Pasture Blogs

Adding nutrients, organic matter, and ground cover to poorly productive lands have some raving about bale grazing. Added fertility and better water holding capacity of soils after bale grazing is often mentioned by early adopters.For sceptics, improved hay inventories and lower hay prices coupled...

Are you looking for avenues to re-invest in the ranch this year? First, know that not every year is as profitable as this year and sometimes profitability can be difficult to achieve. Thus, careful thought and allocation of profits is necessary to maintain a sustainable business in the future. Here...

Supplementing cows during drought is common practice. Harvested forages, such as hay, can be used to replace available forage for grazing. However, when attempting to replace grazing with feeding hay on pasture, cows prefer the palatability of fresh forage. This means that not until the available...

Record high prices, while certainly a good thing, can leave many cattlemen in a state of awe and somewhat lax on cost control.Common sense and research both tell us cattle are most profitable when they are harvesting their own feed. Allowing cattle to graze into late fall and early winter is...

While better cattle prices are a relief to many, it is important to not lose site of the basics. A few fundamentals often seen on successful ranches are highlighted below, but I am sure there are others that you can think of and consider as well.Select and propagate genetics that fit your...

To shade, or to not shade, that is the question. Providing shade can be a bit of a hot topic among cattlemen. No matter what side of the argument you’re on, there are gains and losses in both situations. If you’re considering whether or not to provide shade, looking at the advantages and...

Rotational grazing is a popular choice when it comes to putting cattle out on pasture. When using this grazing plan, cattle spend time grazing one paddock before moving to the next. This gives all open paddocks time to “rest” between grazing cycles. When using a rotational grazing system, how often...