Have a circle of irrigated BMR feed that i drilled after we took our wheat off this summer. Never really grew liked i hoped had to keep the water on the soybeans. Had a killing freeze last week before I had a chance to go in and swath it down. Now I cant decide if I should just leave it stand and graze this winter or swath it and let the cows do the work. Was thinking of weaning the calves on it before I run the cows on it during calving. Will they stomp more of the windrows in the ground than they eat? Would it be better to split the field in half or quarters to get the most out of it? I would prefer to leave it stand to take advantage of all the cover I will have for next year. Its a 160 acre circle that maybe would have made 1-1.5 ton a acre. I did take a feed sample this week to check for nitrates. I had been putting some fertilizer on hoping to get it to grow some more. But all is safe with the feed. Thanks for your input.
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swath grazing?
- Thread starter tenbach79
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Brad S
Well-known member
Are you wanting cover to hold the ground down or provide cover for cows? I'd think that should be some high quality feed. I understand feed is plentyfull but I'm pretty sure haying it will save enough to pay for the process. If you really want to graze it to save the baling bill, wait until the ground is frozen to start grazing then don't give access to more than what they'll clean up in a few days. If you get that hay up pretty right, it'll protein test at maybe 14%? Given the cost of protein, that feed is valuable.
I don't know your weather potential here I would bale it as I have enough other set aside forage to graze as late as Jan which would be really streatching things here. From what I've seen of colorado i'd maybe try the swath grazeing.We did that once with some poor corn mowed it and raked it with a dump rake it got snowed under and the cows just worked down the swaths from end to end. My plan was to bale that also but the baler I had would'nt do it.
Least cost would be poly wire and graze it that may be best as it may hold some snow blowing from the neighbors on your fields. I've seen guys doing field work there in january so I'd guess your ground does'nt freeze as hard as it does here.In that thinking snow cover held back would retain moisture for next season.
I've got 40 acres of very poor corn were just going to let the cows graze it in november and mid december depending on when it runs out.That will be determined by some of our other grazeing fields before and after deer season. Deer season here is very costly to ranchers with extra trucking and moving cattle off before grazeing is done.
Least cost would be poly wire and graze it that may be best as it may hold some snow blowing from the neighbors on your fields. I've seen guys doing field work there in january so I'd guess your ground does'nt freeze as hard as it does here.In that thinking snow cover held back would retain moisture for next season.
I've got 40 acres of very poor corn were just going to let the cows graze it in november and mid december depending on when it runs out.That will be determined by some of our other grazeing fields before and after deer season. Deer season here is very costly to ranchers with extra trucking and moving cattle off before grazeing is done.
We are in the east part of the state and not snowed in all winter so weather isn't that big of a deal. I want the cover for the ground we are really sandy here and was thinking planting corn next year on this circle. I just don't want to swath this down and then next year have a big mess trying to go thru windrows that are still standing in the field. I don't think it's worth my time to run the swather and baler over it and waste the money on net and fuel. When the cows can do the work for me. I would feed this to them anyways, why put it in a bale.
Hayguy
Well-known member
is there any way that tou can attatch some off-sets of some type to the pivot and run a poli-wire on them? you could then meter the feed out as they cleaned it up by just moving the pivot ahead
swathing will save a LOT of feed from being tromped but would still need some control of access to make them clean up.
and i hear you about swaths (and bale grazing piles) in the spring
swathing will save a LOT of feed from being tromped but would still need some control of access to make them clean up.
and i hear you about swaths (and bale grazing piles) in the spring
3 M L & C
Well-known member
Not sure what it cost you to swath and bale but I would think your going to waste more feed than what that cost is. I think the swath grazing idea is nice but in this part of the country when you get a warm up in the winter sometimes you get rain instead of snow and the ground doesn't always freeze. Or the snow melts and makes mud. It seems rain on a windrow is never good regardless on what time a year it is. Running cattle on farm ground when it's wet and not frozen makes a compaction nightmare. Will cost more the following year regardless of what you want to plant than it will to swath and bale that feed this year. Compaction also is something you can't get rid of in one year. I like the idea of grazing as long as possible and a couple years ago our cattle grazed corn stalks longer than they were on grass, but when it gets wet there is no way to make grazing cattle on farm ground pay off.
This field we have not had cattle on it for 3 years and this field is a sandy loam soil. Not that you won't get compaction just not as bad on harder ground. Found that out leasing some milo ground to a guy who ran 160 hd on 75 acres on some dry land that's harder ground(not good). We have all the equipment to swath and bale all ourselves so it's just fuel and net that would be spent. But we would sell some of the bales so we would loose some of that profit. I thought I read on here and seen pictures of guys doing swath grazing, just wanted their opinion on how they got along with it.
Brad S
Well-known member
If you have an electric drive pivot you can run a wire down the system, bolt a porcelain donut onto the towers about 3' high, and use a few baling twine carriers between towers tied on the spans. Then move system for 30 minutes per day- more or less depending on feed and cow numbers. Fence around perimeter and pivot center and a static wire from perimeter wire to center wire. You begin with a small pie shaped lot and it gets bigger every day. I don't like to move a system when it's really cold - I think it's harder on it and sure harder on me and the dog.
I really like the idea of using the pivot to allow more access every day.
The worst part of swath grazing is that it leaves you wondering about all the time and money you wasted over the years. The increased fertility that comes from NOT hauling the nutrients to another place more than offsets any waste.
The worst part of swath grazing is that it leaves you wondering about all the time and money you wasted over the years. The increased fertility that comes from NOT hauling the nutrients to another place more than offsets any waste.
Brad S
Well-known member
On valleys and zims there is existing tower bolts to attach an insulator. We just bent a piece of 1/8" x 1" strap iron, about 8" long. Drilled 5/8" hole in one end to bolt on the tower, then put a couple 90 degree bends and bolt the insulator to the other end. Need to fab 1 mount for each tower. Start the wire at the first tower and run it to the last tower. Run a wire from the first tower to the fence surrounding the pivot (the smaller the area of the pen protecting the pivot, the less adjustment to retighten after every move. Use at least 3 twine ties in the first span. Use 2 or 3 twine hangers on the regular spans between towers more on rolling or hilly fields - 2 are enough on real flat fields.
Then run a wire from the outside tower to the perimeter fence. You must move this wire everytime you move the pivot - it's kind of a pain because the cows learn to push the end when the pivot is on. A good dog really really helps, and this daily chore really makes good dogs. I don't hang the end wire from the system but use electric fence posts and move them with the wire. Also I use a T post at the perimeter and move it with the wire. This outside span is going to get real tight and brake when you turn on the pivot before you can get from the pivot to the perimeter to unwire it. If you strike an angle that leads the pivot a little, the wire gets looser for awhile and gives you time to untie the wire before it breaks.
In time the cows will chase the end harder and learn the fence isn't on when the pivot is moving. You can move the pivot with the fence still hot when you face that deal. As always, the fatter and sassier and better you treat your cows, the more they work you on the end and duck under the wire when the pivot is on.
After you move the pivot, go down the system and adjust the twine supports - lower the wire where it's too high and raise it where it's high. I use a horse thiefs knot so the twine is easy to untie.
Good luck, we started doing this back in the olden days when corn bore would put a lot of corn on the ground and cows would overload on it if left unrestricted access. There is a tremendous amount of feed in an acre of corn stalks if the cows don't waste it and cows will go through a foot of snow to eat ungrazed cornstalks, but if they've been picked over a little bit, they'll stand at the fence and bawl if you get 4" of snow.
Then run a wire from the outside tower to the perimeter fence. You must move this wire everytime you move the pivot - it's kind of a pain because the cows learn to push the end when the pivot is on. A good dog really really helps, and this daily chore really makes good dogs. I don't hang the end wire from the system but use electric fence posts and move them with the wire. Also I use a T post at the perimeter and move it with the wire. This outside span is going to get real tight and brake when you turn on the pivot before you can get from the pivot to the perimeter to unwire it. If you strike an angle that leads the pivot a little, the wire gets looser for awhile and gives you time to untie the wire before it breaks.
In time the cows will chase the end harder and learn the fence isn't on when the pivot is moving. You can move the pivot with the fence still hot when you face that deal. As always, the fatter and sassier and better you treat your cows, the more they work you on the end and duck under the wire when the pivot is on.
After you move the pivot, go down the system and adjust the twine supports - lower the wire where it's too high and raise it where it's high. I use a horse thiefs knot so the twine is easy to untie.
Good luck, we started doing this back in the olden days when corn bore would put a lot of corn on the ground and cows would overload on it if left unrestricted access. There is a tremendous amount of feed in an acre of corn stalks if the cows don't waste it and cows will go through a foot of snow to eat ungrazed cornstalks, but if they've been picked over a little bit, they'll stand at the fence and bawl if you get 4" of snow.
Brad S, did you do this because there was still ears on the down corn? I'm thinking of just fencing half the field then graze one side. I'm going to put blabs in the calves the next 3 days, the turn the whole works out for a week. Going to move my cows to another field with a lot of regrowth from a BMR field.
This summer I had a dry land field of feed that was growing good then it decided to stop raining. Went 2 months without a rain, feed started to burn and didn't really look like it was going to rain so I went ahead and swathed down the feed. Two days before the feed was ready to bale we got 2.50" of rain. Washed my windrows all over it was a mess. To make it worse I left 8" of stubble then when I went to bale what was left I had new feed about a foot tall along with the windrows. Got another good 6-7" of growth before we had a killing freeze. So I should have good pasture for the cows for awhile. This field washed to bad and is ruff to do much until next summer.
This summer I had a dry land field of feed that was growing good then it decided to stop raining. Went 2 months without a rain, feed started to burn and didn't really look like it was going to rain so I went ahead and swathed down the feed. Two days before the feed was ready to bale we got 2.50" of rain. Washed my windrows all over it was a mess. To make it worse I left 8" of stubble then when I went to bale what was left I had new feed about a foot tall along with the windrows. Got another good 6-7" of growth before we had a killing freeze. So I should have good pasture for the cows for awhile. This field washed to bad and is ruff to do much until next summer.
Brad S
Well-known member
Yeah, I think it was 1984, we had several pivots of corn with a lot of bore damage. In eastern ne. they used to plan on burning up 2 % - 3% of the cows they graze on stalks from acidosis. We grazed Holstein steers on that down corn, and loomix liquid protein. We had shockingly good utilization of corn. Sold steers grade and steal, and they all made select right off corn stalk pasture and liquid protein.
Now we all plant gmo corn and the bore just aren't much of a problem, and we plant 30,000 plants so we don't grow those cow feeding second ears. But we still rotate graze just to get more head days out of stalks.0
Now we all plant gmo corn and the bore just aren't much of a problem, and we plant 30,000 plants so we don't grow those cow feeding second ears. But we still rotate graze just to get more head days out of stalks.0