What I've Learned About Quality Pasture-Part XIV

In this installment, I am going to share what I have learned about seasonal grass dairying. No, we are not a dairy, per Se. But we do keep a family milk cow and a brooder cow and a bull, so this information has made a favorable impression on me. Even though the book, "Quality Pasture" by Alan Nation, favors the viewpoint of a large dairy operation, there is much that can be applied to the smallest homestead, I believe. I know that these principles can be applied to our small farm, even if on a smaller scale. You be the judge, but I am planning on implementing these things.

Seasonal grass dairying can be the most profitable form of dairying. Our profit is that we don't have to buy homogenized, pasteurized milk. If we were to put a price on our milk, it would be fair to say $4 per gallon, as that is the current price of milk at our local store. That is $4 we don't have to spend, therefore it is profit. I know, you have to take into account what we spend on feed, and you're right, but that is for another article. Suffice to say that we still come out ahead even with the price of grain. But how much more so, if we fed only grass? Remember, in regard to health, grass is the key.

"Seasonal production emphasizes the marginal economics of twice a day milking as the lactation curve declines. Many go to once a day milking or buy calves and graft them on the cows for the last few months of lactation" Mr. Nation says. In other words, stop fighting and go with the forage flow.

Star with getting your breeding season in sync with the pasture. This will be the biggest cost cutter. Breed for spring calving to maximize the spring grass growth curve, this is when the grass is young and tender and full of nutrition, just what the newborn needs and great for that newly freshened cow. You can't expect the pasture to make you financially whole if your cows are not bred to maximize the use of the pasture.

If you grow your own grain, quit. Grain farming is highly specialized and requires large acreage. Studies have shown that dairy farms in Wisconsin would net $14,000 more per year buying their grain rather than growing it. This is on dairy farms of 100 cows or less. Plant all your land to grass and let the cows harvest it. Think about it. How much fuel does it take to plow, sow and harvest the grain at current fuel prices? What about your time?

Concentrate on cutting feed costs. A good, leguminous pasture will yield 20% or more protein. Why would you feed high dollar, high protein feed if you have a pasture like this? We are not here yet. We have much work to do on our small pastures to accomplish this, but it is something it would behoove us to shoot for.

There has not been any studies done that show cows perform better eating ground, cracked, steamed, or flaked corn. Not enough, anyway, that would pay for the time, energy and machinery it takes to produce this feed. Whole shelled corn works much better when fed under a single wire electric fence (this keeps them from gorging). You can buy it direct. You will see a little whole corn in the cows manure, and if that makes you uneasy, build yourself a Joel Salatin style hen mobile and put it out in the pastures. By doing this, you can turn that leftover corn into a profitable egg business. Let the chickens do the work, and you cash in. We have free range chickens that routinely have "soiled" beaks from scratching through the manure. It is not a gross thing, it is the way they were made, stop fighting Creation, let the animals do the work.

Also, you can almost always hire things done for what it costs in interest and depreciation with owning your own machinery. We can't afford machinery, so this is a non issue for us, at this point. But it is a principle to keep in mind for the future. The biggest cost in owning machinery is in the harvest, not the planting. So, again, let the animals do the harvesting.

I am currently reading a New Zealand perspective on seasonal dairying, and I will post about that soon. Keep checking back.

If you would like more information on the subject of growing quality pastures, click on the Stockman GrassFarmer link found at the right of this blog. Or, look for Alan Nation's book "Quality Pasture".