------=_NextPart_000_008D_01C3C0F8.421C9E20
charset="iso-8859-1"
Pam, The most important 'first step' for you would be to get some
pasture soil tests. Then respond to that data! You'll be amazed at the
productivity of well-fed native grasses, and you may not have to deal
with quite as many 'outside Dudes'. Dick Conklin
----- Original Message -----
From: Pam Cowles
To: graze-l
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 5:52 AM
Subject: Re: [Graze-l] a new dairy
F.W. Owen said,
This IS Graze-L, but still, there is no law that says that
you have to graze. It might be cheaper to buy all the feed
and it would take a lot less capital.
Yes, I spoke with someone today who suggested that until the pastures
are reseeded (I'm cash renting the land now for row crops) I may have to
handle the cows as if it were winter, and feed them what they would
normally need at that time, since I wouldn't have good quality pastures
yet.
What is the time frame between seeding the pastures and grazing for
the first time?
I can remember when we were first starting the dairy in 1995, we
walked through the new pasture seeding on the evening of Oct. 3 to see
the new little alfalfa plants coming up. The only reason I can remember
the exact date is because I was in labor with my son and needed to walk.
(We also walked past my father-in-law as he was tying re-rod, getting
ready for the concrete truck first thing in the morning to pour the
holding pen/lot areas. Needless to say I didn't help with the concrete
work the next morning. I held the baby instead!)
The point I was making is that we must have harvested the crops in
those fields early enough to have seeded them with Alfagraze and for the
plants to be coming up by October 3. It's possible that we made silage
from the crop earlier than the typical harvest time for combining. We
did use a couple silage bags in the beginning.
Cowles Farm
Southeast Iowa
