Barron Rector TAMU Forage Specialist  [email protected]  can and will tell it exactly how it is. 

A while back he was talking about using "Improved" forages and with care some management we can put one animal unit on 4 to 6 acres. On the same ground with "native"  forages if managed will support one animal unit to 12 to 18 acres, again depending on the care and management.  He is talking about more or less reasonably priced land, not land that is sold by the square foot, the return on investment is reasonably close. 

 

A lot depends on the individuals thinking process. 

If it is essential to run 100 cows with 4 bulls, to make a living, then you have some management decisions to make.   

If you have 625 acres, plus the land for buildings, water facilities, and roads. then improved pasture with management is an option. If you have your heart set on native grasses this property will carry maybe 36 cows and 2 bulls. Plus a position.

 

If you have 1700 acres plus facilities you have the a different option available to you.

 

Then again you may have land in the Virginia Piedmont  that will comfortably support 2 Clydesdale to the acre.

 

Fertility:  I heard mentioned Ground with Free Lime. Say a modest 4% free lime.  That is saying that 4% of that 2,000 000 pounds of soil per acre 6.5 inches. That land will need no additional lime, not in the foreseeable future. I hear till of ground with deep phosphate rich soils. Soil that will not need additional phosphate in the foreseeable future.

HERE with our 400 ppm K it has long been preached that this soil will not need additional potash in the foreseeable future.  EXCEPT this soil's 50 CEC suggest that anything less than 450 ppm K the crop will exhibit potassium deficiencies.  Ah Ha.! no wonder the hay test say the hay from this farm is a low potassium forage. Just what the dairy nutritionist is looking for. Just because persistence is sorry and yield could be better, no matter the hay is a low K forage.

Dr Rector's buddies down the hall still insist a soil test result above 160 ppm requires no additional Potash. Balder Dash!

 

All levity aside every chance you get to hear DR Rector speak is worth a day off work and a 200 mile drive!

 

PS we always hear the rational of how many cows someone needs to make a living.  These same people do not say they NEED 600 bales of cotton to make a living. With 580 acres in cotton they should make it.

With 144 acres in cotton with some luck and some real good management they just might make it, some time or other. 

With 60 acres, 600 bales of cotton will not happen, not in our life time.