A24-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 21, 1994
Pasture Field Walks Offers Informal, Indepth View
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster
Co.) About 40 people inter
ested in dairy pasturing Thursday
attended the first of a series of
dairy pasture walks in southeastern
Pennsylvania.
Held at the Lancaster city-edge
farm of Harold and Doris Fritz,
whose son Jack is in charge of the
pasturing operation, participants
got a look at the effects of a con
version farm, in which the Fritz’s
herd of Holsteins was switched to
pasturing last year.
Walking through fields which
had previously been used for tradi
tionally harvested grain and forage
crops, the Fritzes, Jack and brother
Tim, who is a Penn State Exten
sion agent, discussed the different
mixes of legumes, grasses and in
some cases Puna chicory that the
no-longer tilled fields were sowed
to.
Fritz’s have 135 cows to 140
cows produce an average of about
23,000 pounds of milk and didn’t
drop production when going on
pasturing last year.
The cows are also fed a totally
mixed ration, while in the bam
the pasturing strategy at the Fritz farm in Lancaster. Jack
Fritz says that using a portable system is best because it
doesn’t create environmental health risk areas in pastures,
as permanent water sites do. They also said that alter fenc
ing off a stream and giving the cows only waterthey know is
clean has lead to an increase in health among the herd.
Many diseases, including Johne’s can be transmitted via
natural, unprotected and untested water sources. The Frit
zes said safe, dependable natural water for cattle is a scarce
commodity, and they eliminate many risks using the port
able system from a known water supply.
pat .<* dr. irom at the Fritz
farm. A 35-gallon portable waterer has a float valve and is
attatched via water hose to a larger portable reservior of
where they are milked in 35 tie
stalls. But the Fritzes, escpecially
Jack, commented on the increased
ability to detect heats, the
improved cleanliness of the cows,
the ability to control ctfitle traffic
with “spider” electric fencing and
spools (a type of fencing system
that provides easily movable, and
durable fencing), and the apparent
preferences of die cows.
The Fritzes don’t need to spread
manure, since the cows are pas
tured, and the rest from the barns is
composted. However, they did talk
about the impact of manure in pas
:ures and the influence it has in
causing cows to reject areas of
feed.
According to the Fritzes, a large
part of the pasturing system is
timing getting the proper num
ber of cattle in the proper sized
area when the pasture is ready, not
too early, but definetly not too late
in the plants’ development
Basically, the mixes the Fritz’s
use constitute a “salad” of forage,
with each field sown slightly diffe
rent as they test the growth and
compatability of different plants in
the same fields.
They use a nutritionist and vet-
group v pie are participating in a pasture field walk at the Fritz dairy farm in
Lancaster. There are in fields that had previously been traditional harvest crop and
grain fields, converted to grass and legume mixed plants.
erinarian in their operation and the
the nutritionist, Tom Nautnan, said
that they have been testing the pas
tures for nutritional content by tak
ing representative samples prior to
grazing, and they have found pro
tein content to be close to 25
percent.
While that can be considered to
be a somewhat high level of pro
tein and was cause for some con
cern because the veterinarian
thought the risk of developing
reproductive problems might
occur, the Fritz’s said that they
have not experience such a thing.
The 12 pastures are a mix of old
pasture and former crop fields. The
lack of apparent organic matter in
the soil indicated converted crop
fields and the Fritzes explained
that they expect that in a few years,
when populations of soil microbes
and worms can be built to natural
levels or more, they would get bet
ter benefit from the pasturing sys
tem, and have faster breakdown of
manure in the fields.
They noted that manure in the
converted crop fields lasted longer
and seemed to cause more rejec
tion problems than in the old pas
tures, where soil microbes and
worm populations were normal.
Despite some morning rain and
a constant drizzle, the group spent
several hours with the Fritz’s and
not only asked questions, but also
provided their own insight into fin
er points of pasturing techniques
and management.
Seeding rates, successes with
establishing certain grass species,
along with sharing numerous
observations about how well cer
tain techniques converted from
theory to practice were among the
topics discussed during the walks.
But the Fritz’s pasture walk was
only one of three scheduled for the
southeast.
Sponsored by the extension ser
vice and with the help of host
farms, Tim Fritz designed the edu
cational series as an one-day-per
month activity.
The next pasture walk is sche
duled for June 16 at the Lee and
Gail Reinford farm in Montgom
ery County, where Tim Fritz is an
extension agent.
According to a flier on the
walks, the Reinfords milk 85 head
and have been pasturing for the
past three years. To get to the farm
from Schwenksville, follow Rt. 73
east for about I.S miles, turn left
onto Cross Road. Follow along
Cross Road for about a tenth of a
mile, and turn left onto Garges
Road. The farm is on top of the hill,
on the right hand side of the road.
The last one of the summer
through this program is scheduled
to be held at the Nevin Mast farm
in Berks County on July 21.
The Masts have been pasturing
ing to a group of people interested in pasturing techniques
These cows are part of the 135 Holsteins the Fritz family
milks and feeds using pasture and TMR. Cleanliness of the
animals, reduced exposure to poor environmental condi
tions and the apparent eagerness of the animals to eat
prime fresh forage has been the cause of enthusiasm for the
technique for the Fritzes. However, they say that pasturing
does require more attention to detail and a broader based
knowledge of plants and animals.
for the past four years and have 50 onto Oley Turnpike J?
cows with 25 acres permanent pas- the end of the roadandmakea .
ture, with another 10 acres avail- The Mast form is the across
able for summer use. the left. There is a church across
The Masts planted brassicas in the road from the arm.
December last year on 20 acres. For t" 0 / 6 informaUoi ,
To get to their farm from Oley, Fritz at or con
lake Rt. 662 south from Rt. 73. office at (610) 4 or c
After about two miles, turn left tact a local extensi g