Can I brag a little?

[Mark T]

I just brought my cows home from winter pasture. I stockpiled and rotated and haven't fed hay to them at all. The grass is starting to come and I might have gotten away with just keeping them out but I wanted to let the spring grass get a jump without grazing pressure, so will feed them hay for two weeks and take them back over.

I checked on them regularly and watched their condition, but they all kept in good shape except for a first time mom who I brought her home early and weaned her monster calf (she's 3/4 dairy and was milking off her back).

This was my first year winter grazing ala agmantoo and I hoped to make it into January but my small numbers per acre and a mild winter took me all the way through.

I do have a regret - I kept 600 bales as a reserve in case they started to lose condition and I had to bring them home. I could have sold them for winter premium prices if I had known how well they'd do on pasture alone.

Thanks to everybody on Homesteading Today who has posted on stockpiling - your wisdom really paid off.

[trbizwiz]

Awesome. Give some of the hay while they are on spring pasture to slow down their digestion a bit.
Mine have all the cereal rye and clover they can eat right now , I also bought some hay for just in case and I needed very little. 18 inches of snow required a bit of hay for a week.
Any way I am giving a little with each move. They pick at it a little. Hopefully it'll firm up their patties.


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[spinandslide]

that sounds lovely!

Right now we are in a drought...my pasture should be bursting and while I see bits of green..its not what it should be. wheat pastures are in awful shape. I have a feeling this is going to be a tough year.

[Tad]

As far as the hay goes....better too much than not enough! Wish we could graze in the winter but the 80" of snow a year causes a bit of a problem!

[April]

That's very inspiring. Great work!

[HomesteadingFam]

Originally Posted by Mark T

I just brought my cows home from winter pasture. I stockpiled and rotated and haven't fed hay to them at all. The grass is starting to come and I might have gotten away with just keeping them out but I wanted to let the spring grass get a jump without grazing pressure, so will feed them hay for two weeks and take them back over.

I checked on them regularly and watched their condition, but they all kept in good shape except for a first time mom who I brought her home early and weaned her monster calf (she's 3/4 dairy and was milking off her back).

This was my first year winter grazing ala agmantoo and I hoped to make it into January but my small numbers per acre and a mild winter took me all the way through.

I do have a regret - I kept 600 bales as a reserve in case they started to lose condition and I had to bring them home. I could have sold them for winter premium prices if I had known how well they'd do on pasture alone.

Thanks to everybody on Homesteading Today who has posted on stockpiling - your wisdom really paid off.

Could you tell us a little of how you did this? You planted winter green crop right? So is your field a mixture of winter-hardy and summer grass? I'm intrigued

My husband and I are just beginning an 8-year journey to having our own farm (that is when my husband will be finishing active duty in the Air Force) and so are heavily in the research part. We plan on having a polyface-type farm raising pastured beef, lamb, dairy goats, chickens, turkeys, and eggs. I have raised Nubian goats in the past (and was actually on HT for a couple years under a different username) and right now we have a 1/2 acre garden and 8 meat chickens. So we are getting our feet wet and going slowly.

Anyhow, any info on the techniques you used for sowing your pastures and managing a herd on winter grazing would be so much appreciated!!!

[Gabriel]

Originally Posted by HomesteadingFam

Could you tell us a little of how you did this?

If you have time, read the rotational grazing sticky at the top of this forum.

Mark, good work! I like to hear it, especially since I'm embarking on that same adventure this year.

[HomesteadingFam]

Originally Posted by Gabriel

If you have time, read the rotational grazing sticky at the top of this forum.

Mark, good work! I like to hear it, especially since I'm embarking on that same adventure this year.

Thanks for the direction Gabriel---I'm on it!

[trbizwiz]

I'll second that. Read the rotational grazing thread. It will take a week or so. But you must start from the beginning. Pay special attention to everything agmantoo says. He is usually willing to answer questions. But out of respect for his time and generousity please read the whole thread before asking questions. Most answers are in there and some are in there a few times.



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