-
0 Cart: $ 0.00
To accomplish the collective land and forage improvement that is among the great rewards from well-managed grazing, there are several principles you must understand and use.
Among those, of course, are complete plant recovery, adequately short grazing periods, and finding the right blend of animal performance and forage management techniques and goals. But a big part of successful adaptive grazing management grows out of creating in yourself an adaptive mind.
Three principles to help you do that are taught by Allen Williams, himself an accomplished grazier who consultants with farmers and ranchers across the nation. Williams lists these principles as compounding, diversity and disruption.
1. The principle of compounding
Williams says the important idea behind compounding is that nothing in life happens in isolation from other things. In fact, everything you do and everything that happens actually has multiple effects, many of which tend to be much larger and they compound into several outcomes. Put another way, you never get a single outcome from making a change, you get several or many changes.
Williams adds these effects are never neutral, but always either positive or negative or some blend thereof. He also says these effects may be "cascading," meaning they lead from one state to another in a chain of outcomes. This is the essence of Allan Savory's description of "holism," which helped lead to his emphasis on holistic management.
Williams has written how practices such as set-stock grazing, continuous grazing, slow rotations, and even high-stock-density grazing practices, in which the same methods are employed every day without any significant alterations, can lead to negative consequences. Commonly these include seriously compacted soil, poor soil aggregate layer, significantly reduced soil water infiltration rates, reduced plant species diversity and complexity, poor soil microbial population diversity and biomass. In turn, this leads to increased reliance on fertilizers, herbicides, and other chemicals, increased reliance on supplementation, increased costs of production, and decreased net profits, he says.
Of course, if you're a regular reader of Beef Producer over the years you realize that well-managed grazing produces exactly the opposite. This is what Williams would call a positive set of compounding and cascading effects.
2. The principle of diversity
Stated simply, diversity builds productivity and resiliency.
Williams says, "In my experience in working with several thousand farmers and ranchers across a wide variety of environments and landscapes, I have found that plant species complexity and diversity are critical to building positive compounding and cascading benefits."
Walt Davis and others have preached this message for about 30 years now, yet the majority of those in our land-grant colleges and most producers still think in terms of monocultures. This is outdated methodology.
Williams says he has concluded all pastures or rangeland need to have the three primary plant classes represented: Grasses, legumes and forbs. Further, he recommends multiple species of each.
He notes several advantages that compound and cascade from the principle of diversity.
First, varied species of soil microbes and mycorrhizal fungi generally are tied to specific species of plants, although they share nutrients generously across lines, and these varied species have differing abilities to collect soil nutrients. In turn, these underground livestock are the method by which the native prairie and forests feed themselves richly without added fertility.
Next, greater complexity and diversity in plant and subsoil species result in greater numbers of plant secondary and tertiary chemical compounds. These have a profound impact on animal health, plant health, and human health, Williams says. Among other things, they are designed to help plants protect themselves from disease and pests, and they also feed an array of soil microbes, produce medicinal and anti-parasitic benefits in livestock, and provide human health benefits.
Third, greater diversity creates habitat for birds and insects, which in turn speeds up and builds the cycle of life and creates more predators to eat the pest species. This includes earthworms and dung beetles, the value of which should not need explanation at this point in history.
Fourth, a plethora of diversity creates a wide variety of plant growth rates and maturities and extends the grazing season. If you think in terms of growth curves, diversity lengthens the growth curve over a much longer period of time, and also thereby normally produces more forage, as well as more quality forage.
As Williams explains, "While some species may be in a distinct reproductive phase, with highly lignified plant material and lots of seedheads, when you dig down through the sward you will find a multitude of other plants that are still quite vegetative and nutritious."
Graziers who have operated several years with well-managed adaptive grazing often report having green material deep in the plant canopy well into the winter, for example. With good planning and management, they also should have plenty of brown, dry plant material left to get through the spring flush when new forage is far too high in protein and too low in energy.
3. The principle of disruption
Nature is full of disruption and chaos. Every year is different. Every rainfall event is different. Temperature changes are widespread and unpredictable. Grazing patterns and behaviors of the large herds of ruminants that once roamed all the great grasslands were highly varied.
Williams says this disruption has many positive effects. It taps the latent seed bank to create diversity and complexity and diversity in plant species, and it builds resiliency into our soils and farms. Put another way, nature is accustomed to all these variations and responds with vigor.
Therefore, Williams says, the key for managers is to not do things the same way every time. This is what Beef Producer blogger and columnist R.P. Cooke calls "boom and bust," and what others call creating chaos.
In Virginia, CBF is working with the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council (VFGC)
and Dale Gardner (formerly with the Virginia State Dairymen’s Association) to help Virginia farmers better understand ways they can have healthier cows and more productive farms by adopting innovative grazing practices.
We are targeting outreach to producers in Amelia, Augusta, Buckingham, Nelson, Page, Prince Edward, Rockbridge, Rockingham, and Shenandoah counties. We are looking for farmers who are interested in learning more about rotational grazing and will help farmers navigate the cost-share system to assist with this transition. One of the strengths
of this project is the farmer-to-farmer mentoring that provides real world expertise and advice to those wishing to change to more intensive grazing systems. VFGC is a leader in the Commonwealth in helping farmers learn more about transitioning to rotational grazing (learn more at: vaforages.org). VFGC will again host their highly successful, two-day grazing school for the next three years.
If you want to learn more about grazing, this is the training opportunity for you! School “graduates” receive preferential ranking for EQIP funding.
Other opportunities to learn more about grazing techniques are through field days and VFGC’s annual winter conferences, which will be held at the end of this month in Weyers Cave, Brandy Station, Wytheville, and Blackstone. This year, the conferences will focus on understanding
tall fescue in grazing systems.
We also just released this year’s grazing planning calendar. You can get your copy by stopping by your local NRCS office or calling one of the contacts below.
If you are interested in learning more about grazing in Virginia, please reach out to CBF’s Alston Horn at (540) 487-9060
or VFGC’s/Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Matt Booher at (540) 245-5750.
 |
|
The Tru-Test Heavy Duty HD5T Load Bars are for permanent installations under squeeze chutes. These load bars are 39" long and replace the HD850 and HD1010 series load bars.
The simplicity of set up means you can easily install with no assistance needed. Simply bolt it to the squeeze chute and then bolt to the level concrete surface.
I’m building a permanent power fence with high tensile wire. Any suggestions?
Don’t over tension the wire. Using high-tensile wire allows for greater line post spacing than conventional wire; usually 50 feet as a minimum. Also, don't over-tighten the wires. Make sure it’s a flexible system that allows for wildlife impacts, snow loading, etc. If you don’t “over-engineer” the fence, you’ll save lots of money. High Tensile fencing Question | Speedrite Electric Fence Energizers, Fence Chargers
Schedule of Events - Surviving Tough Times
Dear Fellow Graziers,
Lancaster County Graziers is planning their 26th annual grazing conference on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 19 and 20, 2019. Note change in location!New meeting address is 352 Martindale Road, Ephrata, PA 17522.
The 2019 conference theme is “Surviving Tough Times”. This will prove to be a learning and stimulating time, hearing what our speakers are doing to stayprofitable. Our focus on Tuesday the 19th is survivingtough times and the second day on marketing what you produce. One change will be a phone relay system whereby we can update you by phone about meetingsand changes. So make sure when you fill out yourregistration that we have the phone number that you want to be updated on. If you are not coming to this meeting, but want to be on that hotline please make sure you text me with the name and number you want on the hotline updates.
Tuesday registration will be opened at 7:30 so come prepared to learn. Our speaker line up brings a lot of experience to the table. We have two panels planned, one on surviving price downturns and weather challenges and then one on opportunities in direct marketing.
About some of our speakers: Nathan Weaver Canastota, New York (frequent contributor to Graze Magazine) will begin on Tuesday at 9 am by giving us a picture why we are in this down market. Alan Newport farmer, writer and editor of the Beef Producer will give some hands on ideas that will reduce your costs of operating a grass based dairy beef or sheep operation. Max Kane, CEO of “Farm Match” and Edwin Shank from Family cow will share some differing views about pricing and marketing. If grass management and farm marketing potential, moving into tougher times is of interest to you, this will be an opportunity to learn from many years of experience.
John K. Lapp is in charge of the food. To donate or supply food contact him at 717-733-1766. Good opportunity to advertise your food items. Your donations will be greatly appreciated also. The eveningmeal on Tuesday will be finger food. Bring yourfavorite healthy snack like cheese, meat, gluten freecookies and/or healthy drink (kombucha, kefir etc.).
Roman Stoltzfoos, 717-278-1070, Secretary Exhibitors Contact Levi Fisher, 717-405-9438
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
8:00: Registration - Visit with exhibitors.9:00: Nathan Weaver, The big picture in the
milk business,... how can I survive this?
10:00: Break for coffee and snacks. Network and visit with exhibitors.
10:30: Glen Wise, When to reach for the ejection handle. Life after dairy.
11:15: Alvin Peachy, Changing with the challenges we face.
12:00: Organic and gourmet lunch
1:30: Farmer panel, Nathan Weaver, Alvin
Peachy, John Meulenberg and Levi Fisher
2:30 to 4:00: Panel will be considering your questions.
3:30-4:00: Adjourn, NOTE: Tuesday evening meeting free and open to the public.
5:00: We will enjoy leftovers from lunch and your carry in choices for a light supper.
6:00: Alan Newport, Why grass management is a good way to build soil carbon stores and what that means to the environment.
7:00: Max Kane, Capturing health thru diet and the true value of food.
8:00: Adjourn, good night.
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
8:45: Alan Newport, Hands on survival tactics, grazing technique, building soil with stock density. Time for questions?
9:30: Break-Enjoy a healthy snack, network, visit with exhibitors
10:15: Edwin Shank, How the family farm grows connection and story.
11:15: Max Kane, “From $200 to $1,000,000, how to get customers to pay the high prices you need to stay in business”
12:00: Organic and gourmet lunch
1:20: Amos Miller, Marketing nutrient dense
food. Just for the health of it.
1:40: Panel on marketing. Max Kane, Edwin Shank and Amos Miller
3:30: Adjourn, see you next year.
Check out the latest from Trutest / Datamars on cattle and livestock weigh scales systems
Maximize Profits Through Precise Resource Management
5000 Series Package - Receive $450 tag bundle!
Trutest 5000 series Scale and get 300 Visual ID Tags or 150 Electronic ID Tags + 2 Taggers*
PROMOTION REDEMPTION FORM - SPRING 2019
To receive your free products, please send this COMPLETED FORM and PROOF OF PURCHASE to the address below. All information is required, no exceptions. Must be post marked within 30 days of purchase.
Fencing technology has drastically improved over the last 15 years, but breaking out of the old barbed wire fencing mode - lots of posts, several wires, and stretching the wire as tight as a fiddle string - gets people in trouble right away.
The challenge is, with the right fence design and constructed in the right location, coupled with good pasture management principles, a well-built electric fence will earn you money and not cost you money.
Increased pasture subdivisions can stockpile forage for extended wintertime grazing, save forage for early spring pastures, rest/rotate those hard hit areas, change livestock distribution to graze previously un-grazable areas, and stop animals from second biting plant regrowth that depletes root growth...and the list goes on.
Is it that much cheaper? A conventional barbed wire fence can cost up to $1.50-per-foot-plus labor and material. A two-wire, permanent, smooth-wire electrical fence costs somewhere between 10 to 20 cents per foot depending on terrain.
That's a huge savings. I know certain ranchers who hate electric fencing, but are learning to live with it, because with today's livestock prices they cannot afford to build conventional fences.
To successfully make the transition over to new fencing technology, you need a very good understanding of how effective electrical fencing works. First off, this kind of fence works only on the brain of the animal, that is, the remembering power of the shock they receive.
Don't think of this fence as a barrier, but as a psychological fence.
In other words, you need to knock their socks off (so-to-speak) the very first time they touch a smooth wire. Then you have the reverse problem of pushing a barbed-wire fence and shying away from any smooth wire.
Make gates really big for hot fences -- like 30-feet-plus - because with narrow, 12-foot-gates a well-trained animal to a good electric fence will be reluctant to even get near the gate, much less walk right through it.
There are two ways an electric fence works. All hot-wire system. When your soils are deep and somewhat damp it produces a high conductive system to shock animals through their feet. The electrons must make a complete circuit to receive the maximum shock. The electricity passes from the wire, though the animal, out their feet, through the ground and back to the ground rods. If anything is weak in the circuit they will not get a controllable shock.
The advantage to having decent soils is you can actually get away with a single strand of wire that greatly reduces your fence-building cost. You run into problems with very dry, hard soils, or even frozen ground, as the electricity will not flow very well with these types of soils and produces a weak shock.
The second kind of electric fence is a hot-ground system. A ground wire or wires are strung along just under the hot wires.
Another great invention is the use of in-line fence strainers that put tension on each wire. I like to use the kind of in-line strainers that eliminate cutting the wire. You just slip this wheel device onto the slack fence wire and start winding up the wire with this wench, using a special in-line strainer tool. As you start to pull the wire up tight, watch the wire's slack between the line post.
When the wire pulls level, STOP, the wire tension is just right. What's the matter with a tight fence? I once showed a rancher's fencing crew how to build a one-post fence corner and later I found out that the wood posts pulled out of the ground. Why? Well, you see, each year, some overenthusiastic, big-armed, tough cowboy, would come by and tighten the in-line strainer so tight that you could play "Home, Home on the Range" with the fence wire. Over time, this would eventually pull any strong post right out of the ground.
You want the electric fence to act like a rubber band. When something runs into the wire, you don't want to break all the insulators or knock posts out of the ground. If the posts are spread apart far enough - 80- to 100-feet-plus - the wire will just bend to the ground and pop back up.
Labor tips: - I now use my hydraulic post driver to drive in all line posts, even the steel posts. It's fast, easy and saves me from backaches.
I keep telling folks to try one wire, but boy is that a hard sell. I usually recommend cheapening up the fence by reducing the number of wires and let the shocking power of the electric fence do all the work.
Knock their socks off - This is where you don't go cheap, but buy the best, most powerful electric fence energizer you can afford, remembering that one day you may be shocking through a lot of tall, wet vegetation.
These fences only work on the shocking power to the animal's nervous system. It's not the number of wires or how tight the fence, it's the strong pain of shocking power that gives you control over the animals.
"A wimpy fence charger gives you a wimpy fence." Don't skimp here because this is where most fences fail. Build a strong, simple fence and hook it up to a great big fence charger.
Your fence charger should be low-impedance, come from a dependable supplier, and have a warranty and replaceable components. It's also handy to find sales folks with an extra charger they can lend to you while yours is being repaired. Expect some breakdowns, especially from lightning. Certain fence suppliers offer lightning protection with their warranties.
The number one problem with failed electrical fences is improper grounding. Lots of fencers, including myself, still think you can skimp when it comes to adequate earth grounding. What we must all learn to do, is install several ground rods, at least three, that are 6 to 8 feet long, galvanized, and attached with good ground clamps. The electricity must complete a full circle back to the charger through the ground. Poor grounding gives weak shocks. Think of the ground rods as radio antennas - the more reception, the better the shock.
The last fence job that I completed, I was out of conventional ground rods, so I looked in my junk pile, and pulled out a 3-inch, galvanized, 9-feet long, heavy walled pipe. My post driver reaches up nine feet, so I was able to drive this whole pipe deep into the ground. This made an excellent ground rod. Nifty, huh?
For the folks looking for the cheapest ground rods, the cheapest that I know about is to simply hook up the ground side of your fence energizer to an existing barbed wire fence that has steel posts in it. I know that Canada has a shortage of steel "T' posts, but this grounding idea sure works well in the States.
Electric fences require less labor, are safer for wildlife, easier to build and maintain and cost much less than conventional fences. The weakest link in using this technology is learning a different method of animal control. These fences are psychological fences, they work on the remembering power of the animal's brain and are not barrier fences.
Your fence charger should be low-impedance, come from a dependable supplier, and have a warranty and replaceable components. Please buy one that puts out lots of power. During a rainy year, you may have lots of plant growth touching the wires. That's when you will need extra power to shock through the heavy, wet vegetation.
Don't be afraid to try electric smooth wire fencing. Find a good fence supplier and learn some of the tricks of the trade. I know folks who hate electric fencing, but their pocketbook is not big enough to build a conventional fence, which may cost up to $1 per foot or more while an electric fence costs less than one-half to one-third of that.
The next time your animals get in a fight with the neighbor's bull and tear down a fence line, remember that most educated livestock will not touch a wire, the second time, with 5,000 volts running through it.
