shade for beef

[navygirl]

I am trumpeting my status as a newbie cattle-woman, despite having had cows for more than a year now. But it is time to move into the rotational grazing arena. I have already worked out how to partition off the pasture and solved the water issue. My question concerns shade. Do black Angus actually need shade in a temperate climate? I'm located in central western VA. It usually doesn't get hotter than the low 90's.
Thanks!

[tyusclan]

Can they get by without it? Probably. BUT, they'll do much better with it. Ninety degrees is hot for cattle, and having shade available will be a big help.

[navygirl]

Thank you!!!

[travlnusa]

I have 4 pastures I rotate. Two with shade and two without. I use the non shaded pastures in the spring and fall, and when it allows mid summer. When the heat is on, I use the shaded pastures.

Of course I can not stick to this 100% due to weather, grass, etc, but by working with the weather as best I can helps alot.

[genebo]

Navygirl,

Get in touch with the Virginia state water control agency through your county extension agent or the USDA. They'll come out and help you develop a plan for rotational grazing. They'll even offer you financial help doing it if you agree to keep it for a period of time.

Stop by here if you'd like to see my rotational grazing that offers shade and water all the time. The Appomattox River Soil and Water Conservation District helped me design it. They paid for most of it, too.

Genebo
Paradise Farm
http://paradisedexters.com

[navygirl]

Genebo, your farm and cattle are beautiful!
I'll check into the county extension for sure... Thanks!

[Onthebit]

Wouldn't that mean a tracking device?
What is a county extension agent anyways? The USDA? Hardly sounds homesteading to me!!!

[genebo]

Onthebit,

There are no tracking devices involved. In order to get financial help in establishing a rotational grazing plan, you have to agree to keep and maintain the rotational grazing system for a number of years. I agreed to 4 years. Some got more financial help but agreed to longer terms.

In most states, there is an agricultural university that provides agents to answer questions and serve the public's agricultural needs. They are an extension of the university, thus the name "extension agent". In some places they're called the agricultural extension agent. There is usually one for every county in the state, so they're called county agents sometimes.

They deal with every aspect of agricultural life, but mainly with the things that are most popular in their area. In areas where homesteading is popular, the extension agent will be up-to-speed on the questions homesteaders ask. Maybe not in counties near big cities.

The USDA and some state agencies offer financial help for various endeavors that farmers take part in. They are separate, the state and the USDA, but each knows what the other offers. The extension agent will be informed of their activities and can hook you up with one or both of them.

In my state, there is an agency responsible for maintaining water quality in our streams and rivers. They monitor farmers to make sure they are not polluting with excessive fertilizer or manure runoff, among other things. That agency has a list of "best practices" for farmers to follow. It's voluntary but if you do choose to follow their practices they may offer to pay for some of the expenses of doing it.

One of their best practices is to replace crop land with grass. There is less erosion from a pasture of grass than from a field of corn, so that improves water quality. The agency offered to help me to stop growing pumpkins, watermelons and oats and instead start growing grass in it's place. It didn't matter what I did with the grass. I could hay it, graze it or let it feed wildlife. I just had to keep the land in grass for 4 years. They paid 75% of the cost of plowing the field, liming, fertilizing and seeding it in grass. Once that was done and I was paid, I couldn't stop growing grass and start growing crops for 4 years.

Once I fenced in the whole field and put cattle on the grass, they offered to help me establish a rotational grazing plan to help keep the grass in good shape. They were interested in the grass. Their plan suggested a maximum number of cattle to keep on the grass and suggested several layouts for internal fencing. Shade and water were considered. The plan I liked the best required that I install a single frost-free waterer centrally located and create 4 paddocks so that the cattle would have access to any one of the paddocks and still have access to the trees and waterer.

My pasture is pretty far from my house. There is no electricity. There was no cheap way to provide running water. We discarded the plan of running electricity to the barn and drilling a well. Too expensive. I rented a trencher and dug 2000' of trench to run water from my well to the waterer. Along the way I was allowed to tap the water line for another waterer and a frostproof hydrant at the barn. They paid 75% of all costs, including my labor at $10/hr.

It turns out that the 75% covered all the materials and paid back every cent I'd spent. The only thing it didn't cover was the charge for my labor, which was the other 25%. So I got all that value, the materials and the engineering, for free. All I have invested is my own sweat.

Of course, now I had to keep it up for 4 years. That was no problem, since I wanted to keep it for much longer than that.

Now I have fences and water I could never have afforded on my own. As a result, the grass stays in good condition all year and in the best years I can even cut hay off of it. I'm as happy and contented with the arrangement as my cattle are.

That's why I recommend it to others. It can improve your farm life beyond what you might be capable of doing by yourself for just the cost of your labor.

Incidentally, the barn is all solar powered to provide lights and run my fence charger. All the rest of the things are passive, except for the well pump back at the house. I'm pretty 'green'. My farming operation is done homestead-style, even if my house isn't.

The house is not under my rule, you see.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

[Cheryl aka JM]

I think I need to go talk to the people at the extension agency in Alabama. Thanks for telling us your experience. I've heard of people around here getting into those programs but I was under the impression they were income based not based on how you plan to maintain your property.

[ksfarmer]

Originally Posted by Onthebit

Wouldn't that mean a tracking device?
What is a county extension agent anyways? The USDA? Hardly sounds homesteading to me!!!

Onthebit, although I can't speak for Ontario, Genebo gives a very good explanation of what the extension service is in the US. Here in Kansas our extension service is tied to Kansas State University. It is invaluable for all types of information and works closely with the 4-H kids programs. When I was actively farming I used them for all types of info, from beef production, to crops, to soil testing and more. Now that I am retired, I am into gardening for a local farmers market, the county extension agent is a horticulturist and is a gold mine of information. I recently took the Master Gardener training which is also a program offered by the state extension. I would encourage anyone, be they homesteader or business to avail themselves of these programs.

[Onthebit]

I don't think we have anything like that here. They make the farmer work for everything then take what they can when tax time comes around....THIS TIME OF YEAR!

[Onthebit]

They do have a young farmers program though. I applied about 20 yrs ago to buy 100 acres. They wanted you to buy the farm and about 500000 worth of equipment with it though. I thought, how can I pay for that equipment when I only wanted 100000 for the farm. Sheesh!