Mowing pasture

[Nicklausjames]

Dumb newbie question but should I be mowing my pasture. I live in ny and have about 10 acres pasture. I have 4 feeder cows out on it. It's basically just one fence and I don't have any rotational grazing set up. My neighbor stopped by and said I should mow it. I thought it would be better just to let the cattle eat it but he said it would cut flies and have other benefits. Should I mow it down? Or should I mow part of it wait and than mow another part? What would u old pros recommend?

 

[cowgirl8]

Is it weedy? If its just grass and there is no problem with seed heads causing problems, i dunno, i would probably leave it. If its shading out the stuff that would be better eating, i might would cut it. If there are tree sprouts, i'd cut it. Did you just put them on this 10 acres? Did it grow enough to cut with these 4 on it? Not sure how many acres you need up there per cow, its 4 here. If i had 4 cows on 10 acres down here i wouldnt have much of anything to mow other than the weeds they wont eat...

 

[True Grit Farms]

Mowing is really beneficial to the grass. I'd cut the pasture in half and mow a section, then rotate the cows in about a week or two. Y'all can really grow some grass this time of year up there.

 

[Ebenezer]

If you like to mow.

 

[HDRider]

I don't think it was a dumb question. I think mowing at the right time is important, especially if you are trying to rebuild a neglected pasture.

 

[dieselbeef]

mowing to shorten the grass isn't a benefit..let the seeds fall off then mow it..walk it and look at it. if the seeds are off then mow it about 6-8 in tall.

if your trying to kill weeds then mow it right before they seed regardless of what the grass is doing. I have got rid of almost all the weeds my mowing at the right time..dog fennels especially I have almost rid my pastures of it solely by mowing before they seed off

 

[jerry27150]

n y has no fescue I know of, so unless you have a lot of weeds I would not cut it

 

[boondocks]

n y has no fescue I know of, so unless you have a lot of weeds I would not cut it

I dunno where the OP is in NY, but where we are, we get a ton of burdock, Canadian thistle, multiflora (wild rose), hawthorn...We brushhog (the areas we can get into anyway) after the cows have eaten what (with a little pushing) they are willing to eat.

The thistle (per my earlier thread) is taking over though. Maybe I should see what can be made out of it--maybe invent a new adult beverage and market it as the new thing.

 

[nagwag]

hello fellow NYer. whether you now or not depends on the pasture itself. if the cows aren't keeping up with the growth, mow half and then mow the other half a week or two later. Where I'm at, we are in a drought area and haven't had pastures to worry about.

 

[Alan]

As stated mow for weed control, I assume everyone is talking about mowing with a brush hog. As far as Canadian thistle, that's a tough one to get rid of, it spreads by both a root system and seeds, unlike the bull thistle which only spread by seeds. A good broad leaf weed killer, like curtail, does a good job on it but will take a couple of years to get rid of it.

 

[jerry27150]

boondock, you would be a lot better off to kill those weeds all at one time rather than mow each year, you would have a lot more grass

 

[JSCATTLE]

I can't say if it will help because we have different grass .. but I can tell you down here the grass gets tough and mowing helps .. it also seems to make it grow better when you cut the seed stalks off .. mowing has done better for me ridding the pastures of weeds than spraying ..

 

[Bigfoot]

Were all over the board here, the poor guy ain't going to know what to do. My best pasture hasn't been mowed in a very long time. I spray for weeds, and keep stocked heavy and rotate as needed. If the grass starts getting away, I'll buy something and put on it to help eat it.

 

[boondocks]

As stated mow for weed control, I assume everyone is talking about mowing with a brush hog. As far as Canadian thistle, that's a tough one to get rid of, it spreads by both a root system and seeds, unlike the bull thistle which only spread by seeds. A good broad leaf weed killer, like curtail, does a good job on it but will take a couple of years to get rid of it.

Alan and Jerry, it's the bane of my existence. It is spreading so fast it is like an alien being. We have no experience, and little interest, in chemical solutions to the problem, but I do question that of late...

Do you need a license to apply curtail? Can you put cows on that pasture soon after?

It's even taking over our lawn proper.

 

[greybeard]

I'm pretty sure Curtail is a GUP (general use product) but your state may have it's own restrictions.

http://ws.greenbook.net/Docs/Label/L1096.pdf

Rangeland and Permanent Grass Pastures
Specific Use Restrictions:
• Preharvest Interval: Do not cut forage for hay within 7 days of
application. Do not graze lactating dairy cattle in treated areas for
14 days after application. Remove meat animals from freshly treated
areas 7 days before slaughter. Withdrawal is not needed if 2 weeks
or more have elapsed since application. For program lands, such as
CRP, consult program rules to determine whether grass or hay may be
used. The more restrictive requirements of the program rules or this
label must be followed. If grass is to be cut for hay, Agricultural Use
Requirements for the Worker Protection Standard are applicable

 

[boondocks]

I'm pretty sure Curtail is a GUP (general use product) but your state may have it's own restrictions.
.......

Thanks for the info, GB! I read that as saying you can keep beef cows in the area when it is sprayed (subject to withdrawal periods), correct? I probably wouldn't have them in the pasture area when it is sprayed, though.

Knock wood, the fields we cut hay from don't seem to have the same problems. It's the grazing areas that we are wrestling with. Along with the lawn!

 

[ClinchValley]

It it kept too short?

 

[ClinchValley]

We have been mowing here lately. Don't have funds to spray and fertilize the whole farm. The front 40 are weedyish. Plus, i am recovering the whole farm from being under managed and overgrazed for decades. My theory, is that I am building up the organic matter in the soil, hopefully plumping up the nutrient buffet a little at a time. Helping to cover the bare spots, which helps keep temps down. Which is apparently allowing existing seed to sprout turning bare spots into not so bare spots. LOL. Plus its allowing the grass access to sunshine whereas normally the ragweed has them choked out.

Ragweed has had a damn good year here this year. As good as the little yellow buttercups this spring.

It's made a tremendous difference since I came here a year ago. Been rotating. Tighter and tighter as time goes by. I wish I had taken some pictures to show what we started with. Still isn't too late. As hopefully it will continue to get better.

Have the OP thought about cutting the 10 acres into 4-6 paddocks? Or using portable fencing and squeezing them around the pasture?

 

[ClinchValley]

These weeds do play a role in the movement of nutrients in the soil. Has anyone ever thought that? Pulling nutrient reserves from deeper (hence their deeper roots) in the soil to the surface.

Any accuracy to this theory?

 

[Caustic Burno]

As far as thistle goes I have eradicated it here. Spot spraying in the spring over the years has taken it out.
It was a battle first few years now a volunteer one will pop up in the spring it is doctored quickly.
I have patch of Osage orange is immune to everything except diesel and roundup