Seeding cover crops into perennial sod

It can be done without chemicals

By Gabe Brown

First I want to thank everyone for your phone calls and e-mails with comments and questions. I have tried to respond to each of you individually, but I am going to use this article to respond to by far the most frequently asked question:

“How do I seed a cover crop into an existing pasture?”

I don’t want to kid you. This is not easy, as it is highly dependent on good seed placement and adequate moisture. Continue reading “Seeding cover crops into perennial sod”

February 1, 2014April 18, 2020

A grass dairy rises from the ashes

Peter Gaul and family are making a go of it on the second try

Benton, Missouri — It was April 2008. The midwestern heavens were unleashing torrents in record volumes, and Peter Gaul’s newly constructed dairy barn in the Bootheel of southeastern Missouri had become an island in the flooded Mississippi River. Hundreds of acres of recently seeded pasture were underwater for 35 days. Easy access to water may have been a primary reason Peter and his family moved to this locale from New Zealand to graze dairy cows, but this was a bit much.

Way too much. The flood, along with the ensuing dairy crash of ‘09, brought an abrupt end to an investor-owned venture that was dealing with a host of other problems. When the foreclosure came, the Gauls lost their entire investment and had to scramble to stay afloat. They made plans to concede defeat and head home, where Peter had developed a well-respected demonstration dairy at Lincoln University. Just another Kiwi who learned the hard lesson that the U.S. is an entirely different grazing world. Continue reading “A grass dairy rises from the ashes”

November 1, 2013April 18, 2020

Our five-step plan for healthier soils

By Gabe Brown

I want to start by telling everyone up front that I am not a soil scientist. I am a farmer/rancher who has spent the last 20 years working to improve the soil resource on my operation.

I have tried doing this in a myriad of ways, with some successes and many “learning experiences.” What I am going to do is share some of my experiences and observations, using my own operation to illustrate the concepts I follow. Realize that every operation is different. Each has its unique set of circumstances, and it is up to the operator to determine what works best on his or her own farm. Continue reading “Our five-step plan for healthier soils”

May 1, 2013April 18, 2020

The profit key: working within your farm

By Jon Bansen

Monmouth, Oregon—At the latest American Forage and Grasslands Council meeting, the buzz was about increasing profitability by extending the grazing season. Although one piece of the puzzle, it’s also true that increased days on pasture can come at a high price if soils and plant health are degraded.

In reality, the true profits lie with optimizing a farm’s total feed production, with an eye on putting as much forage as possible into the animal through managed grazing. There are no instructions for putting this puzzle together, as each of our farms is unique in its soil types, weather patterns, topography, irrigation potential and land base. Continue reading “The profit key: working within your farm”

May 1, 2013April 18, 2020

Plant diversity as the key to soil health

Gabe Brown isn’t afraid to put 25 species in the seed box

Bismarck, North Dakota — Gabe Brown acknowledges that no planted crop will build soil health as quickly and completely as a well-managed and very diverse perennial pasture. But that doesn’t mean he can’t try.

And boy, does he try. Gabe says the seed boxes on his no-till drill often contain 15 to 25 species at any one time, chosen from a wide variety of warm and cool season grasses and broadleaf crops. Buckwheat, barley, turnips, hairy vetch — you name it, Gabe plants it in mixes that give new meaning to the word “variety.” And he’s ready to use that seed at almost any time when winter isn’t ruling the northern Plains. Continue reading “Plant diversity as the key to soil health”

March 1, 2013April 18, 2020

A report from our return trip to no grain

Goal: grain feeding as punishment

by Nathan Weaver

Canastota, NY—We have long hoped to have a no-grain milking herd, and we have geared the herd and our farm toward that conclusion. We stopped our original no-grain effort shortly after moving to this farm several years ago, as the land was not yet able to produce enough quality feed to allow for success.

But we decided to try again in 2012. We have not fed grain to our spring-seasonally calved dairy herd since mid-May of last year. I will try to write about our experiences. Continue reading “A report from our return trip to no grain”