Winter Stockpiling Techniques

Winter Hay Being Fed

What Is Stockpile?

• Forage Grown For Dormant Season Grazing .

• Biggest Money Saver In Grazing Operation.

Maximize Growth

• Stockpiling Mindset Begins In Spring.• Start Off With Healthy

Recovered Plants.

Ammonium Nitrate

•Never Use Ammonium Nitrate On Pastures.• Kills Earthworms And

Microbes.• Fertilizer Company Owns You.

Our Previous Stockpile

•7-8 Grazing Rotations, August Heat Killed Fall Growth•No Time For Stockpile To

Grow From Short Roots.

Full Recovery=Huge Fall Growth

•Plant Roots Have Stored Carbohydrates For Maximum Fall Growth.• Even With Limited

Moisture, Good Growth.

Extending The Growing Season

•Massive Sward Insulates Soil Surface.•Massive Root Structure

Insulates Soil Surface.

Plants Continue To Grow

•Missouri’s First Killing Frost October 10th.•We Now Grow Grass Till

December.•Plants In Huge Greenhouse

What Is 4-6 Weeks Growth?

• Extra 4-6 Weeks Entire Farm Is Sending Up Green Leaves.• Extra 4-6 Weeks Of Not

Feeding hay!

Last In Fall, Last In Spring

•Make Sure The Last Pasture Grazed In Fall Growing Season Is Last Pasture Grazed In Spring.

We Graze Most Of Winter

•Don’t Graze It Short.• Leave Some Winter Litter.•Average Hay Feeding, Last

4 Years = 8 Days (Ice Storm)

Have 15 Day Hay Cushion

• Just In Case.• Severe Ice Storms Are

Tough.•Buy Your Hay.

Stop Haying Your Farm

•Cutting Hay Exposes Ground, Microbial Life Stops.•Haying Promotes

Monocultures.

Winter Mud

•Keep Them Moving, No Backfences.•Pugging and Compaction Is

A Function Of Time.

No Hay Rings

•Rings Are Detrimental To Sod And Animals.•Unroll It, Covers Nice Long

Area, Full Access To Mob.

Winter Grazing Note

•When Winter Strip-grazing, Watch The Temperature.• Temperatures Drop, Must

Allocate More Forage.

Winter Water

1. We Fence Off Ponds2. Keep Mob Off Pond Ice.3. One 8 Foot Long

Hole=300 Head.

Grazing Through Snow

•20” Snow Is No Problem, As Long As There Is A Reward Of Thick Forage

Wintering Costs

•80% Of Keeping Livestock Is Encountered In Wintering Them.• Stockpile Grazing Limits

This Cost.

Winter Herd Health

•Cattle Love To Graze•Much Healthier Walking &

Grazing Stockpile Than Standing & Eating Hay.

Closing Thoughts

1. Entering Summer, All Plants Should Be Recovered.

2. Allocate Enough Forage With Temperature Change.

3. Leave Winter Litter4. Have 15 Day Hay Reserve