Seeding pasture questions

[masawyer]

I thought someone on here could help us with this.

We rent a place on 3 acres that is spotted with trees throughout, not
heavily wooded. Our landlord doesn't want any trees cut down, except
dead ones. We would like to make the pasture area the best possible for
our milk cow, her calf and a steer we are raising for meat.

What would grow well in a shady pasture? How long would it take to
get established enough to let the cows graze on it? We tether the older
two cows around the place because the property is not all fenced and
they are not in the same area together so it would be one cow at a time
on an area, with a little overlap.

Thanks,

Marsha in OK

[G. Seddon]

I would suggest consulting with your agricultural extension agent and, because you are renting this property, discussing the recommendations with the owner before making any changes.

Yikes, tethering can be dangerous if the animals aren't supervised and become tangled in their ropes. I know people do it, but I can't imagine it myself. Why not put up a simple electric fence with t-posts? This is not permanent fencing but would surely offer a viable solution in your situation.