For a complete look at all of my Mob Grazing pictures follow the link (you'll have to copy it and paste it in the address box):
http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=820742012/a=107723196_107723196/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Click on the pictures
I just realized that if you click on the pictures they will expand and show much more clarity. You can see much more detail.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Recent Observations
The stockers are really looking good. I will be interested to see how they weigh out on July 14th. They are currently running in paddocks that are about 50% warm season grasses, 20% legumes (mature ladino and lespedeza) and 30% mature fescue. The pastures have had over 60 days of rest. There is a lot of forage and although I've limited them to a little less than 10 acres per paddock, they are leaving a ton of residual...I'd score the residual in most pastures at a 7. They are still eating nearly all the sprouts and sumac. It's still been very hot and some of the stockers are spending a good deal of time in the pond. While it's not overly dry, it's significantly drier than May or June and I think that the forage drying out is helping consumption and gain.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
My observations compared to Voisin
I had to include a few more pics...some places on this ranch are solid sumac. Look what this mob did to those stands. Clearly now light can get to the ground and grass can begin to grow where it was choked out and shaded before.
Now, I have to address a few of my observations where they differ with Voisin. We are turning into pastures where the growth is sometimes 18" tall. The stockers move thru the sward grazing the tops out of everything...not taking giant bites from the bottom and having to take 30 seconds to manipulate the bite. Also, while the "morning meal" may be the largest (Voisin observed 2 hour grazing times starting at first light), I have seen our stockers graze for 2.5 and even 3 hours upon entering a new paddock, even if it's the middle of the day.
I have also heard it said that a downside to mob grazing is that the cattle have to establish a pecking order after each move. I just don't see that. I never see the cattle re-establishing dominance by fighting. You will occasionally see an animal throw his head into anothers side, but this is common in all types of grazing systems.
Before and after pictures
I continue to be amazed by the behavior of the mob. While you might think they were "forced" to eat this brush (primarily tree sprouts and sumac) they actually begin eating this brush the moment they are turned into the new pasture. They can be standing in knee deep clover and they'll be taking bites off of the brush. I am not getting the same results with our cow herd on the other side of this ranch...we rotate them every 3-5 days and they aren't touching the sprouts and sumac.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Takeaways: Grass Productivity by Voisin
Excellent book...lots of great info, some that I've obviously heard/known before, but a little refresher never hurts.
• The period of occupation on any given paddock should be a maximum of 6 days but should optimally be 3 days or less to avoid animals “re-grazing”, or as Voisin says “double shearing”, new growth grass. This “double shearing”, cutting the plant at a time when it has not yet renewed the reserves in its roots, will create great difficulty in the plant making new growth…it will take a very long time to attain proper height for re-grazing and indeed the lack of reserves may even be fatal to the young plant.
• Rest paddocks at least 18 days in the spring and most likely double that in the fall to allow grass sufficient time to re-grow. The easiest way to ensure this in a stocker operation is to stock with half as many calves in the fall as in the spring while keeping the same number of paddocks (double the occupation time from say ½ a day to a full day).
• Animal yields (either milk or weight gain) will be at their maximum if the animal stays on one paddock for one day. Yields decrease significantly after 3 days on the same paddock.
• “We must help the grass to grow and guide the cow in harvesting it.”
• Keep animals from having to stop grazing in order to chew the previous bite by keeping the grass short enough that further manipulation of the bite of grass is not required. Cattle grazing heavy, long grasses will sometimes take a bite, raise their head, and chew up a bite for up to 30 seconds while cattle grazing shorter grass will take 60-90 bites per minute, harvesting much more forage than those animals required to stop grazing to chew up a bite of forage.
• Cattle graze for 8 hours a day. Cattle will never graze for longer than 8 hours per day, regardless of their needs/requirements. They will not work overtime.
• Cattle ruminate for approx. 7 hours per day.
• Cattle lie down for around 12 hours per day…usually over the course of 9 rest periods for a minimum of 1 hour.
• Cattle generally take only one drink per day (when grazing lush pasture).
• Most grazing 60-90% takes place during the day, however, as temperatures increase a greater percentage is done at night.
• The first period of grazing is the longest and usually begins at sunrise…the big morning meal. This first period generally lasts around 2 hours.
• “Figures are only guides: in the end it is the eye of the grazier that decides. The grass commands; the eye of the grazier follows in its train, ready to receive its orders.”
• Rotations should start on different paddocks each year…considerable differences between the flora of the various paddocks will become evident after 2 years when starting rotation with the same paddock.
• It is important to vary the time of occupation (and thus the rest period) depending upon the speed of growth of the grass. Much less rest is needed in the spring while more is needed in the fall and much more rest time is needed in the summer.
• The flora makeup of a pasture is far more dependent on the conditions of management than on the mixture that is sown. “After 2 years for the same mixture sown, there can be either 80% or 1% clover according to the management employed.”
• Flora evolves rapidly and management conditions can effect change in sward makeup very quickly (both positive and negative)….tremendous change can occur even the very first year.
• The period of occupation on any given paddock should be a maximum of 6 days but should optimally be 3 days or less to avoid animals “re-grazing”, or as Voisin says “double shearing”, new growth grass. This “double shearing”, cutting the plant at a time when it has not yet renewed the reserves in its roots, will create great difficulty in the plant making new growth…it will take a very long time to attain proper height for re-grazing and indeed the lack of reserves may even be fatal to the young plant.
• Rest paddocks at least 18 days in the spring and most likely double that in the fall to allow grass sufficient time to re-grow. The easiest way to ensure this in a stocker operation is to stock with half as many calves in the fall as in the spring while keeping the same number of paddocks (double the occupation time from say ½ a day to a full day).
• Animal yields (either milk or weight gain) will be at their maximum if the animal stays on one paddock for one day. Yields decrease significantly after 3 days on the same paddock.
• “We must help the grass to grow and guide the cow in harvesting it.”
• Keep animals from having to stop grazing in order to chew the previous bite by keeping the grass short enough that further manipulation of the bite of grass is not required. Cattle grazing heavy, long grasses will sometimes take a bite, raise their head, and chew up a bite for up to 30 seconds while cattle grazing shorter grass will take 60-90 bites per minute, harvesting much more forage than those animals required to stop grazing to chew up a bite of forage.
• Cattle graze for 8 hours a day. Cattle will never graze for longer than 8 hours per day, regardless of their needs/requirements. They will not work overtime.
• Cattle ruminate for approx. 7 hours per day.
• Cattle lie down for around 12 hours per day…usually over the course of 9 rest periods for a minimum of 1 hour.
• Cattle generally take only one drink per day (when grazing lush pasture).
• Most grazing 60-90% takes place during the day, however, as temperatures increase a greater percentage is done at night.
• The first period of grazing is the longest and usually begins at sunrise…the big morning meal. This first period generally lasts around 2 hours.
• “Figures are only guides: in the end it is the eye of the grazier that decides. The grass commands; the eye of the grazier follows in its train, ready to receive its orders.”
• Rotations should start on different paddocks each year…considerable differences between the flora of the various paddocks will become evident after 2 years when starting rotation with the same paddock.
• It is important to vary the time of occupation (and thus the rest period) depending upon the speed of growth of the grass. Much less rest is needed in the spring while more is needed in the fall and much more rest time is needed in the summer.
• The flora makeup of a pasture is far more dependent on the conditions of management than on the mixture that is sown. “After 2 years for the same mixture sown, there can be either 80% or 1% clover according to the management employed.”
• Flora evolves rapidly and management conditions can effect change in sward makeup very quickly (both positive and negative)….tremendous change can occur even the very first year.
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