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Southern Forages: Spanish version available
The International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) has recently released Forrajes De Las Americas, a Spanish translation of the widely acclaimed book Southern Forages. The book emphasizes practical aspects of forage establishment, production, and utilization, and is well suited as a field manual or textbook for forage courses in colleges and universities. The book is available to order from IPNI Circulation and can be ordered online from http://store.ipni.net/
For more information and cost details, call: 1-770-825-8084; e-mail: circulation@ipni.net
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Range Symposium Nov. 17-19, 2015
Colorado State University will host the Range Beef Cow Symposium to be held in Loveland, CO, Nov. 17-19. The biennial symposium has a reputation of being an excellent educational program, offering practical production management information since the first symposium in Chadron, Neb., in 1969. The event rotates between Colorado, western Nebraska, western South Dakota and Wyoming. For this year’s event schedule visit http://www.rangebeefcow.com/
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Stewardship Winners
Seven families were honored for their outstanding land management practices during the 2015 Cattle Industry Summer Conference. The Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) honors farmers and ranchers dedicated to maintaining and improving their lands to ensure they are productive for future generations. ESAP is celebrating its 25th anniversary during the year ahead. Find out if your state had a regional winner; Read more at http://www.agweb.com/article/regional-environmental-stewardship-award-winners-named-NAA-news-release/
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Sept - Oct 2015
Volume 20, Issue 5 |
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 The National Grazing Lands Coalition will host the 6th National Conference on Grazing Lands Dec. 13-16, 2015, at the Hyatt Regency DFW near Grapevine, Texas. Conference organizers expect more than 1,200 ranchers, professors, land managers, researchers, public officials, conservationists and students to attend this national conference and participate in the exchange of ideas and information on grazing land environmental and economic practices and issues.
“We are excited about bringing this renowned national conference to Texas. Grazing lands make up more than a quarter of the private land acres in the United States and serve many roles from homes for livestock and wildlife to sponges for rainfall, carbon reservoirs, hunting and fishing grounds, and much, much more,” said Bob Drake, National Grazing Lands Coalition chairman emeritus. “Sustainably managing all these roles across 530 million acres of grazing lands in this nation is a huge balancing act.”
The conference will feature experts in fields such as range science, range and pasture management, forage management and animal behavior. Speakers include Dr. Don Ball, professor emeritus, Auburn University; Dr. Garry Lacefield, professor of plant and soil science, Extension forage specialist, University of Kentucky; Dr. Peter Ballerstedt, forage product manager, Barenbrug, USA; and Dr. Rachel Gilker and Kathy Voth, who produce “On Pasture,” an online grazing magazine which translates research and experience into actions graziers can implement on their own operations.
The conference’s unique format will provide grazing information and expert speakers along four “tracks” - Western, Midwestern, Eastern and Dairy. Some of the topics to be highlighted include grazing management, grazing land economics and marketing, public policy, soil health and the ag/urban interface. Session speakers also include everyday ranchers and land managers. This year’s conference will also feature a “Texas Day” on December 15 that will feature sessions on prescribed burning and brush management, along with a Texas Social in the evening.
“While we welcome all grazing land experts, we also look for presenters who are the ‘cowboy expert’- the individual who has gained his or her expertise through long hours working with livestock and firsthand exposure to all sorts of elements — natural, economic and political,” Drake said.
Early bird registration of $295 is available through Oct. 15, 2015, followed by regular online registration of $365 until Dec. 4, 2015. On-site registration is also available at $365. For more registration information, or opportunities to exhibit or participate in poster presentations visit http://www.grazinglands.org/
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By Jim Johnson, Noble Foundation
On any landscape, there are opportunities to reduce the amount of water evaporated from the soil. One option for grazers is to leave the grazed stubble a little taller so it shades the soil a little more.
For instance, if you normally graze to a 4-inch stubble height, try grazing to a 5-inch stubble height. You may give up a small amount of production, but you will gain a little more shade on the soil surface.
Increasing shade on the soil surface reduces the temperature of the soil on a hot, sunny day, and in turn, reduces the amount of water lost to evaporation from the soil.
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The same holds true when mowing the lawn or cutting hay. Raising the cutting height by a small amount will allow your yard or hay meadow to evaporate less water and redirect that water to growing grass.
The design of a pond to supply livestock water can also conserve water. A deeper pond with a smaller surface area is better than a shallow pond with a larger surface area. The bigger the surface area, regardless of the depth, the more evaporation can occur from the pond.
Read more of this article about water conservation strategies at http://www.noble.org/ag/pasture/water-conservation-techniques/
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By Derek Bailey for Progressive Cattleman
In the western U.S., ranchers utilize extensive and rugged rangeland pastures. Generally, cattle are reluctant to graze steep slopes, climb high ridges and travel long distances from water. These preferences often lead to greater forage use on gentle terrain located near water, including riparian areas, while forage on rugged terrain and areas far from water are usually left unglazed.
Most problems associated with livestock grazing, especially on public lands, are the result of undesirable distribution rather than stocking rate. In other words, concerns with cattle grazing are usually not a result of too many cows but rather cattle grazing too much in one area and not enough in another.
Traditional approaches to improve cattle grazing distribution rely on capital expenditures such as water developments and fencing that are expensive, require regular maintenance and in some cases may not be practical.
As an alternative, managers may be able to use tools to change animal behavior rather than adding water or fences. Selection for grazing distribution has the potential to change cattle grazing patterns.
Can we create hill-climbing cattle? In a study we conducted in Montana a few years ago, cattle that previously showed a preference for steep slopes, high terrain and areas far from water (hill climbers) spent less time grazing in riparian areas and more time in rugged terrain.
Read more about Dr. Bailey’s observations at http://www.progressivecattle.com/topics/range-pasture/6832-nature-and-nurture-affect-cattle-travel
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By Lon Tonneson, Dakota Farmer
Steve and Charles Fettig, Napoleon, N.D., have increased stocking rates and improved the amount of forage their ranch produces by adopting a planned grazing system.
The Fettigs started planned grazing in 1987 with a herd of 180 cow/calf pairs. They built the herd to 400 pairs and didn’t buy or rent any additional land. They sold the cow herd in 1997, in part to eliminate all labor and costs associated with calving, and now custom graze 1,000-1,300 head of yearling heifers as one herd from May to mid-October. The heifers typically gain 1.25- 1.5 pounds per day.
They have divided their grasslands into 34 permanent pastures. Read more about the Fettig’s grazing tactics at http://farmprogress.com/story-graze-hard-rest-long-14-128918
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