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Western Nebraska | I think one of the biggest problems with extension educators is that the grazing specialists are not animal scientists and the animal scientists are not grazing specialists. We have a great range ecologist at our extension center that is virtually useless when it comes to the livestock angle. I know that they are not supposed to be animal scientists but when they are recommending that no grazing be done until the first of June I wonder what they think cattle are supposed to be eating. By the same token the animal scientists are going to be encouraging a system that may not be best for the native range but is better for your cattle. So how do you balance them?
In our area the crested wheat grass is really starting to come on strong by the first of April. We also will have lots of volunteer wheat and cheat grass coming in some of our farm ground. As long as you are careful with your Mg levels this makes excellent graze. It also helps to boost cattle's protein levels at the critical time. It is a lot easier and cheaper to allow cattle to graze their protein than to try to feed it to them with hay. Not being familiar with NoDak this may not even be an option.
I think that we need some cross-discipline extension specialists that would be able to be of more assistance than the two specialists that we have now. As an aside, the range specialists down here in NE are now advocating a grazing system completely at odds with what Manske is pushing. They will probably change their minds ten more times by the time I retire.
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Why do you calve when you do?
