17821x - 8/1/2014 20:11 If a pasture has grass that has headed out people say it "got away from them" or it is "past prime". But if you cut that strip, baled it, and stored it in your shed I'm guessing that when you take it out in January with 2' of snow on the ground your opinion would be that it was pretty nice hay. In your first pic, if the already grazed portion all looks like that I wouldn't waste time clipping it. Just let it regrow and when you graze it again they will get some of the tall old stubble when they eat the new growth. If you clip it you lose it. Now some may say that it becomes fertilizer but wasted forage is a very expensive fertilizer source. Take the money you save in not clipping and apply a little fertilizer. Just a suggestion. The already grazed section in the first picture still has some grazing which they will eat as they go back to water and the shade of the woods over the next three or four days. Most of what is left will be stems and seed heads. I will take your suggestion and just drag it with my Wingfield harrow to spread the manure piles. I have found I have to do something to spread the manure piles after this dense grazing or there are a lot of avoidance areas the next time through in about 30 days. I agree this would have made decent hay even if over mature. But right now I need the grazing more than hay. We actually need some rain and pasture growth has slowed way down from earlier. The cows are going through a LOT of forage as the calves get bigger and lactation approaches max demand on the cow. Thank you for the suggestion. Dragging goes a lot quicker than clipping. Jim
Edited by Jim 8/1/2014 23:16
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Had good help moving the cows today & higher density pressure (pics)
