Plant diversity as the key to soil health

Beef cattle in cover crop pasture

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”

A report from our return trip to no grain

Cows on pasture

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”

Options for adding annuals to your operation

Daniel Olson in field

By Daniel Olson

Lena, Wisconsin — Most of you have seen those “growing curves” for perennial, cool-season grasses. The curves spike in mid-spring, crash in the summer heat and revive in time for the early-fall grazing period. The biology of this is that a perennial can’t afford to put all of its energy into production, as it needs to survive the heat of summer and the cold of winter in order to live to reproduce again next year.

Advanced management has helped us graziers cope with the curve. Longer rest periods and stockpiled forage reduce the impact of the summer slump while extending the grazing season well beyond the growing season. The downside to such stockpiling is that much of the forage is not dairy quality, and thus limits animal performance. Continue reading “Options for adding annuals to your operation”

As weather changes, so must we

Farmer with cows

Riskier weather requires spreading risk

by Dan Vosberg

South Wayne, WI—Scientists are showing some pretty strong evidence that the climate is changing here in Wisconsin. According to their data, we will experience hotter summers, longer growing seasons, warmer winters and more dry spells and droughts. Storms will be more violent, with more downpours and fewer gentle rains. It’s hard to argue against their predictions when the weather we’ve been receiving lately seems to support them.

2012 is over, thank goodness, but it will probably be remembered as the year that forced us to look at doing some things differently. Continue reading “As weather changes, so must we”

One out of three ain’t bad

Onan cows

Onan’s irrigation system pays its way even if wet years outnumber dry ones

Amherst Junction, Wisconsin — Most of Paul Onan’s milking cows are contentedly grazing lush pasture at high noon with the mercury heading toward the upper-90s. It is a scene many a midwestern dairy grazier would pay a lot to duplicate in this terrible summer of 2012.

And Paul has paid more than a little. More than $12,000 for a well and a 10-horsepower submersible pump. Equipment valued at more than $10,000, although most of that cost was covered by a government grant. About $500 worth of electricity used during a period of four weeks, with much more to come should the dry weather continue. Close to an hour’s worth of daily labor to move equipment, plus the usual hassles involved in fixing the broken parts that come with anything mechanical. Continue reading “One out of three ain’t bad”

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”