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Big frames, big grass-finished flavor

Cow on pasture

Baldwin Charolais beef doesn’t require fat to produce quality

by Mike Hillerbrand
Yanceyville, North Carolina — Most of the buzz in grass-finished beef circles today is about the benefits of small frame sizes, English genetics and marbling ability. This, it is said, is the sort of beef genetics required to produce profits straight from pasture.

Meanwhile, Baldwin Family Farms is producing lean, large (frame score 7-8) Charolais cattle on grass and selling critically acclaimed beef to loyal retail and wholesale customers. Continue reading “Big frames, big grass-finished flavor”

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What we’re learning about dairy mobbing

Farmer with cows

By Cheyenne Christianson

Chetek, Wisconsin—As most of you know from my previous articles, over the past two years I have taken steps toward “mob” grazing — especially with the non-milking cattle. We went through a multi-year drought and, as I analyzed my farm, its growth patterns and fertility levels, I realized we needed to take some steps to offset the next drought. With our sandy loam topsoils and pure sand subsoils, we were drying out too fast.

I felt we needed to do something to capture more of those big dumps that seemed to be the source of most of the rain we did get — things like trampling more organic material to provide a soil mat that would retain more moisture, and feeding the soil life that builds humus and organic matter, became top priorities. I am intrigued by the concept of soil biology releasing tied-up nutrients in the soil. Over the years I have applied some trace minerals, rock phosphate and high-calcium lime, and have done some foliar feeding. However, a truly sustainable/organic farming system should be pretty much self-sufficient, and it appears that mobbing may make that goal more possible. Continue reading “What we’re learning about dairy mobbing”

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No grain, but 15,000 pounds of milk

Farmers with calf

Langmeiers do the job with great forage and well-hydrated calves

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin — Jim Langmeier and his sons — Joe, Mike and Keith — are humble people who don’t pretend to be doing everything right. Spend some time visiting with these guys, and talk turns to concerns about disappointing milk solids tests, mistakes made with hay crops, and yearling heifers that aren’t up to par. The Langmeiers acknowledge they have a lot to learn about grazing and overall management of permanent pastures.

Says Jim, “We aren’t doing anything special.” Continue reading “No grain, but 15,000 pounds of milk”

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Debunking the ‘can’t finish lambs on grass’ myth

Farmer with sheep

By Janet McNally

Hinckley, Minnesota—One of the more rewarding things I do is visit sheep graziers around the U.S. and Canada who do an outstanding job producing a quality product. I’ve been absolutely amazed at the healthy, well-grown lambs with clean backsides and loads of bloom that reach marketable weights on all-forage programs.

Photo: Janet McNally. Janet McNally’s May-born lambs were raised on native pastures until weaning, then finished for six weeks on turnips. They were wormed with valbazen August 1 and September 15 for flukes. Average weight for the entire lamb crop was 82 lbs. on November 16, and another five weeks of grazing should put the average to 100 lbs. Including the dam’s feed cost, total per-lamb feed cost from birth to 100 lbs. is $18.

While everyone is almost on their own in exploring what works and what does not, many of these people come to the same conclusions on some things, such as breeds that work and those that do not. Yet they may have a dozen different strategies for addressing problems such as parasites, all of which work. The bottom line is that there are a good number of producers around the country producing quality, grass-fed lambs. Continue reading “Debunking the ‘can’t finish lambs on grass’ myth”

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The hidden benefits of feeding less grain

Lower costs and better grazing contributing to improved profitability

By Jon Bansen  Monmouth, Oregon—Many years ago I heard the statement that it takes 20 years to become a good grazier. So as we approached 20 years of intensively managed rotational grazing, the running joke around our farm was that I’m almost a good grazier. I shouldn’t have been so smug: As we start Year 21, I feel I’ve learned more grazing lessons this past year than in any other since the very first one here.

What changed? I decided to eliminate almost all grain and stored forage from the milking herd’s diet during pasture season. We’re now down to feeding two pounds of daily grain/cow and no stored forage during the grazing months. Continue reading “The hidden benefits of feeding less grain”

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Changing behavior through genetics

Pigs on pasture

By Jim Van Der Pol, Kerkhoven, Minnesota — As was noted in the last issue, changes we have made in our equipment, building layout, and feed production seem to have helped with our hog behavior and health problems. Feed production adds more work, while the equipment (pens) and building layout are small additional capital costs that allow us to work more effectively. Yet we have not entirely solved our problems, and we do not want to spend a lot more money and time adjusting our management and facilities to the hogs.

So we have a question: What could we change about hog behavior through genetics? Continue reading “Changing behavior through genetics”