A previous request for a photo

[agmantoo]

I had a request to post a view that would give a better perspective of rotational grazing. Hopefully this will be what they are looking for as I guess it was unclear as to how the animals are moved along. The area to the right and toward the bottom are where the animals have grazed the entire month of Oct. The cattle will continue to move toward the top area a little at a time and then will be returned to the bottom left and again move to the top as I reposition the polywire. I am forcing them to graze more extensively (closer to the ground than normal) as I am conserving the rest of the farm in stockpiled grass for Winter grazing. We clear now?

[KSALguy]

how fast does that grow back being grazed so close so late in the season?

[Allen W]

Agman does the stockpiled fescue have enough protein for your cattle or dou you have to supplement protein? Can you use the ryegrass as a protein supplement as we could wheat or rye pasture here in the winter, one day on wheat and one or two days on dry grass or low quality hay?

[agmantoo]

Yes Allen, the stockpiled fescue seems to have enough protein without added supplement. It does not hurt that I have culled the cattle keeping only those that maintain good body condition from the fescue alone. The calves sell in the top 10% at the sale barn. I have had replacement bulls that were pampered prior to coming to my place and they did not hold body condition and were phased out along with their offspring. My cows weigh in around 1050 to 1100 hundred pounds. I do not want large framed brood cows. The annual rye grass is grown in the grazed out fescue paddocks (all open land is planted to fescue) only as an insurance against running out of stockpiled fescue. I stick to this procedure as it permits me to be a low cost but profitable producer. The rye grass is fed the same as the fescue. I do have a variety of white clovers planted for nitrogen production that offsets the endophyte perceived issues. Personally, I have only witnessed with a couple of animals what was a temporary impact on 2 occasions in the ~10 years that I have been in the cattle business and that was early on. The cattle are amusing in that each time I move them to a new paddock they seem to have the same level of enthusiasm for another "serving of fescue" as if they were going to try something new to graze. They also have a routine that seldom varies; from early morning until mid morning they graze and loaf in the paddock and then move to water and shade, around mid afternoon it is a trip back to graze until I show up to move them for additional grazing.

[Tiffin]

Now this is just a funny: Agmantoo, do you discipline yourself as food intake goes to "maintain good body condition?" I'm sure I will get in trouble for this, but just had to ask. lol.