© 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Greener Pastures P ART TWO – G ETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR PASTURES Speaker Name Speaker

© 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

Greener Pastures

PART TWO– GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR PASTURES

Speaker NameSpeaker Title Speaker Affiliation


▪ Goals▪ Animal Production▪ Forage Production▪ Environmental Management▪ Social Balance▪ Economics▪ More Resources

AGENDA


▪ Gain understanding of sustainability

▪ Understand the balance of animal and plant growth

▪ Understand your personal, social, land and financial considerations for grazing

OUR GOALS: YOU WILL…


▪ Make enough to work only on farm?

▪ Make enough to cover expenses?

▪ Supply habitat for song birds?

▪ Raise your kids on a farm?

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?


WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY

Planet People Profit


▪ Raise the best animals you can as efficiently as you can

▪ Genetics▪ Meat and/or milk quality▪ Measuring growth▪ Calculate forage needs▪ Additional topics

ANIMAL PRODUCTION


▪ Frame size and shape▪ Mothering ability▪ Temperament▪ Winter hardiness▪ Rate of Gain▪ Time to finish▪ Meat/milk quality, quantity

and flavor▪ Longevity▪ Interest in foraging

▪ Multiple offspring per ewe pregnancy

ANIMAL SELECTION - GENETICS


Increases Quality

▪ Good Genetics▪ Fast growth▪ Marbling▪ Low animal stress

Decreases Quality

▪ Poor Genetics▪ Slow growth▪ Leanness▪ High animal stress

MEAT QUALITY AND GRAZING‘Quality’ = good eating, tender and juicy, flavorful


Increases Quality

▪ Genetics▪ Balanced energy and

protein diet▪ Animal comfort

Decreases Quality

▪ Genetics▪ Low energy and

protein diet▪ High animal stress

MILK QUALITY AND GRAZING

‘Quality’ = protein and fat content, low somatic cell count


Increases Quantity

▪ Genetics▪ Optimal energy and

protein diet▪ High foraging interest▪ Animal comfort

Decreases Quantity

▪ Genetics▪ Low energy and

protein diet▪ Low foraging interest▪ High animal stress

MILK QUANTITY AND GRAZING


Rate of Gain

▪ Weight gain / time▪ Average daily gain

(ADG)

Example : Finishing

MEASURING ANIMAL GROWTH

▪ Day 1 = 400 lbs▪ Day 150 = 750 lb▪ 750 - 400 lbs = 350▪ 350 lbs /150 d = ▪ ADG= __2.33_

lbs/day


EXAMPLE 2▪ Goal : sell by 18 mo at 1100 lb, born 65 lbs▪ 1100-65 lb = 1035 = ADG = 1.9 lbs/day

18*30 days = 540▪ Actual: Ready in 24 mo▪ 1100 – 65 =1035 = ADG = 1.4

24*30 days = 720


▪ Determine forage needs▪ Calculate forage available▪ Forage stand assessment▪ Forage species selection▪ Establishing / renovating

pastures▪ Pasture rotation▪ Winter feeding

FORAGE PRODUCTION


CALCULATE FORAGE NEEDS▪ % body weight used daily

– Eaten : 2.5%– Trampled: 1-1.5%

Example:– 10 cows + 3mo old calves = 13 AU = 13,000 lbs– 13,000 x 4% = 520 lbs of DM forage needed daily– 15% dry matter content of lush pasture – 520/0.15= 3,467 lbs as fed pasture


FORAGE QUALITY NEEDS▪ What do we mean by forage quality?

– Nutritional content: protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals

– Maturity when grazed or harvested– For hay or silage : weeds, mold, toxins, dust,

trash


▪ Maturation cycle (recurring):• Vegetative• Bud (boot)• Bloom (flower, anthesis)• Seed

▪ As plants mature:• Leaf proportion declines• Stems become less nutritious• Fiber concentration increases; energy and intake potential

decrease, protein decreases.

▪ Maturity is greatest determinant of nutritional value!

FORAGE QUALITY NEEDS


FORAGE QUALITY NEEDS


▪ Species composition▪ Plant diversity▪ Plant density▪ Plant vigor▪ Legume content▪ Plant residue▪ Uniformity of use▪ Severity of use

FORAGE STAND ASSESSMENTS▪ Woody canopy▪ Soil erosion

Forage Species SelectionGrasses

Regrowth Potential

Legume Compatibility

Winter Hardiness

Ease of Establishment

Drough Tolerance

Flooding Tolerance

Species Persistence

Cool Season Grasses Italian Ryegrass Excellent Fair Poor Excellent Fair Fair PoorKentucky Bluegrass Good Poor Excellent Good Fair Fair GoodOrchardgrass Excellent Poor Good Good Fair Fair GoodPerennial Ryegrass Excellent Fair Poor Excellent Fair Fair PoorQuackgrass Excellent Good Excellent N/A Good Fair ExcellentReed Canarygrass Good Poor Excellent Poor Good Excellent ExcellentSmooth Bromegrass Fair Good Excellent Good Fair Fair GoodTall Fescue Excellent Good Fair Excellent Fair Fair FairTimothy Fair Good Excellent Good Poor Poor Poor

Warm Season Grasses Indiangrass Good Poor Good Poor Excellent Good ExcellentBig Bluestem Good Poor Good Poor Excellent Poor GoodSorghum/Sudan Good Poor N/A Excellent Excellent Fair N/ASwitchgrass Good Poor Good Poor Excellent Poor Good

LegumesRegrowth Potential

Bloat Problems

Winter Hardiness

Ease of Establishment

Drough Tolerance

Flooding Tolerance

Species Persistence

Alfalfa Good Yes Excellent Good Good Poor GoodAlsike Poor Yes Good Excellent Poor Good PoorBirdsfoot Trefoil Fair No Excellent Poor Poor Fair ExcellentKura Clover Excellent Yes Excellent Poor Good Fair ExcellentLadino Poor Yes Good Excellent Poor Good PoorRed Clover Fair Yes Good Excellent Poor Fair FairWhite Clover Good Yes Excellent Excellent Good Fair ExcellentWinter hardiness assumes adapted varieties are used. Source: “Pastures for Profit: A Guide to Rotational Grazing.” 2002. University of Wisconsin (A3529) and University of Minnesota Extension Service publication FO-06145.

Source: “Improving Pasture Productivity: Pasture Establishment and Species Selection”, Cosgrove, Dennis. Extension Forage Specialist, University of Wisconsin, River Falls


Why?

▪ Increase productivity– Add species/diversity– Fill in bare/thin areas

How?

▪ No till drill – the drill does the tilling in a narrow band in front of the seed placement

▪ Frost seeding – works best with legumes– Clover– Alfalfa

RENOVATING PASTURES

When?SpringSummer Fall


Stocking rate

▪ The number of animals or animal units on a set amount of acres, usually the whole farm total.

Stocking density

▪ The number of animals, animal units or pounds of live animal on a set paddock size.

HOW INTENSE IS YOUR PASTURE?


Rate = 5 AU/ac

Density = 5 AU/ac

Rate = 5 AU/ac

Density = 20 AU/ac

STOCKING RATE VS DENSITY


▪ 2 ac per Animal Unit▪ 1 Animal Unit = 1000 lb

– 1 beef cow– 5 - 200 lb ewes– 2 - 500 lb steers

▪ Varies with:– Weather– Soils– Management intensity

WHAT RATE SHOULD I PLAN FOR?


CONTINUOUS VS ROTATIONAL GRAZING

▪ Animals go back to their favorites if they have a choice

▪ Divide the pasture into smaller paddocks▪ Move animal into paddocks as the grass is

ready▪ Adjust stocking density


Good pasture

▪ 300 lb /ac/ in▪ 5 ac, graze from 8”

down to 4”= 4” of grass▪ 5ac x 4” x 300 = 6000

lbs available forage▪ 6000/3500 lbs needed

daily = 1.71 days in that pasture

CALCULATING AVAILABLE FORAGE


How long can we leave them on that pasture?

▪ 6000/3500 = 1.71 days in that acre of pasture

What if the paddock is smaller ?

▪ If half the size, them we have to move them twice as often

▪ This is the basic principle of rotational grazing

▪ It becomes more intensive the more often we have to move the cattle

CALCULATING GRAZING TIME


What if the paddock is smaller ?

▪ If half the size, them we have to move them twice as often

▪ This is the basic principle of rotational grazing

▪ It becomes more intensive the more often we have to move the cattle

CALCULATING GRAZING TIME


HOW INTENSELY DO YOU WANT TO MANAGE YOUR PASTURES?

• Less labor needed• Less attention needed• Less risky• Fewer animals per acre

• More labor needed• Must pay close attention • Risk of damaging

pasture greater• More animals per acre

Less intenseMore intense

Paddock 13.5 ac

Paddock 24 ac

Paddock 32.5 ac

1 ac sacrifice area

Neighbors 5 ac

Corral and barn

Draw Your Property

*Add paddock size!


DRAW YOUR PROPERTY▪ Include items like these▪ Also write down current

management practices– How often you rotate pastures– Mowing weeds– Harrowing– Fertilizing– etc


ANIMAL INVENTORY AND FORAGE REQUIREMENTS


FORAGE INVENTORY AND BALANCING WITH REQUIREMENTS

Available forage

Forage needs

Net

Paddock 1

4 inches plant growth

(250 lbs /ac/inch) (3.5 ac)

= 3500

=

12 days

8 horses(900 lbs each)

(0.04% utilization) 288

Paddock 2


(250 lbs /ac/inch) (4 ac)

= 4000

=

13.8 days



Paddock 3


(250 lbs /ac/inch) (2.5 ac)

= 2500

=

6.9 days



Neighbors


(125 lbs /ac/inch) (5 ac)

= 2500

=

6.9 days



Est

imat

e D

ays

per

Pad

dock

Paddock 13.5 ac

Paddock 2 4 ac

Paddock 3 2.5 ac

1 ac

Neighbors 5 ac

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6Week 7

Week 8Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17Week 18

Week 19

Week 20

Rotation MonthGrazing

Week Paddock

amount (inches) grazed

estimated tonnage grazed

1

May 1 3 5 3125

2 1 6 5250

3 2 6 6000

4 4 4 2500

2

June 5 3 5 3125

6 1 4 3500

7 1 4 3500

8 2 4 4000

July 9 2 4 4000

10 4 4 2500

3

11 3 4 2500

12 1 6 5250

August 13 2 6 6000

14 4 4 2500

4

15 3 4 2500

September 16 1 4 3500

17 2 4 4000

18 2 4 4000

19 4 4 2500

5 20 1 4 3500

73750

Time to move

▪ Cows can go in a paddock when…– Good forage growth of

8 to 12 inches– Forages had adequate

rest period

Complicating factors:• Weather

– Drought– Cold – Heat

• Multiple herds• Too many animals• Lack of labor• Lack of attention

Time to move

▪ Horses and sheep can go in a paddock when…– Good forage growth of

4 to 6 inches– Forages had adequate

rest period

Complicating factors:• Weather

– Drought– Cold – Heat

• Multiple herds• Too many animals• Lack of labor• Lack of attention• Overweight horses

Be Flexible

▪ Watch and see how it goes▪ Be willing to change fencing arrangement and

grazing time▪ Use temporary fencing for divisions at first▪ Pull them off when its time▪ It’s a plan, not the law. Make a plan, get as

close as you can, but it ok if you don’t get there right away.

Be Observant

▪ Have we had enough rain?▪ What stage of growth are the plants in?▪ Seed heads forming? That reduces quality.▪ Are there weeds getting out of control?▪ How are the horses grazing it? Sit and watch▪ How tall is the grass?▪ Has it regrown since the last grazing?▪ Good dark green color to forages?

Write it down!

▪ How long you expect to graze each paddock?

▪ How long were they actually in each paddock?

▪ Communication is critical! Make sure your team knows the plan.

End of the season

▪ Are you going to pull them off pastures for the winter?

▪ Open up all gates when things freeze up?

▪ Keep them off muddy and frosty pastures

▪ Sacrifice area


Make a plan

▪ What do I need to know?– Number of animals– Animal requirements– Pasture available– Number of paddocks

needed

Manage your plan– Adjust due to season,

moisture, species– Adjust by changing

animal numbers, paddock size, harvest of excess, supplemental feeding

ACTIVITY- PASTURE PLAN


What, when, why?

▪ Plan for it!▪ Budget for it!

▪ Grass bales▪ Baleage▪ Corn stalks▪ Grain

Round bale feeding

WINTER FEEDING


▪ Prevent polluting – Nutrients – manure, fertilizer, septic, etc– Chemicals- fuel, etc

▪ Careful use of pesticides▪ Minimize erosion▪ Vegetative buffers for lakes,

streams, wetlands▪ Increase biodiversity – native plantings▪ Manage invasive species

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT


▪ Organic cert or no?▪ Selling whole, live

animal and done?▪ Direct sales?

– Distance to butcher– Butcher’s schedule and

fees– Available storage?– Transportation options?

OFF TO MARKET


▪ Recordkeeping▪ Cost of production▪ Desired income▪ Savings▪ Determine a cost of gain or cost per unit of

milk produced – most difficult thing to do accurately.

▪ Start with the end in mind

ECONOMICS


Animal costs

▪ Feed – pasture, hay, grain, minerals, vitamins

▪ Veterinary▪ Purchase costs?▪ Processing and

marketing▪ Labor?

Facility costs

▪ Fencing▪ Shelter▪ Land▪ Housing▪ Vehicles?▪ Utilities▪ DIRTI - overhead

ACTIVITY – PRODUCTION COSTS


Am I going in the right direction?

▪ Economically – is this sustainable?

▪ What adjustments need to be made?

▪ What adjustment can be made?

Is it working how I thought it would?

▪ Is my quality of life what I wanted to be?

▪ What is my stress level?

ACTIVITY- AM I MAKING $?


▪ Am I a good neighbor?

▪ Is the work environment of my farm better now than when I started?

▪ Does my farm support other local businesses?

SOCIAL CONSIDERATIONS


ENTERPRISE BUDGETS▪ Income▪ Expenses▪ Analysis


Environment

SocialEconomics

Pick a scenario and decide what action you would take.

What impact would that action have on each of these aspects of sustainability?

ACTIVITY – BALANCE SUSTAINABILITY

• Spiritual/Faith• Purpose• Ethics +

values

• Controlling our Destiny

• Dealing with Change

• Family• Leisure• Rest

• Healthy• Functional• Effective

Commun-ication

Time

Harmony

Direction

Quality of Life

Success is how you measure it!


▪ County’s Soil and Water Conservation District – phone book

▪ USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in your county – phone book

▪ U of M Extension - www.extension.umn.edu

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

http://www.extension.umn.edu/

© 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this PowerPoint is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to the Extension Store at 800-876-8636.

Thank You

Questions?This product was developed with support from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture — National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA). Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed within do not necessarily reflect the view of the SARE program or the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Documents

© 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Greener Pastures P ART TWO – G ETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR PASTURES Speaker Name Speaker