We outwinter our herd in a winter pasture with a creek and a nice stand
of cedar for shelter, our "tree-stall" as it were.We feed round bales
here and there in the clear areas on nice days, and in the cedars when
it's storming, so the cows can eat out of the wind and bed down on the
pine needles.
As early calvers start to look perinatal, we move them to a pair of
pastures that adjoin the barn, where we can keep an eye on them and
where they can get their newborn out of the weather if they birth at
night. Right now, for example, we've got 12 cows and calves in the
close-in fields: three who calved late last season and have been our
winter "house cows", and nine who calved early this year. The rest of
the herd, about 80 in all, will stay in the winter pasture until they
calve or until the grass shows up, except for the bulls, who will stay
away from the new moms until May 1st, for family planning purposes.
We'll begin weaning our winter calves in April: I just cannot bring
myself to wean a calf to hay. So right now, our 12 milk cows are
fattening calves (9 boys and three girls, sadly) and putting just enough
milk in the cheese vat to keep my cheesemaking habit going. Come April,
when the grass shows up (hopefully April, last year it was more like
May!) and we've weaned everyone born before Groundhog Day, well then,
the cheesemaking season will be up for real.
We expect to milk between 40 and 44 cows this season, including a dozen
of our Bobolink Black Graizer crosses. Right now I'm training the
season's interns and getting itchy for spring!
Ann Tiplady & John Sease wrote:
> We also are holding our breath until spring.
>
> The conundrum that has me baffled lately is how we can ever get out from
> under the expense of wintering the cattle (beef), so that we might take
> advantage of the grazing season. We've reduced our cow number (to a measly
> 6) thinking that we should stay very small until we seem to have a system
> that works. I'm just not seeing how this can work though. Our winter
> set-up is not at all what I would like, but the expense of building a barn,
> and furnishing it with bedding, seems absolutely crazy.
>
> Our own land isn't being used yet, and I've offers of other land to use.
> But how can I possibly keep all those animals through winter?
>
> I heard Greg Judy recently, advocating for no-hay whatsoever, and planning
> for grazing 365 days/year. Could it work here in Vermont? (Perhaps in a
> year when we don't have so much freezing rain?) I keep thinking about
> getting cows out to where they can winter in the trees, but there's still
> the feeding question (not to mention water out there).
>
> Perhaps smaller cows would help. If the cows are significantly smaller, is
> there significantly less mud? (Shorter time to finishing might lessen the
> winter feed costs by reducing head count for winter.)
>
> How do people make this work?
>
> Thanks, Ann Tiplady
>
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--
Jonathan & Nina White, cheesemakers
Bobolink Dairy & Bakeyard
Vernon, NJ USA
