Preparing for Pasture
Pasture is an excellent, low cost means of feeding livestock, but it requires proper management of both the forage and the livestock. Effective grazing management not only ensures high forage yield, sustainability, animal health and productivity, but it also benefits the pasture ecosystem. Pasture is a critical resource in the cattle industry. An effective management plan requires a good understanding of pasture production, realistic production goals, effective grazing strategies and timely response to forage availability and environmental changes. Managing grazing lands so that they are productive and thrive over time requires knowing when to graze certain species, if they can withstand multiple grazings or cuttings within a single year, and how much recovery time is needed to prevent overgrazing.
Pastures are overgrazed in three main ways:
- The rotation has been too short
- The cattle are left to graze in a location for too long
- Cattle are turned out too early in the spring
It is estimated that grazing cattle one week too early in the spring will sacrifice three weeks of grazing in the fall.
The two main factors that influence pasture utilization are the number of paddocks and the frequency of moves.
A continuously grazed pasture will result in 40% utilization of the pasture
A rotational system consisting of 24 or more pastures will result in 75% utilization of the pasture!
Moving cattle every 14 days will result in only 40% utilization of the pasture
Moving cattle every 3 days will result in 70% utilization of the pasture!
The more paddocks you have and the more frequent the moves, the longer the rest period for the grass to recover from the previous grazing and grow fresh grass for the next grazing.
Joshua Durkart, a certified educator with Holistic Management, says if you want to get the most out of your pasture, you need to give it a rest. Using paddocks that can be subdivided with temporary fencing is the easiest way to ensure your pastures can have a rest period. Joshua says, “Looking at just the pasture is like judging a book by its cover; you need to look below that at that soil.” He goes on to say that the “soil microbes are your underground herd”, and “plant recovery is as much – if not more – about what is below ground as what is above”. A heavily grazed pasture has a short root system which takes much longer to recover. In order to build pasture capacity, Durkart says “you need to bring balance to the soil/plant dynamics”.
MANAGING BLOAT RISK IN HIGH-ALFALFA PASUTRES
Legumes are one of the most-productive pasture species. Alfalfa is a popular hay legume due to its productivity, high feed quality and tolerance to dry weather. However, producers are often hesitant to graze alfalfa because of the risk of bloat. The following are some grazing tips from former OMAFRA Grazer Specialist, Jack Kyle.
-Graze when the legumes are close to, or in flower.
-Move cattle to new pasture after the morning dew has dried. Wet legumes are more prone to cause bloat.
-Offer fresh pasture every 1-2 days and in a quantity that they consume both the leaves and stems of the plant.
-Consider using products that have proven to be effective at controlling bloat.
Following good management practices can help mitigate your risk of bloat while taking advantage of the high-quality pasture that alfalfa can provide.
MINERAL SUPPLEMENTATION
While pasture is an excellent feed source for cattle, proper vitamin and mineral supplementation is required on pasture. Free choice mineral is highly recommended as it ensures ideal frame and growth in young cattle and is essential for maintaining reproductive efficiencies. A study conducted at Kansas State University showed that brood cows fed supplemental protein lost less body condition, had higher pregnancy rates, produced more milk and had faster growing calves. Talk to your beef nutritionists for recommendations on a free choice mineral program that meets your operation’s requirements.