kenny thomas
Well-known member
Turned some calves in on the last 1/2 acre of Stockpile Fescue tonight. Maybe next year I will make it all winter without feeding. Very hard to get the last month.
The last half acre
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kenny thomas
Well-known member
But it was 64F today so spring is just around the corner here.
50/50Farms
Well-known member
How much did you end up feeding?
1982vett
Well-known member
Friday morning is going to look a lot different.... so I hear.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
Oh I'm going to feed a lot more in the next month. But I had less grass and kept more cattle than normal.
You hope.
I have lived long enough never to trust the weather long-term in our area.
Good luck with that! 60 last Friday, current wind chill 3.
Son of Butch
Well-known member
64 sounds like April to me. Here it was high of 34 and low of 20 tonight's forecast is -6 degrees below 0 and light wind of 7 mph
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Caustic Burno
Well-known member
I have seen it snow on Good Friday here!
I don't trust anything but a pecan tree for predicting spring.
SmokinM
Well-known member
Shaping up like the last 2 years. A little warm spell in February then mid March and April when the grass is supposed to be getting rolling it will be cold and dry. All this arse deep mud we have will be wasted as the water will be gone from it before the grass uses it. Everybody here use March 15th to April 1 as the cutoff thinking they will have grass by then. April 15th is usually more realistic and May 1 til it really has some punch to it. IMO
50/50Farms
Well-known member
I meant so far, or are you just now having to start?
kenny thomas
Well-known member
I have fed some yes. 60 cows and 30 weaned calves I have probably fed 100 rolls. I fed when it was dry early this winter. My stockpile was less than half of normal.
50/50Farms
Well-known member
You are an industrious man. To get around the country so much and still do this and have a run of hobbies as well, in your retirement.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
I am already making plans for next winter. I hope to not feed more than 30 days next year.
Virginia has an extension program geared towards being able to graze 300 days a year. I told them I had been grazing more than that for several years. This fall I bought lots more cows than I should have with the thoughts that the price was going to be higher and it is. I have cows I bought in the fall for .35 that have gained weight and will bring .70 now. I been selling a few off the farm because everyone wants cows when they get high.
Virginia has an extension program geared towards being able to graze 300 days a year. I told them I had been grazing more than that for several years. This fall I bought lots more cows than I should have with the thoughts that the price was going to be higher and it is. I have cows I bought in the fall for .35 that have gained weight and will bring .70 now. I been selling a few off the farm because everyone wants cows when they get high.
300 plus grazing days is amazing Kenny. I'm curious to know your stocking rate? We graze about 250 days with 4-5 acres per cow here. I don't have any fescue though.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
With good management I can do a cow per 1.5 acres. But I'm still not sure where the break even is on management. I spread 2.5 ton per acre of lime last fall. I soil test and have fertilizer ordered. It cost but compared to feeding hay I like it better.
I buy calves and usually a couple cows weekly so it's tough to figure numbers exactly. The numbers are rarely the same from week to week. These cattle usually get hay unless I plan on them staying around for a while so I still need hay. But they are kept separate.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
I am not familiar with any other grass that will stockpile and stay in good condition other than fescue.
SmokinM
Well-known member
I have been working towards this the last few years Kenny. The last 2 however the stockpile didn't cooperate like you said I have half as much grass as I should to work with. Probably at about 270ish days right now with the growing seasons we have had lately. The first year my stockpile did well and I got to about 290 with more cows than I have now.
Everything about putting a hay bale in front of a cow is a money losing proposition. Necessary, but costly none the less.
Lots of guys will stockpile here but I found out that anything but fescue is just a belly filler. Seems like pretty much everything else is like cardboard nutritional wise. Sounds like you've got a good management plan. I really need to lime but it just cost so much for a "maybe" return with the weather we've had over the last 5 yrs.
50/50Farms
Well-known member
We are relocating to my home area and I will update my profile when appropriate, but we're back in my home area where three acres to the cow is understocking.
