Week Starting | Fields sampled | Minimum | Maximum | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (no.) | (pounds of DM per day) | |||
| April 5 | 10 | 2.6 | 52 | 23.5 |
| April 12 | 9 | 10.8 | 167.1 | 62.6 |
| April 19 | 20 | 1.6 | 166.5 | 59 |
| April 26 | 44 | 4.6 | 178.7 | 59.7 |
| May 3 | 33 | 5.4 | 162.3 | 67 |
| May 10 | 42 | 6.7 | 353.4 | 93.5 |
| May 17 | 33 | 14.58 | 253.2 | 101.9 |
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Pasture Growth by May 24, 2009
The following table shows the growth from pastures participating in the project. For information about the project see the introductory post. The information is reported in pounds of dry matter grown per acre per day. It contains the reported results as of the posting date. Some reports may be delayed for various reasons. Previous week’s information is updated when it is received. The current table will reflect the total information available.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Clark County Pasture Walk Set for June 18
The third pasture walk in the Western Ohio Pasture Walk series will be held on Thursday, June 18 at Agle's Beaverdale Farm. Agle's Beaverdale Farm is an Ohio Century Farm located at 993 South Urbana-Lisbon Road in South Vienna, Ohio.
Agle's Beaverdale Farm consists of 2.000 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, and cattle. There are four generations currently working on the farm. This pasture walk will begin at 6:30 and end around 9:00. For more information and directions, contact Jonah Johnson at the Clark County Extension Office at 937-328-4607.
Agle's Beaverdale Farm consists of 2.000 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, and cattle. There are four generations currently working on the farm. This pasture walk will begin at 6:30 and end around 9:00. For more information and directions, contact Jonah Johnson at the Clark County Extension Office at 937-328-4607.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Pasture Growth by May 17, 2009
The following table shows the growth from pastures participating in the project. For information about the project see the introductory post. The information is reported in pounds of dry matter grown per acre per day. It contains the reported results as of the posting date. Some reports may be delayed for various reasons. Previous week’s information is updated when it is received. The current table will reflect the total information available.
Week Starting | Fields sampled | Minimum | Maximum | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (no.) | (pounds of DM per day) | |||
| April 5 | 10 | 2.6 | 52 | 23.5 |
| April 12 | 9 | 10.8 | 167.1 | 62.6 |
| April 19 | 20 | 1.6 | 166.5 | 59 |
| April 26 | 44 | 4.6 | 178.7 | 59.7 |
| May 3 | 32 | 5.4 | 162.3 | 68.8 |
| May 10 | 33 | 9.9 | 353.4 | 98.1 |
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Want to know how much rain is (or isn't) falling on your pastures and hay fields?
Recently, I joined a network of citizens across the United States giving daily rain measurements. The network is called CoCoRaHs and stands for Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow network. This is a great way to see just exactly how much rain has fallen in a particular area on a particular date.
Anyone is welcome to join, but you don't have to take measurements to see the data. For more information, or just to see how much rain has fallen in your area, simply go to http://cocorahs.org.
Anyone is welcome to join, but you don't have to take measurements to see the data. For more information, or just to see how much rain has fallen in your area, simply go to http://cocorahs.org.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Pasture Measurement
Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator Athens County
Pasture measurement allows a grazier to determine an estimate of how much forage dry matter (DM) is available in a pasture paddock. Once forage DM is estimated, then the grazier can figure out how many animals can be grazed in that paddock for a given period of time. This is something that experienced graziers gain an eye for over time with practice. For beginning graziers pasture measurement can help to take some of the guesswork out of allocating pasture forage and it can help to reduce the slope of the learning curve associated with management intensive grazing.
To get the most benefit from pasture measurement, it must be done on a consistent basis. Think in terms of measuring pasture on a weekly basis. For the grazier serious about increasing pasture use and efficiency, weekly pasture measurement is not something that is added or squeezed in to an already busy schedule, but rather is a necessary management task. Pasture measurement done on a weekly basis will help the grazier to make decisions about how to best use pasture paddocks and over time will provide a trend of how much forage DM is being produced per week. Using this type of information can help a grazier plan the livestock rotation for periods of rapid growth as well as periods of slow growth. The trend can provide an early warning system in a drought year and help the grazier plan accordingly.
Taking a single pasture measurement in a paddock is not advisable because of the variability that typically exists in pasture growth and density across a paddock. Take 20 to 30 separate, random measurements across the paddock. The more that are taken, the more accurate your estimate of forage DM will be.
How will you decide which paddock to measure on a weekly basis? One strategy is to measure the same paddock each week. If that paddock is due to be grazed, then measure before animals are turned in and when animals are turned out. These additional measurements will give you information about how you are managing plant residual, an important part of how quickly a plant recovers from a grazing pass. Most pastures should be managed so there is 1200 to 1400 lbs of DM after animals have grazed. The other advantage of this strategy is that you will get a good idea of pasture growth rate in terms of how much DM is being added per acre each week.
Another measurement strategy is to measure a paddock that is due to be grazed each week. This will help to give you an idea about your rotation speed. If you are consistently measuring 2400 to 3000 lbs of forage DM per acre in paddocks about to be grazed, this indicates the rest period has been long enough. If forage DM is less than 2200 lbs per acre then rotation speed should be slowed down to allow the pasture more time to recover and grow.
The next question is: what is used to make pasture measurements? The most economical option is the pasture stick, which costs about $5.00 to $7.00 and is generally provided to participants of grazing schools. The current model of the pasture stick being used in Ohio has a scale to measure forage height, a scale to estimate forage density, a table of lbs of DM/inch for various pasture forage types, information about length of grazing rotations and information about calculating the lbs of DM available for grazing. The basic steps involved in using the grazing stick are:
Measure pasture height in 20-30 random areas of the paddock. Record those heights.
Add the measurements to get a total and then divide that total by the number of measurements. This will give you average pasture height.
Estimate pasture density using the dot scale on the pasture stick. This will allow you to estimate the lbs of DM per inch.
Multiply the average height (inches) by the pasture density (lbs of DM/inch). This will give you the total DM per acre in that paddock.
Subtract the amount of residual DM you want to leave in the paddock. This is plant height after grazing times the lbs of DM/inch. If you plan for a 3 to 4 inch residual, 1200-1400 lbs is about right. Consider the result of total DM minus residual DM to be the forage available for grazing.
Figure out the amount of utilizable forage. All of the forage available for grazing will not actually get grazed. There will be waste. The smaller the paddock size and the fewer days animals spend in that paddock the higher the grazing efficiency. If you are moving animals every 3-4 days use a 60% grazing efficiency to begin with. Multiply the available forage DM by the grazing efficiency expressed as a decimal. For example 1500 lbs DM x 0.60 = 900 lbs of utilizable forage DM/acre.
Figure out the livestock need in lbs of DM/day. Most livestock will consume between 2.5 to 3.0 % of their body weight in DM per day. You will need to know the average body weights of your livestock. Multiply the DM/day requirement for an individual animal by the total number of animals that will graze in that paddock. Example 30 head of sheep that average 150 lbs, consuming 2.75% of body weight in DM/day. 150 x .0275 = 4.1 lbs of DM/day. 4.1 x 30 head = 123 lbs of DM/day needed.
Figure out what the paddock can support. Divide the utilizable forage by the livestock requirement to get how many days of grazing the paddock will provide. In our example: 900 lbs of utilizable DM divided by 123 lbs of DM needed /day = 7.3. There should be about a weeks worth of grazing in this paddock.
Make adjustments based on the measurement calculations. For example if my goal is to rotate every 3-4 days and in our example we found that one acre is providing 7 days worth of grazing for 30 head of sheep, then provide about 0.5 acres every 3 days.
Another option to measure pastures is the rising plate meter. This is a simple instrument developed in New Zealand that has a counter built in. Record the beginning number on the counter, make 30 measurements and record the end number. Subtract the end number from the beginning number and divide that result by the number of measurements to get an average. Multiply this average by a conversion factor (currently 107.04) for cool season grass pastures. Use this number as the total forage DM/acre and follow the steps outlined for the pasture stick to make the remaining animal use calculations. The plate meter is quicker, but the cost of this instrument is about $450.
In the end, whatever method is used to measure pastures has value only if those measurements are used and applied to doing a better job of managing pastures.
Pasture measurement allows a grazier to determine an estimate of how much forage dry matter (DM) is available in a pasture paddock. Once forage DM is estimated, then the grazier can figure out how many animals can be grazed in that paddock for a given period of time. This is something that experienced graziers gain an eye for over time with practice. For beginning graziers pasture measurement can help to take some of the guesswork out of allocating pasture forage and it can help to reduce the slope of the learning curve associated with management intensive grazing.
To get the most benefit from pasture measurement, it must be done on a consistent basis. Think in terms of measuring pasture on a weekly basis. For the grazier serious about increasing pasture use and efficiency, weekly pasture measurement is not something that is added or squeezed in to an already busy schedule, but rather is a necessary management task. Pasture measurement done on a weekly basis will help the grazier to make decisions about how to best use pasture paddocks and over time will provide a trend of how much forage DM is being produced per week. Using this type of information can help a grazier plan the livestock rotation for periods of rapid growth as well as periods of slow growth. The trend can provide an early warning system in a drought year and help the grazier plan accordingly.
Taking a single pasture measurement in a paddock is not advisable because of the variability that typically exists in pasture growth and density across a paddock. Take 20 to 30 separate, random measurements across the paddock. The more that are taken, the more accurate your estimate of forage DM will be.
How will you decide which paddock to measure on a weekly basis? One strategy is to measure the same paddock each week. If that paddock is due to be grazed, then measure before animals are turned in and when animals are turned out. These additional measurements will give you information about how you are managing plant residual, an important part of how quickly a plant recovers from a grazing pass. Most pastures should be managed so there is 1200 to 1400 lbs of DM after animals have grazed. The other advantage of this strategy is that you will get a good idea of pasture growth rate in terms of how much DM is being added per acre each week.
Another measurement strategy is to measure a paddock that is due to be grazed each week. This will help to give you an idea about your rotation speed. If you are consistently measuring 2400 to 3000 lbs of forage DM per acre in paddocks about to be grazed, this indicates the rest period has been long enough. If forage DM is less than 2200 lbs per acre then rotation speed should be slowed down to allow the pasture more time to recover and grow.
The next question is: what is used to make pasture measurements? The most economical option is the pasture stick, which costs about $5.00 to $7.00 and is generally provided to participants of grazing schools. The current model of the pasture stick being used in Ohio has a scale to measure forage height, a scale to estimate forage density, a table of lbs of DM/inch for various pasture forage types, information about length of grazing rotations and information about calculating the lbs of DM available for grazing. The basic steps involved in using the grazing stick are:
Measure pasture height in 20-30 random areas of the paddock. Record those heights.
Add the measurements to get a total and then divide that total by the number of measurements. This will give you average pasture height.
Estimate pasture density using the dot scale on the pasture stick. This will allow you to estimate the lbs of DM per inch.
Multiply the average height (inches) by the pasture density (lbs of DM/inch). This will give you the total DM per acre in that paddock.
Subtract the amount of residual DM you want to leave in the paddock. This is plant height after grazing times the lbs of DM/inch. If you plan for a 3 to 4 inch residual, 1200-1400 lbs is about right. Consider the result of total DM minus residual DM to be the forage available for grazing.
Figure out the amount of utilizable forage. All of the forage available for grazing will not actually get grazed. There will be waste. The smaller the paddock size and the fewer days animals spend in that paddock the higher the grazing efficiency. If you are moving animals every 3-4 days use a 60% grazing efficiency to begin with. Multiply the available forage DM by the grazing efficiency expressed as a decimal. For example 1500 lbs DM x 0.60 = 900 lbs of utilizable forage DM/acre.
Figure out the livestock need in lbs of DM/day. Most livestock will consume between 2.5 to 3.0 % of their body weight in DM per day. You will need to know the average body weights of your livestock. Multiply the DM/day requirement for an individual animal by the total number of animals that will graze in that paddock. Example 30 head of sheep that average 150 lbs, consuming 2.75% of body weight in DM/day. 150 x .0275 = 4.1 lbs of DM/day. 4.1 x 30 head = 123 lbs of DM/day needed.
Figure out what the paddock can support. Divide the utilizable forage by the livestock requirement to get how many days of grazing the paddock will provide. In our example: 900 lbs of utilizable DM divided by 123 lbs of DM needed /day = 7.3. There should be about a weeks worth of grazing in this paddock.
Make adjustments based on the measurement calculations. For example if my goal is to rotate every 3-4 days and in our example we found that one acre is providing 7 days worth of grazing for 30 head of sheep, then provide about 0.5 acres every 3 days.
Another option to measure pastures is the rising plate meter. This is a simple instrument developed in New Zealand that has a counter built in. Record the beginning number on the counter, make 30 measurements and record the end number. Subtract the end number from the beginning number and divide that result by the number of measurements to get an average. Multiply this average by a conversion factor (currently 107.04) for cool season grass pastures. Use this number as the total forage DM/acre and follow the steps outlined for the pasture stick to make the remaining animal use calculations. The plate meter is quicker, but the cost of this instrument is about $450.
In the end, whatever method is used to measure pastures has value only if those measurements are used and applied to doing a better job of managing pastures.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Update on Champaign Co. Pasture Walk
Champaign County Pasture Walk - May 28, 6:30 to 9PM
As noted earlier we will be at the same location as last year - 4145 E. SR 296, Urbana - Cable Acres Farm, home of Larry & Jan Dagger. Justin Dagger a Champaign SWCD board member and brother Jason Dagger are also involved in the operation. We plan to go up the hill this year to look at growth on winter pasture. Also on the farm for discussion is the heavy use pad we looked at last year, there is a new hay seeding of alfalfa, timothy and orchard grass - with an oat companion crop, as well as the concrete bunker feeders and a rotation lot and calving areas.
Jason remarks that the winter was pretty easy on the pasture areas with cold but dry conditions. Things look better than last year at the site. Bob Hendershot NRCS State Grazing Specialist and local NRCS and SWCD folks will also make comments. Join us from 6:30 to 9PM. Call the OSU Extension office if you need more information - 937 484-1526.
As noted earlier we will be at the same location as last year - 4145 E. SR 296, Urbana - Cable Acres Farm, home of Larry & Jan Dagger. Justin Dagger a Champaign SWCD board member and brother Jason Dagger are also involved in the operation. We plan to go up the hill this year to look at growth on winter pasture. Also on the farm for discussion is the heavy use pad we looked at last year, there is a new hay seeding of alfalfa, timothy and orchard grass - with an oat companion crop, as well as the concrete bunker feeders and a rotation lot and calving areas.
Jason remarks that the winter was pretty easy on the pasture areas with cold but dry conditions. Things look better than last year at the site. Bob Hendershot NRCS State Grazing Specialist and local NRCS and SWCD folks will also make comments. Join us from 6:30 to 9PM. Call the OSU Extension office if you need more information - 937 484-1526.
May 2009 Issue of Amazing Graze Posted
The May 2009 issue of the Amazing Graze Newsletter is now posted on the Ohio Forage Network website. Follow the newsletter link. In this issue you will find articles entitled: Summer Annual Forages; Springs, Ponds & Streams; and Pasture Soil Quality, Assessing the Evidence.
Pickaway County May Pasture Growth
The pasture growth for the first 10 days of May was 155.5 lbs dry matter/acre/day on my farm in southeast Pickaway County.
The paddock needs grazed, too much grass (too many leaves) 4311 pounds of dry matter per acre. I am predicting the growth rate will slow down this week until I can get the animals on to graze it. Still no seed heads but it was grazed in mid April removing 460 pounds of dry matter per acre with a heavy stocking rate with a short duration. The clovers are coming in strong. The reason for the April graze. Set the grass back some so the clovers would be a larger component of the pasture.
Bob Hendershot
The paddock needs grazed, too much grass (too many leaves) 4311 pounds of dry matter per acre. I am predicting the growth rate will slow down this week until I can get the animals on to graze it. Still no seed heads but it was grazed in mid April removing 460 pounds of dry matter per acre with a heavy stocking rate with a short duration. The clovers are coming in strong. The reason for the April graze. Set the grass back some so the clovers would be a larger component of the pasture.
Bob Hendershot
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Pasture Growth by May 3, 2009
The following table shows the growth from pastures participating in the project. For information about the project see the introductory post. The information is reported in pounds of dry matter grown per acre per day. It contains the reported results as of the posting date. Some reports may be delayed for various reasons. Previous week’s information is updated when it is received. The current table will reflect the total information available.
Week Starting | Fields sampled | Minimum | Maximum | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (no.) | (pounds of DM per day) | |||
| April 5 | 10 | 2.6 | 52 | 23.5 |
| April 12 | 9 | 10.8 | 167.1 | 62.6 |
| April 19 | 20 | 1.6 | 166.5 | 59 |
| April 26 | 37 | 4.6 | 178.7 | 67.1 |
Ohio Pasture Measurement Project - 2009
The Ohio Pasture Measurement Project is in full swing for 2009. For more details about this project check out the original post. Basiclly, this project involves graziers measuring the same pasture field every week using a commercially available rising plate meter and reporting the measurement. We then calculate how much the pasture is growing during that week. (The specific plate meter we are using is made by Jenquip and available through Kencove Farm Fence Supplies.) Results will be posted on this blog.
This year we have over 30 volunteers measuring their pasture.
2009 Measurement Locations
This year we have over 30 volunteers measuring their pasture.
2009 Measurement Locations
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