the sericea matures, what escapes this initial application of herbicide may need a different treatment. Your timing is important as this is the ideal time for the above treatment.

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

gotcha
guess we got a little confused. Thanks for clarifying.
will get on it ASAP. If we can only get the tractor going, the other stuff should be the easier stuff. Hope the window to apply has a little flexibility. Husband will be working the next 14 days.
This stuff is not for the busy, or the poor or the city slicker ..and we are all 3:>)
thanks again! lori

I dont know about your herbicide, but with glyphosate the plant needs to be sprayed and left alone for the spray to work then after it is killed you may cut or plow.

__________________
Sold the farm no more critters
I have a postage stamp lot now
I aim to make it the most organic productive 1/3 acre in southwest Missouri
With a 20 acre plot to be added in 3 years or so

Agman, is there a small no till drill?now that the pastures are all divided it would be troublesome to have my older neighbor, the only person I know with this equipment, to drill my fall seeds...so is there a smaller piece of machinery that will do this....we have been broadcasting seed as that is what we can do easily, but I can see how useful it would be to be able to get the seed in the ground...

it has been dry here,but we have had showers all along....grass is still green...but we need real rain and soon if we are to keep it all going...rotating the cows is the only way to manage and by next year we may have the right balance of cows and size of paddocks...meanwhile we want to keep getting the seed we need out there....

so if anyone knows of a small drill, or some other alternate item it would be great to hear about it....

In my state each county FSA agency has a no-till drill you can rent - very reasonable rates too.

You may want to check into that. The drills my county has are both 9 foot which is very manageable.

gwithrow,

I managed to locate a 3 point hitch version of a Tye similar to these
http://www.tractorhouse.com/list/lis...nSearch=Search

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

My county has the drills at the USDA office. However they are somewhat large and require 80 HP minimum tractor. I bought a dew drop drill. It is very small but works geat for planting 5 to 10 acres. It can be pulled behind a 4 wheeler or lawnmower. I posted a youtube video of it. It has a native seed box and a legume box. They are kinda pricey I paid around $6500. Some areas have these smaller drills to rent. Ducks unlimited bought several for its memebers too.
Another drill company Greenscape advertises in the stockman grass farmer. they are out of Rocky Mount NC. 252-442-0700. If memory serves they are kinda pricey too.
Your best bet would be to check with your county for renting one. I did not want to buy a big tractor (well could not afford) and I already had an Heavy Duty commercial mower so the small drill was the cheapest way for me.
I will be buying a big tractor in the future. I will buy one big enough to rent the big drills. But i need to eliminate other debt and refine my grazing skills first. I aquired access to 31 additional acres this year, so I am concentrating on building a herd now. Probably after I own that land Ill upgrade to a nice big tractor. For now Ill up as high a density of cattle on as small a paddock as I can to eat and trample, then I graze until where I started is ideal to return to, and Ill stock pile what I dont graze for inclimate weather (hot and dry or cold). This will keep my grazing size very fliud depending on herd size and their appetite. But it should minimize the need for clipping until I can afford the equipment to do it. This is definitely not the ideal way to do it. Stockpiled forage that goes to seed has much lower nutritional value. But my herd did nicely last year on similarly stockpiled forage. perhaps as I eliminate debt Ill consider a mid size tractor to handle clipping. But for now I have to tell my self no big purchases other than heiffers (which I save for and pay cash) until I am debt free. Otherwise I will never be debt free.

__________________
Sold the farm no more critters
I have a postage stamp lot now
I aim to make it the most organic productive 1/3 acre in southwest Missouri
With a 20 acre plot to be added in 3 years or so

here is a link to one of my videos of the deew drop drill.

__________________
Sold the farm no more critters
I have a postage stamp lot now
I aim to make it the most organic productive 1/3 acre in southwest Missouri
With a 20 acre plot to be added in 3 years or so

Hey, again all. I dropped off the radar again. Things have been crazy here, but all is looking up now.

Agman, in answer to your question yes, we've been PARCHED here. Our yard hasn't been mowed since the very end of April if that tells you anything. Last week I had to turn the cows onto the end of the pasture that isn't set up for rotation because it was so dry. Nothing was regrowing. But if I'd had things set up in the rest of the pasture, we'd still be rotating--just no new growth. Daddy has fed some hay to the other 2 herds.

But thankfully we had a nice soaking rain last night--7/10 inch here--and we've had almost 1/2 inch in the last week in small showers here and there. It's already beginning to recover.

About 3 weeks ago we had more high winds with a storm that came through--not even a tenth of an inch of rain--and we had a tree in the pasture blown onto a power line that then caught on fire. Thankfully no major damages and no animals injured.

I'm about to start digging for the waterlines in the next week. And when that project is done, I'm going to go back to putting up high tensile in the part of the pasture the cows are now roaming on.

Hope everyone's well. And I also hope to stay more informed. I changed my email address so I can receive notifications of new posts--of course it's not an account I check regularly, but my regular address won't receive anything. Go figure.
Take care!

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Godsgapeach

“There are two ways to get enough: one is to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”

–GK Chesterton

And Agman, I haven't seen you mention it in the backlog of posts I just read...

Are you still pleased with the RR crabgrass you broadcast? Has it reseeded as advertised and held up with the dry weather?

It's still on my list...

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Godsgapeach

“There are two ways to get enough: one is to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”

–GK Chesterton