6 minute read
Pasture Management Pays Dividends For Farmers
Where The Green Grass Grows
Rotational grazing on ryegrass pastures helps Steve Tanner’s stocker cattle pack on pounds while staying healthy. Tanner and his wife, Rosa, raise cattle and row crops in Butler County.
By Marlee Moore
Stocker calves beeline for lush, protein-packed ryegrass as Steve Tanner opens the gate dividing a pasture in Greenville.
“They’ve eaten that down pretty good,” said Tanner’s wife, Rosa, noting the calves’ previous paddock.
The Tanners build their herd nutrition program from the ground up. It starts with drilling ryegrass in fall, allowing time for it to green up before stockers arrive in January. The 300-pound calves pack on an extra 200 pounds by feasting on ryegrass with its 20+% protein content.
“We wanted straight ryegrass because it has more protein for the smaller calves,” said Tanner, who grazes around 2,500 head of stocker cattle annually on 1,100 acres.
The Tanners use rotational grazing. Alternating pastures requires a higher level of management, labor and infrastructure investment but yields higher-quality forage — and, ideally, higher profits.
While ryegrass is their main source of nutrition, free-choice hay and a complete mineral package rounds out the feed program and counteracts deficiencies. After piling on the pounds, cattle head north to Wisconsin each May for summer grazing before being shipped to feedyards out West.
The mineral block is a critical component of Tanner’s program. He began using it last year at the recommendation of a local nutritionist after calves suffered thiamine deficiencies.
“Using this block solved our problem,” said Tanner, 64, the Butler County Farmers Federation vice president. “It helps with their overall health, too.”
Tanner admits the package is more expensive than straight mineral, but it helps add weight and clears up health issues, like runny eyes. He credits the block for a tenth to a fifth of a pound of daily gain per calf.
“The calves come out looking shinier, slicker and healthier than others,” he said. “I’ve been sold on it.”
The Tanners’ approach is specific to their farm, climate, soil and goals. But their program mirrors Kim Mullenix’s advice for Alabama cattle farmers.
“Nutrition doesn’t come from a bag,” said Mullenix, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System Beef Systems agent. “We have to build on the concept of improving the efficiency of our land resources. Then you supplement to overcome inefficiencies.” The Tanners take recommendations from pros like Mullenix seriously. Take their tetraploid Nelson ryegrass, a variety touted in industry magazines. It consistently outperforms other grazing forage on the Tanners’ farm.
“You don’t want the grass to run out early,” Rosa said. “You learn the varieties that work.”
The cattle rotate pastures every 7-10 days, giving grass time to green and spread between grazing. The grass is a natural dewormer, too. The Tanners also raise bahiagrass hay, in addition to a ryegrass cutting.
“We get a lot of use out of each pasture,” Tanner said. “I could graze this ryegrass two to three more weeks, but by pulling the calves off early, it has time to shoot up high.”
Mullenix recommends prioritizing forage management year-round by testing soil samples and researching high-quality seed varieties before managing a tight ship when planting and grazing.
“Cattle turn forages into high-quality protein,” she said. “We want to optimize managing all resources for nutrition programs.”
For more beef systems resources, visit aces.edu.
Unveiling the Alfa Farmers historical marker at Auburn University (AU) were, from left, Bob Dumas, president pro tem of the AU board of trustees; Alabama Cooperative Extension System Director Mike Phillips; AU College of Agriculture Dean Paul Patterson; AU President Jay Gogue; Alfa Insurance and Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell; and Federation Executive Director Paul Pinyan.
Historical Marker At Auburn Honors Alfa Farmers
Auburn University (AU) and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System celebrated the Alabama Farmers Federation’s recent centennial by unveiling a historical marker Feb. 17. The marker was erected at the Alfa Pavilion at Auburn’s Ag Heritage Park.
Federation and Alfa Insurance President Jimmy Parnell said the marker also honors the men and women who, a century ago, came together to provide a unified voice for rural Alabama in public policy.
“These farmers partnered with Extension and the College of Agriculture to create one of America’s most influential farm organizations,” Parnell said. “We are proud to continue that partnership today as Federation members provide grassroots input and support for agricultural education, research, outreach and advocacy.”
The historical marker also recognizes the late Luther Duncan, an early director of Alabama Extension and later Auburn president. He was instrumental in founding Alabama Farm Bureau, now the Federation, in 1921.
Alabama Cooperative Extension System Director Mike Phillips lauded the marker and its challenge to current generations.
“A century ago, our nation had just emerged from a world war, the Great Depression was looming, and life on the farm was rewarding but hard,” Phillips said. “Our forefathers understood that if their children were to have a bright future, they needed to avail themselves of opportunities to learn and insist that their vision and hard work would make the world a better place. This historical marker is a testament to their commitment to future generations and a challenge to us all to follow in their footsteps.”
Officials at the unveiling stressed the importance of Auburn’s land-grant mission to serve Alabamians.
“Auburn’s College of Agriculture and the Alabama Farmers Federation have very similar missions in serving the farmers and agricultural communities of our state, so we have been close partners over the past century,” said Paul Patterson, dean of AU’s College of Agriculture. “Throughout its history, Alfa has been vital to this state through its support, outreach and advocacy for farms, farming families and rural communities. We are proud to celebrate this historic occasion with them.”
View the marker in person at 620-A S. Donahue Drive, Auburn University, AL 36849.
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