Cattle/pasture plan- critique please

[rockriver]

ld, that was some pretty pix of your place, up there... the place looks real good.

[610Alpha]

Good video.

Doing similar here just without daily movements, four divisions currently. Just figuring out stocking rates. Been a wet year and we have a low stocking rate now. One smaller field has not even been used yet. We are going to try some rye/rye grass and wheat mix for a winter forage in there a bit also.

I liked what he had to say about a heavier cow being on wet ground vs a lighter cow.

[Lowdown3]

2018 in Bovine Review... LOL

Figured out the "bull" we bought at the auction last year was not.... WTH? Yeah let me explain.

So when we got "Thor" home from the auction with a couple of others, he was a little bit of a guy but I SAW his little bag one of the first days he was out with the rest of the girls.

Fast forward a few months and nothing seems to be happening with him. The girlz are ready, showing that, lots of riding each other, etc. "Thor" aka "Bore" is there just kind of like "huh?" By now it was deep winter. I am looking them all over at the feeding trough one day and little man's sack seems to be missing. Like nothing, like smooth as a Ken doll... I quickly figure it out. I bet this dude was BANDED before someone brought him to auction, then sometime later, the bag shriveled fell off, like is supposed to happen with those rings. A neighbor that was "helping" us (unasked and mostly unwanted) who has some experience with cows from a hundred years ago tells me- "Look here, it's winter and it's cold as hell out here. What happens to yours when you jump in a cold pool?" I reply, but you can still SEE them.

I'm told give it a little while, it's cold, blah blah blah. Also by now it's not when we usually buy so I'm stuck.

Sure enough, spring comes in all it's warmth and glory but "Bore" (formerly known as "Thor") bag is still absent. I give my normal "you should have all listened to the big dog" speech and we go cow shopping again a while later.

So it was mid summer with surgeries, sicknesses and general funtime this year before we got an actual bull. My son bought a heifer also, so the herd grew a little bit more also.

Noticed the other day that my son's heifer is knocked up, and given the timing of where it LOOKS LIKE she is at with gestation, I'm guessing she got prego before coming to the auction. So he gets two cows for the price of one LOL. And the new bull seems to be handling business, so hopefully next summer we will be handling some more calves and starting to recoup some cash.

My favorite heifer (cow that has not yet had a calf) "Brownie" did indeed develop a huge rack. Horns on her head I mean, get your mind out of the gutter :) She's still very gentle thankfully. But whenever she kicks the bucket, I'm definitely keeping these horns, they are impressive.

Pasture rotation has worked out overall o.k. Often times they move themselves and one of the projects this summer was finishing some pasture division. Problem is that a pond is in the dead center so that all sections have access to water. However they evidently SWIM and can essentially move themselves to another pasture as they see fit. Course once water gets colder those shenanigans end till spring.

[610Alpha]

Sorry to hear about the eunuch.

With regards to the pond. You really want to keep them out of it. Don't take my word for it, Greg Judy in his book "No Risk Ranching Custom Grazing on Leased Land" talks about water, ponds & creeks, in chapter 9 "Developing Good Water". On page 90 there is a quote that says "You must keep the cattle out of the pond or you have wasted a valuable water resource". On the same page he talks about how they enter the pond will cause it to become shallower and eventually a mud pit. He says to run a single strand of hot wire around the pond, run 3/4" Polyethylene siphon pipe over the dam hooked to a $7 dollar water tank float.

He goes in to some detail on a couple of the pages with diagrams and parts lists.

You can find tons of videos of him with his cattle.

http://greenpasturesfarm.net/grass-g...ws-and-steers/ his site with some of his stock.

[Lowdown3]

Yeah I agree. However it gives a good backup from any electrical powered pumping that is necessary to get them water any other way.

In the future hopefully I can drop a solar well in over there specifically for them.

Also, about 3 months of the year here, it gets to be about 6 million degrees on the cow thermometer, and they tend to find a shady spot in the afternoon and soak. Given that about 85% of the pasture has little tree cover, this is probably crucial for them.

[610Alpha]

Yeah I agree. However it gives a good backup from any electrical powered pumping that is necessary to get them water any other way.

In the future hopefully I can drop a solar well in over there specifically for them.

Also, about 3 months of the year here, it gets to be about 6 million degrees on the cow thermometer, and they tend to find a shady spot in the afternoon and soak. Given that about 85% of the pasture has little tree cover, this is probably crucial for them.

If you could introduce some trees, silvopasture, and protect them from being trampled that would be a great investment for the future herds.