graze-l January 2006: [SPAM] - Re: [SPAM] - Re:
[Graze-l] [SPAM] - Winter Grazing - Found word(s) barn farm in the Text body
- Email found in subject - Email found in subject
Rick,
I know you've said it many times before but can you please explain to me
how a large grazing farm can't meet nutrient regs in Wisconsin?
I hate to open up this can of worms but I think one of the biggest reason
that grass farming never really caught on big in the US is because crop
farming in the US has a guaranteed price floor and highly subsidise crop
insurance for a guaranteed income level. That is a huge factor in banks
desire and ability to finance large pasture based operations. While
grazing is low input when you add in the land cost it too is highly capital
intensive.
I'm almost ashamed to say that I've offered a lot of very, very small
pastured pig operators advice (with virtually none that were even remotely
close to a viable commercial size) but the only handful of large, very large
operations that I've offered any advice are going in down in South America.
In only a handful of years it looks like most grain and livestock will be
controlled by the bigs and the work done under some form of contract
production. The sad part is it sure looks like the average mindset in the
US farmer is they don't mind being in this position of no risk and no
reward. It sure seems puzzling to me.
Greg
----- Original Message -----
From: "KV9U" <mrfarm@mwt.net>
To: <graze-l@witt.ac.nz>
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 11:26 AM
Subject: [SPAM] - Re: [Graze-l] [SPAM] - Winter Grazing - Found word(s) barn
farm in the Text body - Email found in subject
> Steve,
>
> I think your definition of rotational grazing is a bit restricted. Even
> two rotations are better than one. And three or four or five that much
> better. We have about 30 paddocks, although some can be made larger or
> smaller as needed. We also have different groups, dairy heifers in a
> breeding group, young heifer group, larger group of steers and misc
> heifers, etc. So it is not unusual to have a few paddocks that are rotated
> for that group. We are a small farm with only about 100 head during the
> summer grazing period since we primarily contract graze dairy heifers with
> some direct marketing of jersey beef steers.
>
> The F&G Council seems to be very representative of farmers and
ranchers
> throughout the U.S. We have an affiliate here in Wisconsin.
>
> The Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative is alive and well and has many
> stakeholder groups including the main ones such as NCBA and American Farm
> Bureau Federation, Soil and Water Conservation Society, National Farmers
> Union, with representitives from the sheep and dairy industry too.
>
> If you support the democratic process, there are a lot of voices that need
> to be heard, not just taken over by one special interest group of grazing,
> but all farmers and ranchers. We all are special interests one way or
> another. It is pretty neat to see such partnerships in place and
> sustaining themselves.
>
> My biggest disappointment is that except for some selected watersheds,
> there is not much happening with the Conservation Security Program since
> money has been diverted for other things such as payments to farmers in
> severely impacted areas.
>
> Grazing, like any other farm and ranch practice, needs to be practical for
> those same farmers and ranchers. If they don't support it, then it is
> difficult to ram it down their throats. If it really is a good practice,
> and I am sure most of us on this list think that it is, then it will be
> adopted over time by those who want to do it. While not all that common
> here in our area, due to dairy farming being the main agricultural
> activity, it can work for small farms, perhaps under a few hundred cows.
> When you get to the larger size farms, it becomes increasingly difficult
> due to nutrient management issues.
>
> One of the larger farms in our county milked a few hundred cows and was
> the major grazing farm, but when they decided they wanted improved
> lifestyle changes and went to 1,000 cows, they could no longer meet the
> nutrient management requirements and had to have a tighter closed loop on
> their nutrients.
>
> For these larger farms, and within limits for smaller ones, we can expect
> even more increase in control of nutrients and within a few decades,
> required composting and perhaps energy production.
>
> In the meantime, we see more of a push for grazing (finally) in our county
> as the concepts filter down to the local level. But most of those who
> attend pasture walks tend to be small holders and don't really make up a
> large percentage of the agriculture in our area.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Rick Williams
> Viroqua, WI
>
>
>
>
> Steve Lucas wrote:
>
>> Like FW, I am grieved that we let the promises of the grazing
>> revolution come to nought. We had the momentum, but we needed
>> more than a voice crying in the wilderness, or even two or three
>> voices. Forage and Grassland Councils were hijacked by special
>> interest groups. USDA/NRCS had a grazing lands initiative that
>> appears to have turned into an entitlement program. It is always
>> easier to try to spend your way out of a problem than it is to
>> manage your way out of a problem. It is always easier to tell
>> people what they want to hear than to tell them the truth. I
>> became so frustrated at "agency experts" presenting
programs that
>> called a four or five paddock rotations "rotational
grazing"
>> simply to get program sign-up that I started writing a research
>> paper to dispute the idea. It is siting on my hard drive
>> unfinished, and I see little benefit to pulling it back up and
>> spending three or four hours to get it done. It has lost it's
>> relevance. Yet, as long as I am here in Virginia raising cattle we
>> will
>> manage the grazing.
>> On to another subject: Richard wrote:
>>
>> Kindest Regards
>> Steve
>> Steve Lucas
>> Mountain View Farm
>> Louisa, Virginia
>> www.ibiblio.org/farming-connection/ruralwri/lucas/home.htm
>> <http://
www.ibiblio.org/farming-connection/ruralwri/lucas/home.htm>
>>
>
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