Page 6—Foraging Around, Lancaster Firming, Saturday, July 12, 1997
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(Continued from Page 1)
those little things that we
sometimes take for granted
the seed. Is there much of a dif
ference or is it just best to buy
the same seed that we’ve been
buying? How do I know if
there is anything better? Will it
work on my farm?
These and many other ques
tions cause hesitation and fear
rather than “consumer confi
dence.” After all, most of the
seeds look alike and come in
similar packages usually a
white 50-pound bag.
• Step 1: Assume that you
don’t know or have it all
seek out something better.
While you are assuming,
assume that all the research and
years of selection have resulted
in improved varieties of seed
that will yield better, feed bet
ter, and meet your specific
needs more direct.
Let’s use tall fescue as an
example. Maybe you’ve used a
public variety called
Kentucky-31. Do you know
how it got its name?
Kentucky-31 was named after
the place and date of its origin.
That’s right! It was discovered
in 1931 in the foothills of
Kentucky.
Now wouldn’t you think that
66 years and hundreds of thou
sands of dollars of research
would generate at least one or
two improved tall fescue varie
ties? Of course! And it has. In
fact, there are improved varie
ties from all around the world.
Fawn from Oreon, Advance
from New Zealand, Puego
from Holland, and many more.
By the way, most of the newer
forage tall fescues don’t have a
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lick of toxic endophyte in
them. So I ask, why is it that
when it comes to choosing a
new tall fescue, why do you
choose Kentucky-31? Price,
right? Well, you get what you
pay for. No more. No less.
Then there’s ryegrass. My
what a difference the new
varieties are from the old Lion
perennial ryegrass. Today, you
can get endophyte-free tetra
ploids that not only yield, but
provide an unbelievably high
feed value. With relative feed
values (RFV) exceeding 135
you can be assured that your
animals will be gaining as they
are grazing. Survivability has
been a downfall for ryegrass,
but recent tests have shown
that some varieties, like Tonga
tetraploid perennial ryegrass,
are also very persistent. Com
bination of annual, intermedi
ate, and perennial ryegrasses
are now being used with great
success, too.
The choice continues in the
orchardgrasses. Did you know
that there are four different
types of orchardgrasses? Some
are best for hay while others
are ideal for pasture. Take a
dwarf variety like Tekapo or
Wana orchardgrass from New
Zealand. This type of orchard
grass is s site and a wonder to
anyone who has only been
accustomed to the traditional
upright varieties like Latar and
Potomac. These new dwarf
varieties LIKE to be grazed.
They DON’T get clumpy.
They DO fill in. I have seen
Tekapo plants with a nearly
two-foot diameter base. These
varieties have very low, pro
tected crowns that can with
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Now here’s where one of
your biggest dilemmas comes
into play. How do you find out
about all these new varieties?
The Book of Proverbs says that
there is wisdom in a multitude
of counselors. I like to hear a
story at least twice before I
open my wallet. Gather infor
mation in a multitude of ways.
Do some independent research;
explore the internet; go to edu
cational seminars, grazing con
ferences, and trade shows;
make friends with progressive
locals (you know, the weird
ones who are always trying
something new!); and finally,
listen to salespeople who seem
to have done their homewoik.
Also, subscribe to pasture
related journals, like the Stock
man Grass Fanner.
Currently, my favorite tool
is the internet. I am on a news
group called Graze-I, I regular
ly search out university and
private sites, and I use the
internet to provide information
to my customers via our com
pany web site. This resource is
amazingly unlimited.
One caveat Probvetbs also
states that only a fool listens to
everyone. Don’t take all advice
as gospel.
• Step 2: Walk, don’t run
make small changes. Best to
compare old with new and new
with new. Remember Step 1?
Assume that you don’t know
everything about this new vari
ety that you are planting. When
you plant it. try a few different
combinations.
Take seeding rates, for ex
ample. Oregon State Universi-
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tiy has recommended that 1
seed per every square inch is a
good rule of thumb to use when
planting new pastures. Using
this recommendation, one
simply needs to know how
many seeds per pound the new
variety averages, what percent
age of the final mix he wants to
have of that component and do
the math. (By the way, there
are 6,272,640 square inches in
an acre.) However, when you
start to mix varieties, some
species can dominate others.
And, like all rales of thumb,
not every situation or variety
fits perfectly. So it is a good
idea to try a few different
combinations.
This is a good rale for not
only buying new pasture grass
varieties, but for many other
activities. Do you have a new
vendor knocking at your door?
It doesn’t hurt to try them out
in a small way, but don’t go
and abandon every other
relationship you’ve developed
just yet
New processes and proce
dures, technologies, and tools
are the same way. Go to the
most skilled craftsman you
know and ask him how he got
to where he is today. As
suredly, he will tell you that he
kept working at his trade, per
fecting and refining. Look at
all you do on your farm the
same way. Perfect your pasture
management a little more each
day. Try seeding a new variety
in one section. Apply fertilizer
a couple of different ways.
Turn at least part of your farm
into a mini experimental
station.
• Step 3: Get on a routine of
regular pasture improvement.
Similar to Step 2, but different
in focus. If a farmer can get
committed both mentally and
financially to improve his pas
tures each year, he will indeed
be successfiil. He who gathers
a little at a time will accumu
late great wealth, says the
Book.
This principle applies well
to fanning. When we fail to
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maintain our fields, our equip
ment. even our relationships,
they all seem to naturally fall
apart. Better to be committed
to regular maintenance and im
provements than to wait for the
pasture to become a wasteland.
Set aside funds on a regular
basis to be used to purchase an
annual amount of seed for re
seeding. Have a seed budget,
just like one for fertilizer and
equipment repairs. A few
hundred dollars each year will
most likely yield a rapid return
within the year, but non-bud
geted seed usually doesn’t get
bought.
• Step 4: Get on a routine of
regular mental improvement.
As a farmer, you are competing
against other fanners. In to
day’s farming, you must be
knowledgeable. Don’t think
that you can be successful
tomorrow on today’s smarts.
Make friends with other suc
cessful operators, attend graz
ing conferences, field days,
and other educational events
on a regular basis.
Also, spend your money
buying from informed and
informative suppliers. I re
cently bought a sign that now
hangs in our office. It reads,
“Price, Quality, Service. Pick
Any Two.” Remember that
when you purchase prctiucts
from suppliers that are trying to
help you. you are investing in
your future. These are the folks
you want to keep in business.
Especially with today’s mer
gers and buyouts, many com
panies are becoming mass mer
chants. Support the guy who
sells you and GIVES you infor
mation even when his price
is higher.
We all want “Perfect Pas
tures.” We’d like perfect mar
riages, perfect kids, and perfect
farms. And just as it is with the
rest of life, the only way to
have a perfect pasture is to per
fect our pasture. If we do
nothing, then all we have is
what we have .. . except for a
few weeds that might blow in.
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