|
|
|
Source: Progressive Forage
For those who know Oscho and Eric Deal of China Grove, North Carolina, they know they are not only great cattlemen, but exceptional pasture managers as well.
A commercial seedstock operation since 1988, this father and son duo keep detailed records, utilize artificial insemination technology and provide their customers with a product that will suit their goals and most importantly, their location.
The pair has also focused on a “new way of managing pastures” after attending a few grazing workshops about six or seven years ago. By going to on-farm demonstrations and learning from experts in their area, the cogs in the Deals’ brains began to turn until they found themselves slowly migrating toward less feeding and more grazing. Read more about their pasture management transition HERE.
|
|
|
|
Have you thought about using drones to check fences, move livestock, and to search for missing animals? John Walker at Texas A&M AgriLife has been experimenting with drones as a grazing management tool. He can even imagine having a grazing plan where you use the drone to herd animals from pasture to pasture. On Pasture featured a short video sharing Walker’s comments on drone opportunities and limitations, watch HERE.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source: Noble Foundation
Grazing exclusion cages are one of the most effective tools for observing grazing utilization within a monitoring plan. The cages exclude grazing animals from a small representative area so that grazed vegetation outside the cage can be compared to ungrazed vegetation inside.
Rob Cook, a grazing consultant with the Noble Foundation, shares everything you need to know about these structures – from how to build them and where to place them, to what to observe and how to utilize the information. Read more HERE.
|
|
|
|
If you are considering a switch from March to May calving, the folks at the North Dakota State University Dickinson Research & Extension Center can provide a first person account. Their workload was decreased, and while they had to make several other management adjustments, it seems to be a favorable change. They made the switch back in 2012, and director Kris Ringwall recently shared some of the findings with On Pasture’s Kathy Voth. Read more HERE.
|
|
|