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Getting To Know Grass

Ive done a fair amount of reading on the subject of grass, not the kind you smoke-geeze.  What are the best grass species to grow?  What is the best time to sew?  How does a specific specie perform at different times of the year?  All good questions you should be asking yourself, if you are into farming grass.  Really, it is a mindset, a belief, a different paradigm, you will need to admit it and start calling yourself a grass farmer.  To grow cows, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys-whatever, you will need to grow grass, it really is that simple-in concept.  I cannot safely say that I have this thing figured out yet.  I am still working on it.  TYo help you work on it, you can read this article, but keep in mind that we live in Missouri.  This information may not apply to your neck of the woods, but use this as a spring board to get you thinking in the right direction.  Let me know what your thoughts or ideas are.

Grazing Cattle For 300 Days Out Of The Year?

Maybe someday.  Have you ever dreamed of rotationally grazing cattle for 300 days out of the year?  The Univerity of Arkansas has done just that, read more here...

"Nativised" Verses Heritage Breeds

Joel Salatin makes the case for, what he has termed, "nativised" animals, verses heritage breeds.  I recently read an article he wrote on this, and, must admit, that I am intrigued.  Mr. Salatin always stirs the emotions and intellect and I am glad to trust his wisdom.

The gist of his argument is that heritage breeds (rare breeds) are fine.  It is a good thing to do your part to preserve the breed and propigate it.  The problem begins at, well, the beginning.  When purchasing the heritage breeds, the price tags often associated with them is very large.  This make the profit margin smaller.  In order to recoup what you have invested, you have to charge the same or more, to sell the animal.  In simplified terms, the meat is more expensive, but doesn't taste any different.  At least not enough difference to warrant the price tag.  The truth is that a heritage breedre can price themselves right out of business.  You have to be wealthy to maintain your herd.  Again, this is fine, if that is what you want to do.

But, if your goal is to provide good food without the injections, additives, hormones, antibiotics, poked, prodded, sardine style raised, mud bath, fecal dust, then the high priced rare breeds are silly.  He makes the case for what he calls nativised breeds.  These are your standard, plentiful breeds of animals.

But they are the same animals that the industrial, mechanical facilities use!  I hear you, but hear me out before you bring out the torches and the pitchforks.  Again, in simplified terms, it is not the breed that makes the meat healthy, eatable and injection free.  It is the way it was raised.  In other words, taking the animal, regardless of breed, and placing it in its natural invironment.  You know, nativising it.  Bringing the animal back to its native land.  It is letting a bovine be a bovine.  Brining out the pigness of the pig, the chickeness of the chicken, etc.

Once again, I must thank Mr. Salatin for causing a paradigm shift in my brain.  Now I face a difficult decision, one I have not reached, completely.  I will say that I may, now, be leaning toward the nativised.  My problem is that I really, really like the Dexter breed.  The smaller cuts of meat make for great storage in the freezer for a small family.  They eat less than larger breeds, that is a big plus.  They are gentle by nature and thrive on grass.  On the other, other hand, I can't afford to buy into a herd much less two to get started.  This brings me back to nativised, I can afford that. Hmmm......

Grass Fed Is Best

I came across this at Allan Nations blog, at the Stockman GrassFarmer web site, all credit goes to Mr. Nation. I have posted it here for your information. I have read this kind of information and the studies that go with it and find that this list is absolutely consistent. Choose grass fed, makes my mouth water for that little fella in my paddock!



A comparison of grassfed versus grainfed beef by Clemson University has found ten health advantages for consumers in the grassfed product. These are:

1. Lower in total fat
2. Higher in beta-carotene
3. Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
4. Higher in B-vitamins and riboflavin
5. Higher in minerals calcium, magnesium and potassium
6. Higher in total omega 3's
7. A healthier ration of omega 3 to omega 6 fats (1.65 vs 4.85)
8. Higher in CLA (a potential cancer fighter)
9. Higher in vaccenic acid ( which can be transformed into CLA)
10. Lower in saturated fats linked with heart disease.

This study was published in the June issue of the Journal of Animal Science.

What's The Beef?

Here is an interesting little blog entry on Alan Nation's blog over at the Stockman Grassfarmer's website. (You can find a link to the Grassfarmer's website at the right).

It is entitled, "What happened to the cattle cycle?" and questions what happened to the usual down period in price. The conclusion being drawn is that even though there are less producers in this country than there were 20 years ago, there is more beef being produced. This is because of the continued trend toward bigger, beefier animals. Less farmers are producing more beef.

The conundrum is that these bigger animals aren't necessarily conducive to grass finishing. Food for thought. Use the link above to read the article in full.

I opted, today, for the quickest article. This is due a great desire to finish the spare room (we have been finishing this house for 10 years) so my wife can have a place to sew and scrapbook and teach our daughters the fine arts of said activities.

So, I was out looking at our Dexter bull and noticing some of his masculine qualities like his really curly hair on his forehead. The nice, strait line from his shoulders to his tail etc.

Then I thought about how pleased we have been with his performance. He is litterally batting 1000. I remembered an article I read a while back on what to look for ina heard bull, before you take the semen test. Quite accidentally, we found many of these good qualities in a fertile bull, in our own bull. We bought him sight unseen, which is why we are so very pleased.

The above, linked article, was written by Gerald Fry, a man whom I have come to respect. I never met him, but I like to read his stuff. Click the link and read his article. Then, go take a look at your bull. If nothing else, you will have soom good knowledge to take with you when you go to purchase a bull. Enjoy.

Constitution of a Superior Bull

Here is a fascinating article I just read. Again written by Gerald Fry.

Gerald Fry 193 Fry Rd. - Rose Bud, AR 72137 (501)-556-5040

Constitution of a Superior Bull Concentration and combinations of desirable genes and genetics
Genetics must be synchronized and concentrated to be repeatable, predictable and perform on your grass in your environment. That is only possible from within your herd with bulls that are of paternal genetics that come from your herd. A bull moved to another environment takes 3-5 years to return to full performance value, including reproductive responses from environmental and forage adaptations and possibly some genetic transfer to offspring. A Bull should be of a paternal decent, not of maternal decent to be predictable. It takes more knowledge of your cattle and genetics to create paternal sires than maternal sires. They “just happen” in the breeding programs of today. That is the way breeding is managed today. Is it not time for a new set of standards? Is it not time for a new paradigm shift?
If you take a look at how God built the Levitical tribe you will find there are no women mentioned in any of the genealogies. There are 3 names of women after Sarah and Malcha, (sisters) and between Abraham & David. However, they were used to produced sons that that were used back in the genealogies to bring out certain characteristics and traits in leaders like David and his descendants and eventually the unblemished sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ. Moses’ mother was also his aunt. Moses was among the most intelligent and wisest men who ever lived. I wonder if Someone had a plan in place to help His people?
Intelligent breeding of cows requires us to do more than put a bull out with the cows. It requires us to know the genetics in our herds, how they function and how they mix and match. You cannot build paternal bulls with any of the breeding practices used in America today. The inexperienced cattlemen today do as well producing bulls as those breeders with 30 years practice. The old time breeders follow the system for the almighty dollar just as the inexperienced breeder do. Where is the American interrogatory in the seed-stock providers with this type of practice?
This leaves us with only one option and that is to produce our own bulls and concentrate our own genetics and gene pools our self from our own commercial cows in our own environment that works on grass. We will become the pioneers in our industry! Dennis McDonald in Galt, Missouri has been selecting bulls from his own herd for the past 10 years. There is a high probability that every cow and bull in his herd bare a low level of kinship at this point. In the process of mixing & matching, culling and selection, Dennis has produced 3 bulls that are in use today that are phenotypically better than he could possibly buy, full of retail product and all this on grass. One of the bulls is very predictable in his herd. This quality of bull would not be for sale from a seed stock farm and if they were the price would be prohibitive. In 2001 Dennis segregated 32 of his elite cows in one herd and put his most predictable (best) bull with extreme masculinity, deep wide chest, great crest, 52 inches at hip, wide rump, 2000 pound with the 32 cows. Every cow calved in the first 28 days of the breeding season. All of the calves are superior in growth; all have good glandular function and a greater volume of meat (retail product) than their peers in the average of his herd.
Dennis will breed the heifers from those mating to a half brother and began the next level of genetic concentration and selection. The secret to Dennis’s success is his ability to select. He is at the point that culling is easier. He has developed a standard for his herd. Selection requires wisdom and knowledge of his cattle, how they perform on his grass and in the environment. There is no way Dennis could go outside his herd and buy bull genetics that are synchronized or predictable and consistent with his cows and environment. He is putting his bulls back on his cows for about $500.00. Dennis is concentrating the genetic makeup of his cows and bulls through out the entire herd to his grass and environment. He has began collecting data such as loin size and shape, tenderness and intramuscular fat and back fat by use of ultrasound, ruggedness and easy fleshing regarding the width and depth of shoulders and heart girth. Each of the mentioned selection points is critical to Dennis producing high quality meat for himself and his neighbors. Each animal is measured and assessed for volume of saleable retail product, glandular function and structure before going back into the herd.
Dennis will continue breeding the 32 cows to the same bull as long as he lives or until he out produces himself (because of genetic progress) with a son or a grandson that is produced from a daughter or granddaughter for replacement. In time, the entire herd will be replaced with the type of cows he desire for function of all types.
If you are a cattleman with a lower number of cows and you aspire to create your own bulls you may need to do a little AI breeding from a superior bull for 3-4 generations to create a concentration of your own gene pool from your own cow herd. Should you choose to begin such a project do your homework.
Every cattleman knows his best cows. They can be identified by those that put the best calves with the most meat on the carcass and do the best on your pasture and in your environment. You select a superior bull that has a brother or very close relative that is superior so breeding the heifers back will yield the desired type and the genetic makeup will stay constant in the building process. Do not outcross.
After you have established the desired genetic make-up of the herd, you can switch back and forth between the two bulls as time requires, plus other sons will evolve from the breeding program and each cow represent a different blood line. If at some point after the paternal sire line has been established, you need some type of change in conformation of some characteristic or performance you would find an outside female and introduce her to the sire and bring about change through establishing a new blood line with the already established sires. Remember the female is a genetic helpmate.
The paternal sire is very obtainable in a herd of 20-50 cows. Every cattle person has at least 10% of his cow herd that is superior. If you have two superior cows and breed them to a superior bull you have begun a superior blood line. Reality is if you breed every cow to a superior bull you will be surprised at what happens. Record and watch what happens over a few generations. Selection of the cows and a great bull is the beginning point. Or you can begin as Dennis McDonald has with what you have. Select, believe and ask for and seek wisdom and watch the changes come. We have practiced the same breeding practices for the past 50 years, consider where we are. Will your cattle's genetics efficiently utilize your grass? It is time for a new set of leaders and a new set of rules in "our" industry. You and I are those leaders. We are seeking the truth! Let us do it right!!

Gearld Fry 193 Fry Rd. Rose Bud, AR 72137 Telephone - (501)-556-5040

"The Milk Mirror"

We were given a copy of an interesting article from the magazine "Acres U.S.A." found in the December 2007 issue. The article was written by Gerald Fry (I know the name, but can't quite place it. I think I may have read some stuff by him in the Stockman Grass Farmer). The article is entitled "The Escutcheon: 'Milk Mirror'". (Don't ask me how to pronounce that.) Anyway, it is fascinating to learn that good genetics in your cattle can be percieved in the animals coat. The article states "The escutcheon is the distinguishable figure or pattern of hair located at the hind end of the bovine. It is formed by the reversal of the direction of the hair."

In a nutshell, Mr. Fry says that the milking prowess of the bovine can be determined by the size, length of hair, and pattern of hair viewed while the animal is walking. The movement reveals the lower part of the udder, which is not completely shown when the animal is at rest.

By looking at the escutcheon as two parts that resemble a shovel: the spade and the handle. The spade part may go down from the top of the udder to below the rear teats and spread from thigh to thigh all the way down to the hocks. The handle connects to the spade at the top of the udder and rises upward toward the anus, and may include, the vulva. The wider and deeper the spade, the better. You're looking for two oval shaped (ascending) feathers just above the two hind teats. That is an indication of good, high butter fat milk production.

The wider the handle, the higher the quality and quantity of milk. There should be no feathers (the small areas of hair running in the opposite direction) of any kind on the handle. Their presence in this area indicates some measure of inferior production of the mammory system, and these animals will not be the top producers for butterfat and other desireables.

This requires deeper thought and study, I think. If we can learn to locate the clues to identify the good genetic capabilities in our bovine and breed them with other bovine with similar capabilities, we can foster good, wholesome, nutitious products to promote health for our families and our community.

It never ceases to amaze me how God, in His infinite wisdom, created everything we need to be healthy and help others be healthy as well.

Find this article in "Acres U.S.A" December 2007 issue.

The Man of the Place

This is the picture of the "farm stud" I promised. He sired three calves born this year. (Two belong to my mother in Arkansas.) He is pretty docile but loves his range cubes. He is the sire of the calf inside Clover. (The heifer that's for sale.) Scroll down for pics of our heifer for sale.