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for conditions to get right to grow. The question is how to manage the =
winter growth. My cows are on pastures that were not particularly well =
managed the last two years. The fields are across the highway from the =
house, are not as well watered as they might be, and have a lot of =
fescue. The last two summers were good grazing years and since we have =
a smaller number of cows that we did ten years ago, and we are grazing =
more intensively on the "home side" I didn't need to use these fields
as =
much. In two years, the fescue that I had gotten under control and =
reduced to about 30% of the stand, rebounded choking out the clover and =
returning to it's previous 70% status. This has been good for this year =
as it has given me a lot of grazing, but will make things rough if we =
have a dry summer coming up. I am, therefore, grazing these fields into =
the ground as much as possible. The fescue is the grass that is =
growing, and the cows are happy to eat it down. The rest of the farm is =
also greening up. These fields are a mixture of mostly blue grass, some =
fescue, and about twenty secondary species. These fields will not be =
grazed until the spring rotation starts. The cows will be put in a =
particular field that we use for winter feeding due to the southern =
aspect, a low maintainance water supply, and a wooded area (tree stall) =
for shelter. The rest of the farm will be allowed to grow. When we =
get the real warm up, that stored energy will produce a lot of growth. =
We have noticed that over the last ten years the rotation start "turn =
out date" has gotten earlier. The conventional wisdom in this part of =
the world is to turn out on April 15. That is too late for us. We =
quickly wind up with too much over mature grass.
We moved up the rotation start date to April 1 a couple of years ago, =
the last week in March last year, and we are looking toward the middle =
of March this year, maybe earlier if the warm weather persists. In =
short Rick, folks who take advantage of the winter growth by managing it =
will reap rewards of ample grass earlier. Folks who have opened up the =
whole farm will not see the benefits.
I've gone on long enough, time to go feed the barn animals.
Kindest Regards
Steve
Steve Lucas
Mountain View Farm
Louisa, Virginia
www.ibiblio.org/farming-connection/ruralwri/lucas/home.htm
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