| Week Starting | Fields sampled | Minimum | Maximum | Average | Past 6 yr Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (no.) | (pounds of DM per day) | ||||
| April 3 | 7 | 8.8 | 22.7 | 13.9 | na |
| April 10 | 9 | 12.9 | 63.4 | 40.1 | na |
| April 17 | 28 | 2.1 | 126.2 | 43.4 | 58 |
| April 24 | 30 | 0.2 | 197.7 | 58.6 | 75 |
| May 1 | 42 | 0.4 | 173.8 | 64.5 | 82 |
| May 8 | 57 | 6.7 | 248.4 | 95.8 | 85 |
| May 15 | 38 | 0.4 | 207.1 | 85 | 95 |
| May 22 | 51 | 6.1 | 170.7 | 82.1 | 77 |
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Pasture Growth by May 29
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.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Pasture Growth by May 22
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 | Past 6 yr Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (no.) | (pounds of DM per day) | ||||
| April 3 | 7 | 8.8 | 22.7 | 13.9 | na |
| April 10 | 9 | 12.9 | 63.4 | 40.1 | na |
| April 17 | 26 | 2.1 | 126.2 | 40.9 | 58 |
| April 24 | 30 | 0.2 | 197.7 | 58.6 | 75 |
| May 1 | 42 | 0.4 | 173.8 | 64.5 | 82 |
| May 8 | 57 | 6.7 | 248.4 | 95.8 | 85 |
| May 15 | 27 | 0.4 | 207.1 | 84.1 | 95 |
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Grazing Wet Pastures
The following are some thoughts on wet weather grazing provided by Dr. Bruce Anderson, Forage Extension Specialist at the University of Nebraska:
Wet, muddy pastures require special grazing techniques. Many times when the spring grazing season begins, pastures are soft and wet. Grazing can quickly get these pastures muddy and damaged by hoof traffic.
Special grazing techniques are needed to limit damage in soft, muddy pastures. One way is to graze all your cattle together in one small area until the ground gets solid again, feeding hay if needed. This protects most of your pasture acres from trampling losses. But it can virtually destroy the area grazed and need reseeding. This may be a small price to pay though, to protect the rest of your acres.
The worst thing you can do is graze a pasture for several days until it’s all torn up and then move to a new area. Trampling that occurs repeatedly over several days greatly weakens plants; doing this across a wide area can reduce production for months, even years.
In contrast, pastures muddied up by grazing only briefly usually recover quickly. Maybe not as fast as when the ground is solid, but fast enough to minimize yield or stand loss.
You can take advantage of this rapid recovery by moving animals frequently, at least once a day, to a new area. If this involves walking animals long distances, it might be better to subdivide pastures with temporary electric fences so you don’t increase trampling during the moving process. Fencing supplies you use around corn stalks during winter should work well for this temporary use. Once the ground firms up, you can return to your normal grazing rotation.
Don’t let mud ruin your pastures. Temporary grazing adjustments can save grass now and for the future.
Wet, muddy pastures require special grazing techniques. Many times when the spring grazing season begins, pastures are soft and wet. Grazing can quickly get these pastures muddy and damaged by hoof traffic.
Special grazing techniques are needed to limit damage in soft, muddy pastures. One way is to graze all your cattle together in one small area until the ground gets solid again, feeding hay if needed. This protects most of your pasture acres from trampling losses. But it can virtually destroy the area grazed and need reseeding. This may be a small price to pay though, to protect the rest of your acres.
The worst thing you can do is graze a pasture for several days until it’s all torn up and then move to a new area. Trampling that occurs repeatedly over several days greatly weakens plants; doing this across a wide area can reduce production for months, even years.
In contrast, pastures muddied up by grazing only briefly usually recover quickly. Maybe not as fast as when the ground is solid, but fast enough to minimize yield or stand loss.
You can take advantage of this rapid recovery by moving animals frequently, at least once a day, to a new area. If this involves walking animals long distances, it might be better to subdivide pastures with temporary electric fences so you don’t increase trampling during the moving process. Fencing supplies you use around corn stalks during winter should work well for this temporary use. Once the ground firms up, you can return to your normal grazing rotation.
Don’t let mud ruin your pastures. Temporary grazing adjustments can save grass now and for the future.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Pasture Growth by May 15
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 | Past 6 yr Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (no.) | (pounds of DM per day) | ||||
| April 3 | 7 | 8.8 | 22.7 | 13.9 | na |
| April 10 | 9 | 12.9 | 63.4 | 40.1 | na |
| April 17 | 26 | 2.1 | 126.2 | 40.9 | 58 |
| April 24 | 30 | 0.2 | 197.7 | 58.6 | 75 |
| May 1 | 42 | 0.4 | 173.8 | 64.5 | 82 |
| May 8 | 54 | 6.7 | 248.4 | 94.3 | 85 |
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Pasture Growth by May 8
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 | Past 6 yr Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (no.) | (pounds of DM per day) | ||||
| April 3 | 7 | 8.8 | 22.7 | 13.9 | na |
| April 10 | 9 | 12.9 | 63.4 | 40.1 | na |
| April 17 | 21 | 2.1 | 126.2 | 41.1 | 58 |
| April 24 | 25 | 0.2 | 197.7 | 60.9 | 75 |
| May 1 | 26 | 2.9 | 173.8 | 75.3 | 82 |
Monday, May 2, 2011
Pasture Measurement Project 2011
The Ohio Pasture Measurement Project is in full swing for 2011. 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 Eagle Dairy Direct.) Results will be posted on this blog.
This year we have over 34 volunteers measuring their pasture.
2011 Pasture Measurement Locations
This year we have over 34 volunteers measuring their pasture.
2011 Pasture Measurement Locations
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Weekly Pasture Growth by May 1
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 | Past 6 yr Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (no.) | (pounds of DM per day) | ||||
| April 3 | 7 | 8.8 | 22.7 | 13.9 | na |
| April 10 | 9 | 12.9 | 63.4 | 40.1 | na |
| April 17 | 21 | 2.1 | 126.2 | 41.11 | 58 |
| April24 | 24 | 0.2 | 197.7 | 66.9 | 75 |
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