AZUincattw Farming, Saturday, February 10,1996
Grazing Livestock
(Continued from Page A 23)
about the operation.
As another example ot the type
of thinking that goes along with
grazing, Henning said that
whenever any forage or grain crop
is harvested, whether by animal or
machine, a priority consideration
should automatically be how the
field is going to come back
what will likely happen with the
plants and how that can be used to
feed cattle and make milk.
He said some people are fearful
of grazing new seedings, or estab
lish a stand for grazing, but let it go
until the following year to allow it
to thicken.
Henning said that grazing will
help stimulate tiller growth and
that first seedings should never be
cut, but should always be grazed.
Others who spoke, such as
Calvert, urged the audience to
think, to consider, to become
aware of details and at the same
time keep the entire operation in
'mind.
Stored feeds are a must with a
dairy grazing operation. What that
stored feed is can vary.
Some report continuing to feed a
TMR year-round, offering it while
the cows are being milked.
Others only resort to stored
feeds temporarily during drought
and again when snow depth, or
plant condition prevents grazing
into the winter.
Even Henning said he offers his
cows an opportunity to grab a
mouthfull or so of a round bale of
hay while they exit from milking
back out to graze.
Sacrifice lots are used but kept
to a minimum. Walkways are sug
gested to be about 30-feet wide and
planted with grasses that the cows
can graze on their way to the pad
dock of the day or night
Henning said that to set up a
grazing situation, the amount of
land to be grazed should be divided
into thirds, no matter what the
amount of land.
That’s because ot the
number of days it takes
(depending on season
and weather) for the
grasses and forages to
recover to the optimum
6- to 8-inch height
generally described as
the length of a lawn that
is just past needing to be
cut A measuring stick
can be used.
Estimates on tonnage
can also be derived from
certain measuring tech
niques, to figure con
sumption, and the rate
of consumption depends
on how much land the
cattle are allowed to
graze in a certain
amount of time to
achieve the optimum
graze down.
While all said that
grazing took more man
agement and observa
tion, they said they gen
erally enjoyed the chal
lenge of monitoring the
farm’s plants, animals
and weather and
responding with a plan. l
Over time, as situa
tions arise, experience
should help quicken the
decision making pro
cess, and help prepare
the manager for occat
sional or rare
conditions.
For example, Henning said he
has areas on his farm that he speci
fically manages with the intent that
it could come into play for such
things are winter grazing or winter
shelter.
He also feeds stored feeds, but
keeps the feeding simple, such as
presenting sweet com silage or cut
hay in a way that makes die cows
eat from the bottom up, instead of
from top down. He said that it
helps eliminate waste and mess.
• Advantages of grazing includes
such things as reduced manure
hauling, reduced bam cleaning,
reduced tilling, planting, spraying
and harvesting. The elimination of
the need for some equipment and
facilities also reduces overhead.
Forrest Strieker distributed a
cost analysis of his operation com
paring his previous costs with a
confinement system to his current
grazing incorporated system.
He was able to add 10 additional
cows, and while the average pro
duction per cow fell, his pounds of
milk sold increased. His income
from the sale of cows and calves,
crops and beef dropped, but his
calculations showed an increased
income (incoming cash) of $442.
What made the big difference
and gave him an increased profit of
$24,557 was the reduction in
expenses.
He decreased his total feed cost
expenses by $17,641, according to
his comparisons. He included
expenses for fuel and lubricants,
fertilizer and compost, custom
work, machinery repair, crop seed
and spray, pasture seed, fence,
water, and purchased feeds.
Except for his increased cost of
pasture seed, fencing, and water,
he was able to significantly reduce
all other feed costs.
His other operation expenses
such as vet bills, electricity in the
bam, supplies and bedding, labor,
breeding, and equipment
depreciation all went down.
For him by more than $7,000.
He calculated that his profit per
cow increase by $372, while his
profit per hundredweight milk sold
increased by $2.03.
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He grazes seven
months of the year.
Whether or not graz
ing fits into an existing
operation is specific to
that operation, its assets
and people skills.
Calvert told the group
that they already have
most of the things they
need to incorporate
grazing successfully,
what they need to do
next is to consider
everything and how it
can be used as it is with
out making work for the
grazier.
“Know the plants and
plant management, the
animals and animal
management and use
them,” Calvert said.
“But remember, as a
grazier, the money you
make is mostly from the
things you already
.have.”
Or as some other have
put, the money made is
the money not spent
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about the Lancaster
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Arden Landis at (717)
529-6644.
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