Pasture Development

DenMacII · #1 02/07/10, 03:37 PM

Hello All,

We are looking to add a couple of cattle to our property to raise for beef. We have about 2 1/4 acres of irrigated pasture that is fenced into two pastures that will be dedicated just for the cows.

We want to improve the mix of grasses on the pasture, but have no idea where to begin. There are a bazillion seed companies on line that claim they have the best seed at the best prices and we don't know where to begin.

What can we do in the coming month to prep the pasture and seed it so that we have a good mix of grasses for when we put cows on them later in the spring. We do live in a warmer climate where by the end of February we won't have any hard freeze issues. While it may have been optimum to seed last fall, I am sure there are steps we can take now to at least improve what we have this year.

We are planning on keeping the cows grass fed and hope to have the majority of their feed coming off the pasture, and not from a feed store.

As always, that you for your insight and assistance.

Dennis

agmantoo · #2 02/07/10, 07:33 PM

DenMacII

I see your are in Norther California but I do not know how far north. A lot of the seed I purchase for planting here in NC come from the Portland Oregon area. My first suggestion would be to look around your area and observe what is being grown in abundance. You also need to determine what your acreage is suitable to grow. It is a major mistake to try to grow a forage that is very productive on land that is unsuitable for the plant. It is also a mistake to try to produce cattle that have needs that cannot be met on forage alone. What you need to do is match the land, the forage, your inputs and expenditures and cattle. Then you will have a setup that is capable of utilizing the resources to the maximum. IMO, you will get the best use from the pasture by implementing rotational grazing. We have a sticky above on the practice.

gracie88 · #3 02/08/10, 02:38 PM

Yup, Willamette Valley, grass seed capital of the world (hey, you take what you can get) Have you tried your local extension office? That's usually who I call first.

triple divide · #4 02/08/10, 06:06 PM

Before I started worrying about grasses, I have to ask; You say "a couple of cattle" Does that mean "two"?

If so, good. That is all the animal weight that two well developed acres can sustain. The rule of thumb has always been one acre/1000#'s live animal weight. This is a rule, not a law. ymmv.

After deciding that, you need soil samples to determine ph. You may need lime or aeration or maybe both. If you need nitrogen you might consider planting a manure crop such as buckwheat before lime application and disk it in after the plants' flowers are pollinated. This will cut down on fertilizer needed for planting which can be done either immidiatly or the following spring.

After that talk, to your extention agent. I'd ask for a suggestion for a perennial grass suitable for the region.

IMO too much time cannot be spent on good pasture development before adding cattle.

DenMacII · #5 02/11/10, 12:00 AM

Thanks for the info.

I've taken several trips to the Sticky on rotational grazing, and doubt that I am half way through it yet - great info. I need to keep a steady pace there so I don't gloss over anything. Thanks Agmantoo for such great information, mabye you should collect all your insight into a book?!?!

I've looked into our Extention agent on line and need to contact their offices. There was no mention of recommended pasture mixes on their website. Hopefully a phone call will point me in the right direction.

Triple Divide - yes, we wouldn't put more than two on the space available.

I've asked a couple of people in our area what they recommend for pasture, but didn't get more than a 'get the pasture mix from Tractor Supply - it's cheap.' Of course, I am enamored with Joel Saladin's Salad Bar pasture. There must be some happy medium between the two that can be started as spring approaches.

I also plan on testing the soil in the coming weeks.

Thanks again for all your insight here!

genebo · #6 02/11/10, 10:41 AM

The man who owns the local feed and seed store knows what everyone else is planting. He sells them the seed. Get his recommendation.

He also might be able to spread fertilizer and lime cheaper than you can buy it and spread it yourself.

Our guy gets us free soil tests, provided by the fertilizer distributer. List on the soil test form the type of grass you're going to plant and they'll give you an application rate.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

DenMacII · #7 02/12/10, 12:25 PM

A couple of new questions have popped up:

1. Is the basic soil sample kit sufficient? A local farm supply offers a take-home sample kit for $17.00 each or you can bring in a cup of soil that they send out to a lab for $55.00 which provides a more thorough test result. Seems to me the baisic kit would suffice. Unfortunately I have not found a seed supplyer in our area that offers free sample kits.

2. A neighbor has strongly recommended a no-till drill to sow the seeds. I've done a bit of research on line and this seems to be a machine that is more-or-less a disc that inserts the seed behind the blade. A local Ag. resource group has one to rent for $150.00 per day. I have a Briggs & Stratten roto-tiller attachment for a garden tractor that if used efficiently would blade the soil open (not slow till until everything is turned over), allowing me to broadcast seed behind it and either water in, or quickly till over once more to sow the seeds into the soil. By using my own equipment I would save $150 - which is more than the cost of the seed for the 2+ acres of pasture that we plan to seed. Keeping my costs down are important, but results are more important.

3. Most of the pasture seed in the area comes from Oregon, but also Australia. Is there a preference as to the seeds origination?

Any and all insight is always greatly appreciated!!!

Dennis

ramiller5675 · #8 02/12/10, 01:07 PM

You can send a soil sample to Midwest Laboratories and get a variety of soil tests done relatively inexpensively, goto https://www.midwestlabs.com/ for more information.

You are going to need a certain level of fertility to grow grass (either newly planted or existing), so why not spend your money on fertilizer and see if your pasture improves without reseeding?