Laneway
~ . , (Continued from P«fl« D
and stamiiz-ouuii.
Laneways, noted the experts,
are the “arteries” of a grazing
system. They are used to transport
livestock and equipment to and
from grazing paddocks.
For beef and sheep farms that
aren’t intensively managed, lane
ways may not be necessary. But on a
dairy, laneways are heavily used
and usually require some sort of sta
bilization a way of keeping them
erosion-free to avoid creating
muddy or compacted areas. Muddy
conditions can be dangerous for
cattle movement, contribute to hoof
disease, and create other problems.
Harold and Stout outlined the
following important considerations
in laneway design:
• First, determine the number
and type of livestock and the size of
any farm or service equipment that
will be using the laneway.
• Second, determine the
width of the laneway. If the lane is
to be used for livestock only, it can
be as narrow as eight feet. However,
if a watering tank or equipment is
Dale Bracken, Indiana beef farmer, talks about laneway stabili
zation and stabilized feeding area at the Project Grass field day.
Rob Stout, extension agronomist for Armstrong, Westmoreland,
and Indiana counties, demonstrates how to collect grass samples
for testing at Project Grass field day.
Lou Kopceyk, Indiana County Conservation District manager holding paper at right, speaks to
the Project Grass group about stream crossings at the field day.
"* ’ M
going to be used in the laneway,
then the lane should be at least 12
feet wide. The laneway width
should never exceed 20 feet.
• Third, Harold noted, keep
livestock behavior and movement in
mind when constructing the lane
way for livestock. Do not design the
laneway with sharp turns or with
steep slopes. Design the laneways to
provide fast, safe, and efficient
movement for livestock and equip
ment. , ,
For feeding livestock, take a
forage sample. Rob Stout, extension
agronomist for Armstrong, Indiana,
and Westmoreland counties,
showed how to use a forage probe
when testing a round or square bale
by inserting the probe into the side
of the round bale and into the end of
a square bale.
The agronomy agent also dem
onstrated how to use a square PVC
pipe to rest pasture forage sampling.
By tossing the square PVC pipe at
random in a square acre area, where
the piping lands is where you cut
your fresh grass at the height of the
frame for testing. Place the fresh cut
grass into a bag and gently dry in a
window with a fan directed on the
bag. A certified private lab can then
test the dried grass.
Dale Bracken, beef farm
owner, near Indiana, and Lou Kop
ceyk, Indiana County Conservation
District manager, spoke about
Bracken’s Project Grass grazing
system.
Bracken finishes 50 feeder
stocker cows through the system
every year. “Bracken stocker cattle
never see a barn,” said Bracken.
The cattle are out in the paddocks
year-round. In the winter, Bracken
uses a sacrifice paddock to keep the
cattle in.
From early spring to late fall,
Bracken cows graze 17 paddocks on
26 acres with a rate of gain of 1.8
pounds per day. Bracken uses six
wire high-tensile fence on the perim
eter of his land and one- to two
strand wire to divide the paddocks.
Bracken said, “One of the
problems of stocker cattle is that
they are wild and hard to catch.
With rotational grazing, the herd
knows that in two days they will be
moved to a tresh, green paddock for
fresh food.”
The relationship between the
farmer and the cattle becomes
friendlier with the opening and clos
ing of each gate.
Bracken also showed the group
two stream crossings he installed,
alleyway stabilization, and a stabi
lized feeding area containing a filter
region.
The keys to nutrient manage
ment were also outlined at the field
day. Nick Pinizzotto, nutrient man
ager for Armstrong, Indiana, and
Butler counties,-explained that nu
trient management involves control
ling the amount, form, and timing of
plant nutrient application. Nutrient
management targets nutrients ac
cording to crop needs and amounts
of available nutrients from all
sources. Management prevents
overfertilization, protects ground
and surface water, and can reduce
production costs and improve net
income.
Record-keeping, according to
Pinizzotto, is an important compo
nent of nutrient management. He
suggested that farm managers con
sider the following management
tips:
• Have soils tested by a certi
fied private lab or land-grant insti
tution to determine levels of
phosphorous, potassium, pH, and
organic matter.
• Nutrients can be surface
applied, injected, or banded.
• Test for nitrates during early
corn growth. Test manure and or
ganic wastes for nutrient content.
• When applying' manure,
avoid sensitive areas such as frozen
soils, snow-covered soils, flood
plains, and steep slopes.
• Test stored manure for nu
trient content when there are feed
program changes.
• Periodically calibrate and
adjust equipment used to apply nu
trients.
For more information on man
aging your nutrients, contact your
county nutrient management spe
cialist in the conservation district
office for a free consultation.
Fore more information about
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