# Summer Grazing



## C & C Cattle and Hay (Sep 6, 2011)

For years we have always just let our cows just graze on our Bahia pastures but this year the cool weather I believe has somewhat stunted out grass. I have just graduated college so I can now spend a lot more time on the farm. My question is there something I can plant now and graze my cows on later this summer? I have been doing a lot of research and pearl millet keeps coming up. Would this be a good choice? Also my location is near Birmingham, Al. I own a cow/calf farm and right now we are running 60 brood cows, at about 1 cow per 1.5 to 2 acres. I may be overgrazing slightly but I'm trying to expand just can't find anymore ground so I'm trying to improve what I've got! Thanks for any help!!


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Fertilize the Bahia. We have had a late start on our warm season grasses.

I live in your area and have still been feeding hay. Our Bermuda is just taking off this week with the 90 degree highs like today. I fertilized two weeks ago hoping to quit having to feed hay. Today was the first day they did not seem interested in hay.

I am going to over seed some winter ryegrass with millet soon.

BTW... The extension agent will tell you to run 1 head per 2 acres. I ran 2 head per acre last summer (Bermuda) and they could not keep up with it. I have 80 mommas on 65 acres, split between two places.

You may be over stocked, depends on your grass. I would rather spend on fertilizer than hay.


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## C & C Cattle and Hay (Sep 6, 2011)

Well I guess I should've said that I fertilized all of my pasture last Friday to the exact requirements of my soil tests. Unfortunately we got like 6.5 inches of rain Saturday so I may of donated all of that to Logan Martin lake. I have some grass and plenty of hay I'm just looking for something that I can plant now for later grazing. How does the millet work out for you?


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

The millet does well. I am not sure how it would work in existing Bahia. I am planting on some new ground that has not been planted with a permanent grass.

Last year I planted Pearl in one half and Brown Top on the other half. It was hard to determine which did better. Both were grazed close.

Millet is pretty easy to establish here. I may broadcast the seed and let the cows work it in with the existing ryegrass. I have a semi-till drill, am not sure I want the disc openers run over the rye.

Maybe your fertilizer was not all donated to the Lake. My Bahia hay fields are far behind where they normally are. Hopefully your grass will take off once we have a few more of these hot days.

Not sure what you could add that would give you more summer grazing in Bahia.


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## C & C Cattle and Hay (Sep 6, 2011)

Well I'm still not giving enough info I guess lol. The fields where I will put the millet is new ground, no real existing grass. So would I be better off to broadcast the seed or drill it?


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

Another possibility might be more cross fencing. "rotational grazing" The more blocks, or pastures, the more cattle you can run (to an extent). Say you have 7 pastures, and move the cattle to a different pasture each day. First thing they do is spread out and graze across the whole block. They don't have time to find their 'favorite area' to graze, and also spread their 'organic fertilizer' over a bigger area. When you move them off, that block has 6 days to rest and re-grow. I have heard of people running 2 to 3 head per acre with this method, lots of cattle and little blocks (1 acre or so) - they move the cattle to another block every 12 hours.

There are as many variations to this as there are cattle operations, but you get the idea. You might want to block off a pasture to let the grass grow, or 'stockpile' for the last couple months of the summer/fall for them to feed over the winter.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

C & C Cattle and Hay said:


> Well I'm still not giving enough info I guess lol. The fields where I will put the millet is new ground, no real existing grass. So would I be better off to broadcast the seed or drill it?


I always have better results with a drill.

Since I have a nice stand of ryegrass, I let them graze it close and will probably broadcast the millet and let the cows work it in. Millet for me is about the easiest seed I can get to germinate.

The Pearl Millet was pricy compared to the Brown Top.


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## C & C Cattle and Hay (Sep 6, 2011)

Ok the reason I was looking at pearl is according to some quick research it is Prussic acid free where as brown top can be a problem. Have you had any problems? If brown top works just as well I may just go with it, especially if I can save a few dollars with the same results!


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Pearl will produce more forage per acre. I could not tell how much more because both my Pearl and Brown Top were grazed close. Once it got up good I let them in and never took them off. I did not have an issue with Prussic acid. The millet was not their main forage, just a 10 acre kicker grazing supplement.

Most people plant Brown Top for dove hunting around here. That is how I first learned of it. I have read (I believe on here) about Japanese millet. Supposed to be a good millet.

Southern States only had 2 fifty pound bags of Pearl when I bought mine last year. They said it was cost prohibitive and did not stock much. They had a pallet of Brown Top. I wanted to plant then and that is how I ended up with two different millets.


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## C & C Cattle and Hay (Sep 6, 2011)

Ok thanks for all the help!! That's why I really like this forum!!


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## C & C Cattle and Hay (Sep 6, 2011)

BTW at what height/days after planting should I start grazing this stuff?


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I waited until it was 4 or so inches tall. Up above my ankles when I walked through it. Since mine were already on grass when I turned them in I did not worry much about new grass poisoning (grass tetany). I keep mine on HighMad loose mineral long into Spring though. Keeps their constitution in order.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

urednecku said:


> Another possibility might be more cross fencing. "rotational grazing" The more blocks, or pastures, the more cattle you can run (to an extent). Say you have 7 pastures, and move the cattle to a different pasture each day. First thing they do is spread out and graze across the whole block. They don't have time to find their 'favorite area' to graze, and also spread their 'organic fertilizer' over a bigger area. When you move them off, that block has 6 days to rest and re-grow. I have heard of people running 2 to 3 head per acre with this method, lots of cattle and little blocks (1 acre or so) - they move the cattle to another block every 12 hours.
> 
> There are as many variations to this as there are cattle operations, but you get the idea. You might want to block off a pasture to let the grass grow, or 'stockpile' for the last couple months of the summer/fall for them to feed over the winter.


Did this at home, started out with 9 paddocks and have since a couple of those in half again. Mainly divided them up by moisture, low spots were divided up so in dry years I still have some grass. High spots were divided up as well so in wet years I have dry paddocks instead of the low spots getting all mudded up.


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## Texasmark (Dec 20, 2011)

I introduced myself to pearl last year. I planted it and Pensacola Bahia in my hay patch. Idea was to use the pearl for a cash hay crop last year and have the Bahia perennial and hay it in years to come. Then after the hay, pasture. Soil is well drained Houston Black Clay. Had it well prepared, folded in fert. and harrowed prior to drilling, drilled and followed with roller packer.

Last year the hay crop was dismal. The Pearl grew to about 2-3' and stopped as soon as the seed pod shot up. It is real slow to get moving for me. I originally chose that because it was supposed to grow tall, be leafy, no prussic, drought tolerant, and no stems as I didn't have a crimper......all the right answers so one would think.

I had soil tests and followed the guidelines. Well the leafs don't have stems but the seed pod surely does...big old tough sucker about the size of your little finger and shoots straight up well above the leafy vegetation. Took forever to get it to dry without a crimper.....which I now have, 2 to be exact. Scrounged around and found a couple of relics which I now have in ready to work condition.

I had seed left over so I planted it again this year. Seed by the way was $40/50# YBL and $125 this year at the local coop. Ha! No sense buying more and just wasting this.

The data I found says to wait till soil average temp is 65 which put me into the first week of May to plant, drill 3/4", and compact. I have a very old JD drill and after the fact noticed that 2 of the springs were much lighter in pressure than the rest. Result was that the two light spring pressure rows sprouted first and has significantly outgrown the rest of the planting.

Lesson here is that 3/4 is too deep. Guessing half that.

We have had a cool spring and marvelous rains; couldn't ask for more. Nice and gentle and coming at the right times. Hay patch is just now starting to move out (16" on the 2 tall rows and 6" on the remainder), some 40 days after I planted. The deep drilled rows are finally making a showing.

Conversely, Johnson grass has exploded and grossly outpaced the planted material. I had a slight showing last year but it's everywhere this year and up to 4+ feet and heading out. Looks like in a couple of years I can forget the high priced seed and just hay Johnson.

With the 3 different maturities of the crop, looks like I will have to let some of it mature, loose some protein and get flaxy while waiting for the remainder to boot. But I'm going to do that as I am determined to make something out of this mess. One crimper is custom built steel on steel, the other a NH 404 as I recall with a steel and rubber roller,and should mitigate some of the flax. Don't know which will prove the best on the crop.

I have a picture of cutting last year's crop and will try to upload if I can. If you see it, I made it. Otherwise I didn't.

I am not the least bit happy with the results of pearl and will not plant it again. Only nice thing to say about it is the cows absolutely love it in hay.

My original intent was to have something that I could use for a hay crop and after the second cutting and regrowth, use it as pasture with no PA worry about with drought tolerance, as it would be grazed in the hot summer months. Well I am not going to graze it as I am having enough gut wrenching bouncing up and down on the pasture I use for grazing. Between cracks from droughts and cow prints it's a bear. The hay patch will be just that.

HTH,

Mark


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## Texasmark (Dec 20, 2011)

Texasmark said:


> P1010024.JPGI introduced myself to pearl last year. I planted it and Pensacola Bahia in my hay patch. Idea was to use the pearl for a cash hay crop last year and have the Bahia perennial and hay it in years to come. Then after the hay, pasture. Soil is well drained Houston Black Clay. Had it well prepared, folded in fert. and harrowed prior to drilling, drilled and followed with roller packer.
> 
> Last year the hay crop was dismal. The Pearl grew to about 2-3' and stopped as soon as the seed pod shot up. It is real slow to get moving for me. I originally chose that because it was supposed to grow tall, be leafy, no prussic, drought tolerant, and no stems as I didn't have a crimper......all the right answers so one would think.
> 
> ...


Right number, wrong picture.

Try this: Ok. right picture. This was the first cutting before the seed pods emerged prior to the second cutting. Looking at it now, I'm realizing that last year I had 2 dominant rows also.

Mark


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