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New Year...New Management Style?


You can know cows. You can know crops. But real success is rooted in the ability to manage people, suggests this specialist. Read his thoughts on “taking care of your people” here.

Events in 2018

April 10-11, 2018:
Great Plains Grassland Summit: Challenges and Opportunities from North to South, Denver, CO. Learn more here.

Dec. 2-5, 2018: “Taking the Gamble out of Grazing” is the theme for the 7th National Grazing Lands Conference to be held in Reno, NV. Start making plans to attend, with registration details here. Submit an abstract to be considered as a speaker at the conference here.


Reminder: NatGLC & Amazon


Here’s something to smile about…Search “National Grazing Lands Coalition” on Amazon Smile, designate them as your preferred charity, and then when you shop through smile.amazon.com, a half a percent of sales will benefit NatGLC. Learn more by visiting
this link.



Want to take the gamble out of grazing?
Join the NatGLC for our 7th National Grazing Lands Conference, in
December 2 -5, 2018, in Reno, Nevada.  
REGISTER EARLY for the best price! Registration goes up March 31st, 2018.

Would you like to present?
Submit an abstract (oral or poster) here!



January - February 2018
Vol 23, Issue 1




IN THIS ISSUE

Texas Strong: Ranchers find aide from NRCS in hurricane recovery
Read about a Victoria rancher's undertakings in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.


Future Fodder: Could you benefit from stockpiling forage?
A comparison and how-to for the best stockpiling practices.


Grazing and the Apple Tree Analogy
An analogy to give readers a deeper understanding of the economics behind extended season grazing.


Reminders on Range Mineral Nutrition
An explanation for the necessity of a sound mineral supplementation program.








Texas Strong: Ranchers find aide from NRCS in hurricane recovery


Vol. 23 No. 1_article 1 Harvey photo

Source: Texas NRCS

No one knew when Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas on August 25 as a Category 4 hurricane that it would be one of the most devastating hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S. Texans along the Gulf Coast saw cities demolished, peak wind gusts as high as 130 mph, unprecedented rainfall of more than 50 inches that caused catastrophic flooding in areas, the death of 88 Texans, displacement of thousands of residents and more than $200 million dollars in agricultural losses.  

In the days after, a hand-painted sign summed up Texans’ resilience – “Harvey was strong, Texas is stronger.” And strong is what farmers and ranchers have to be in their daily lives faced with the challenges of working in agriculture, especially when dealing with Mother Nature. Read more about how one Texas ranch family worked to recover after the storm.

 



Future Fodder: Could you benefit from stockpiling forage?

 

Source: Progressive Forage

The recipe for successful grazing of stockpiled forages starts months before you turn in the livestock. It’s important to understand stockpiled forage isn’t simply forcing livestock to eat forages they’ve passed over earlier in the grazing season. Rather, stockpiled forages are deliberately accumulated new growth late in the growing season that will be grazed in a managed system during fall and winter.

A good rule of thumb is to think one grazing season out so there is a plan well in advance of actually needing the forage. Some ways to extend the grazing season and fill gaps in available forage include: incorporating cool-season annuals, clovers and other legumes; and grazing stockpiled forages. Get tips on stockpiling here.

 

                              

 



Grazing and the Apple Tree Analogy

Vol. 23 No. 1_article 3 apple tree image


Source: Greg Halich, University of Kentucky

Will grazing more and feeding less hay always increase profitability? There are many cases where cattle farmers could graze more days profitably. But the statement is not universally correct, and we need to evaluate the specific situation to determine if increasing grazing days will pay off on a particular farm.

The most effective way I have found to help folks understand this dynamic is with the following analogy: Think about picking apples out of a large tree during a banner year when it is loaded with apples. Where do you start picking? You get all the fruit you can easily reach from the ground, correct? Pretty easy – what do you do next? Well, you might get on your toes and go around the tree and get a few more. Were you as efficient, in terms of apples picked per minute, as you were when your feet were firmly planted on the ground? No, not quite.

Then what? Read more to learn what message this analogy holds for grazing? And, read a second article by Halich that poses the question: How far can we extend the grazing season profitably?




Reminders on Range Mineral Nutrition


Source: Range Beef Cow Symposium

While it is widely believed that cattle possess a certain amount of “nutritional wisdom,” producers must realize that cattle do not intuitively know when they need specific nutrients necessary for optimum performance. University of Nebraska Beef Systems Specialist Mary Drewnoski offered that warning to cattlemen attending Range Beef Cow Symposium XXV recently in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Read more of her mineral tips here.

 

 



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