Grazing in Michiana
In last month's article, I wrote that it was time to start planning for having pasture to graze until Christmas. This month, I want to share some of the specifics about how we calculated some of that for the heifers.
The first thing we did was measure with our rising plate meter to see how many pounds of dry matter per acre we have. Then I calculated the average for the whole farm. It came out to an average cover of 2,800 pounds of dry matter per acre. Next, I had to decide how many days I want the feed to last so I can calculate how much of an acre to use each day for the heifers. I figured from Sept. 1 until Dec. 15, which is approximately 105 days. There are 57 acres there, so you take 57 divided by 105. That comes out to a little bit over a half-acre per day.
Next, I calculated how much dry matter I needed to provide for the whole group of heifers. At that size and age, heifers need approximately 20 pounds of dry matter per head per day. Keep in mind pasture is very high-quality feed this time of the year. So, with 90 heifers times 20 pounds of dry matter per head per day, that equals 1,800 pounds of total dry matter needed for the group of heifers each day.
Though the average cover for the whole farm was 2,800 pounds of dry matter per acre, the area that we are currently grazing has approximately 3,500 to 3,800 pounds of dry matter per acre. We also need to keep in mind that heifers will graze down to about 1,000 pounds of dry matter that's left over after they're done. So, that means there are approximately 2,800 pounds of dry matter per acre available for grazing. Since we need about 1,800 pounds, that means we need closer to six-tenths of an acre to provide them with that much.
One thing we need to keep in mind, though, is that the pasture is quite dry right now, so there is currently a higher dry matter content in the pasture. That means the heifers would be all right with a little bit less, or approximately a little over half an acre per day. We also need to keep in mind that the grass is still growing, and that's the whole point of reducing the area that they have each day —so the pasture can grow ahead of them. I would like to see the pasture get up to around 4,500 to 5,000 pounds dry matter per acre in the next couple of weeks.
The heifers are in excellent body condition and doing quite well, so I think it will work out really well. By using electric fence and controlling the area the heifers graze each day, it's like managing your winter feed supply. You don't let the cows have the whole winter's supply in one day. You give the cows what they need each day, and that's the same thing you do with electric fence; you control how much they have each day.
I have mentioned before that I use a product called RyzUp on the grass in cooler weather to get additional growth. I've had several people ask me about the product and how I use it. I've been using it for a number of years, and I use it in the fall when the average daily temperatures are between 40 degrees and 60 degrees. It is gibberellic acid, which is a potent plant growth regulator. When the temperatures are above that, plants produce the gibberellic acid on their own.
One person asked me if it was labeled for organic production, and it says it on the instruction sheet that it is. So, those of you who are grazing and doing organic need to check into that, but apparently it's okay for organic use also. One year I did a test where I did not spray the whole field but left some strips without it so I could check to see if it's actually producing more. I used my rising plate meter and it measured 1,400 pounds more dry matter per acre where I had applied it over where I did not. I looked up the price that I paid for it last year, and it came out to $14.44 per ounce.
The recommended application rate is three-tenths of an ounce per acre. So, if I calculated it right, it would be $4.33 per acre for the material. I spray it myself, so if I figure approximately $10 per acre to spray it. That would be $14.33 per acre. If it grows an additional 1,400 pounds of dry matter per acre, that comes out to one cent per pound of dry matter. If you multiply that by 1,700 pounds of dry matter in a ton of 15% moisture dry hay, that comes out to $17.40 per ton. That is some very high-quality feed at a very low cost.
Even if you get half of that increase and have only 700 pounds of dry matter per acre, it still comes out to only around $35 per ton. And you need to remember that if you're grazing the feed, it does not increase your harvesting cost because the cows will be very glad to eat it.