Bad overgrazing

[Jinglebob]

Here's how I ruined my pastures this year, with MIG. Management Intensive Grazing.
Why, I'll bet there isn't but about 40 to 50% of the available forage, left! :wink:
There are spots where wo utilized about 90% of t5he available forage and others where we only utilized 10 to 20%. On the average, we probably used around 50% while the main bunch of cattle were here. What ever got grazed hard last year, will be grazed lighter this year. Except for the patches that are predominently crested wheat grass and we just try and kill it with grazing pressure and then get off. Funny, we can't seem to kill it and it comes back stronger and smoother, every year! :wink:
We do our farming with cattle and their mouths and hooves.

These first two pictures were taken just outside of a small water lot where 4 pastures come together. The next picture is what it looks like inside of the water lot, where the cattle spent more time, as they could go in here from 4 different pastures to get a drink as I rotated them. This land got a lot more "hoof action".

This is another picture taken about 25 yards outside of the same water lot . This is my 4 wheeler. I thought this might show the grass a little better.

These next pictures are showing another water lot with access from 3 different pastures. When the cattle come in to get a drink, they seem to want to lay around in here, where they've made dust.

The windmill fills the big storage tank(18,000 gallons) and then the overflow from that tank goes into the small tire tank, at the base of the windmill, or I can divert it into a 22 foot bottomless tank. There is a 3 inch underground pipe from the storage tank to an 8 foot tire tank, with a float in the center of the tank. 600 yearlings can walk up and all get a drink and there is still water in the big storage tank. Wish I had one of these at all my windmills.
:wink:

Here is a pic of the homesite, looking from the southwest slightly.

These nest two pix are looking to the north northwest and then the second pic would over lap on the left side of the first pic. This land lies north northwest of my house and buildings.

And here's a pic of the homesite taken from the southwest. This was my grandfathers homestead. The trees between the view and the house were planted about 1920 and are all slowly dying. So i am planting more trees on this side of them. Ceders, silver maple and cottonwood. Next year, probably will plant some russian olive. I only plant a row or two a year, so I can watter them with a drip hose.

Yup, sure too bad I overgrazed and ruined my pastures!

:wink:

 

[PureCountry]

Good to see somebody with a real program or plan. Good on ya, Jinglebob.

 

[theHiredMansWife]

Obvious proof of all the damage intensive grazing can do. :wink:

 

[Manitoba_Rancher]

How many acres of grassland do you have jb? And the good thing about your program is cows dont take diesel fuel :wink:

 

[Southdakotahunter]

Beautiful..................Looks like your a genuine steward of the land!

 

[Soapweed]

Good pictures, and good management. Thanks for the ranch tour.

 

[TXTibbs]

The windmill fills the big storage tank(18,000 gallons) and then the overflow from that tank goes into the small tire tank, at the base of the windmill, or I can divert it into a 22 foot bottomless tank. There is a 3 inch underground pipe from the storage tank to an 8 foot tire tank, with a float in the center of the tank. 600 yearlings can walk up and all get a drink and there is still water in the big storage tank. Wish I had one of these at all my windmills.
:wink:

That looks like an awfull lot of exposed pipe to freeze stiff in the winter...what you do about that?....oh, and get the NRCS to cost share you a storage at each windmill :lol:

 

[Northern Rancher]

Heck a coyote couldn't even hide there you shou;ld be ashamed of yourself lol.

 

[Faster horses]

Jinglebob, I'm impressed.

What nice country, too. I like it!!

 

[Jinglebob]

How many acres of grassland do you have jb? And the good thing about your program is cows dont take diesel fuel :wink:

Just enough to run the yearlings on. :wink:

 

[Jinglebob]

That looks like an awfull lot of exposed pipe to freeze stiff in the winter...what you do about that?....oh, and get the NRCS to cost share you a storage at each windmill :lol:

I don't use the storage tank in the winter. Dopn't run that many cattle there at that time of the year and if I did, the windmill would keep up, as the water intake isn't as high then. :wink:

And the NRCS doesn't want to cost share things like this. They'd rather have you bring electricity and put in a pump. :wink:

With windmills, I very seldom cuss the wind. :wink:

When life gives you wind, figure out a way to use it to your advantage. :wink: :lol:

 

[Jinglebob]

Jinglebob, I'm impressed.

What nice country, too. I like it!!

Yeah it doesn't look too much different than your country FH. Maybe a little more average rainfall and more sand and less rock.

Most people around here figure on running about a pair on 20 to 25 acres, but that is figureing in some land to put up hay on.

I can run about 1 yearling per month on 1 acre and get around 2 pounds gain per head per day. That is with just grass, water and salt. My guys won't buy mineral and if we move them every 5 to 7 days, we knock most of the flies off.

I have hung some dust bags and last year I did put out some mineral blocks with salt mix, but I doubt it did much good. If they or I got serious about mineral, I'd get some forage tests and see what we are lacking and then feed that.

I did put out some mineral for my cows this winter after the yearlings were gone.

I've got one other windmill that I have to get fixed up similar to this one, but I have been having trouble finding a cost effective way to do it. This large tank and another about 11,000 gallon one, I swapped a saddle for. Only problem is, I can't find anymore big tanks. I'm hoping to find an old government grainbin and bury that and use it for storage at the other mill. Cheap! If it isn't cheap, I can't afford to do it.

Ohh well, I keep telling myself, we've got along for years like this and just do as much each year as I can afford. My grandchildren and great grand children should love me, for all the juniper and cder trees I've planted. :wink:

In normal years we have quite a few good springs and dams we can water out of and I have put in a few miles of pipeline with tanks and pressure system. I need to put in another half mile this spring. I sure like using these big tire tanks. I think they are almost indestructible.

Thank you all for the kind comments.

Oh and by the way, while I was out I saw about 50 head of deer and 30 head of antelope, who have been enjoying the feed this winter.

 

[Faster horses]

We have sagebrush, of which I didn't see much on your place, Jinglebob; but we don't have rocks. And your grass grows taller than ours as ours is a short grass country.

Mr. FH (still trying that on for size, lucky me that he doesn't have anything to do with a computer) really likes the big tire tanks too. We just set some more last fall. We have plenty of water in our summr pastures. None have just dams for the cattle to depend on for water. We have artesian for winter. Sure is nice not to have to break ice in the wintertime.
And we think the cows do better with warm water to drink.

As for the mineral, seriously, you are wasting your money with mineral blocks. Cows won't stand there and lick long enough for it to do them any good. How's that for saving you money? :wink:

 

[Jinglebob]

We have sagebrush, of which I didn't see much on your place, Jinglebob; but we don't have rocks. And your grass grows taller than ours as ours is a short grass country.

Mr. FH (still trying that on for size, lucky me that he doesn't have anything to do with a computer) really likes the big tire tanks too. We just set some more last fall. We have plenty of water in our summr pastures. None have just dams for the cattle to depend on for water. We have artesian for winter. Sure is nice not to have to break ice in the wintertime.
And we think the cows do better with warm water to drink.

As for the mineral, seriously, you are wasting your money with mineral blocks. Cows won't stand there and lick long enough for it to do them any good. How's that for saving you money? :wink:

We have short grass also. Lots of buffalo and gamma grass( it is gamm and not gramma, according to my grass book). I had an ag teacher who came here quite a few years ago and he told me we had more different species of grass than he'd ever seen in place before! And all of this country is pretty much like that, 'till you go west about 10 or twelve miles and then you are in gumbo. Mostly western wheat grass there.

I've got a neighbor who summers on the gumbo and when he brings his cows home for winter they go to gaining weight, just on the grass alone. No supplement. Of course their calves have been taken off them too, so that helps.

As far as saving money with mineral, it was costing the same for salt blocks as mineral blocks. thats why I decided it probably wasn't doing too much good. :wink:

Years ago, we had some trouble with feet and eyes and the vet said we should use iodine in the salt. Dad, told him we bought iodized salt. He said that no more than was in there, it was probably doing more harm than good. We bought iodine and mixed it in loose white salt and it seemed to help. We use lots of cobalt salt. Seems to help some years. Best help I've seen for sore feet was putting lime around the tanks. That is one advantage to dry years. The cattle are all drinking out of tanks so you can do that. Pretty hard to lime around all the waterholes and dams, in a normal year! :shock: :lol:

 

[Faster horses]

Oh yeah, gumbo.

Did I mention we have gumbo? :shock: :wink:

 

[SHORTSTUFF]

very nice layout. do you feel the system significantly increases your capicity or just improves range condition?

 

[Jinglebob]

very nice layout. do you feel the system significantly increases your capicity or just improves range condition?

Both. Without a doubt.

Dad would run about 180 pairs year around and we'd start feeding hay in Oct-Nov every year and feed until May 1st. Them old cows got trained to always go to the same pastures at the same time and it didn't matter if there was grass left or not.

When you intesive graze, basicly all you are doing is setting up the pecking order or making more grazing pressure form all of the cattle, to where they don't fight and pass up grass they usually don't want to eat, the just eat what is in front of them. If they don't, some other bovine will eat it. They are never starved and I have gotten as good or better gains as I had gotten
before.

Once your set up, it's really less work and you see your cattle more often. If you don't like checking on cattle, it's probably not the way to go, but if you want to improve your grasses and run more cattler while being more efficent, it will work.

Sheep herders used to do it years ago, by just herding the animals to the better feed and not coming back to the place they had already been, until it had grown back.

 

[cowsense]

Thanks for the tour JB; It's always a treat to see how others manage their land and stock. I feel that water pipelines are a real asset in helping move the stock out to areas that we could only use sporadically before. I know of people that have stacked large earthmover tires 3 or 4 high to make storage tanks; they were cheaper than steel at the time altho I don't know how they seal them. Your bin idea is probably the most practical.

 

[ranchwife]

I've said it before, and I will say it again, JB...."I LOVE THOSE TREES"!! We planted siberian elm along the north of the house and (so far), they have lived...but the 48 Canadian hemlock did not make it...too much wind, i think!! Gonna give it another try this spring just to try and get some windbreak to our place!! Wish us luck! :wink: :roll:

 

[Jinglebob]

I've said it before, and I will say it again, JB...."I LOVE THOSE TREES"!! We planted siberian elm along the north of the house and (so far), they have lived...but the 48 Canadian hemlock did not make it...too much wind, i think!! Gonna give it another try this spring just to try and get some windbreak to our place!! Wish us luck! :wink: :roll:

Good luck!