[Table of Contents] Suggested Intensive Grazing Links SEARCH Graze-L: Headquarters of GRAZE-L GRAZE-L is an International Forum for the Discussion of Intensive Rotational Grazing and Seasonal Dairying - developed by Noel Bridgeman (Taranaki Polytechnic) and Michele Gale-Sinex (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - UW Madison) Instructions to use Graze-L To post a "news" message etc to *all* Graze-L list subscribers, address it to: graze-l@taranaki.ac.nz To subscribe to Graze-L, send an e-mail message to: majordomo@taranaki.ac.nz in the body of the message type: subscribe graze-l end To unsubscribe from Graze-L, send an e-mail message to: majordomo@taranaki.ac.nz in the body of the message type: unsubscribe graze-l end To receive Graze-L in Digest (1 message a day) form, send an e-mail message to: majordomo@taranaki.ac. in the body of the message type: subscribe graze-l-digest end To unsubscribe from Graze-L in Digest form, send an e-mail message to: majordomo@taranaki.ac.nz in the body of the message type: unsubscribe graze-l-digest end AGRN 3113 -- FORAGE MANAGEMENT Charles P. West, Professor -- Forage Physiology -- University of Arkansas A guest lecture from Ken Moore (Iowa State) Watching Grass Grow -- The key to successful grazing Lecture notes: Benefits of forage-based agriculture Pasture ecology in NW Arkansas Grass growth Legume growth Adaptation of forages in Arkansas Light relations in pastures: Nitrogen fixation in forage legumes Carbohydrate storage and regrowth Fertilizers and animal manures Fescue toxicosis and endophyte Establishment from seed Tall fescue establishment Bermudagrass establishment and maintenance Weed control Other warm-season grasses Small grains and annual ryegrass Clover management Lespedeza management Alfalfa management Grazing management Forages for beef production Forage quality and antiquality Forages for dairy production Hay production and storage Silage production and storage David W. Pratt, California Extension Principles of Controlled Grazing Grazing Planning Planning For Drought Footsteps: Deciding When To Make Your Move Out of Feed: The Vicious Cycle Stocking Rate and Carrying Capacity Estimating Stocking Rate Monitoring Cows, Grass, and Profitability Electric Fence Design Electric Fence Energizers Grounding Electric Fences Training Livestock To Electric Fences Troubleshooting Problems With Electric Fences Fences That Work: Temporary Electric Fence Materials Evaluation Working With High Tensile Fence Wire So You Thought You Knew How To Drive A Staple A Simple Wire Tension Meter A Stronger Brace Ranching With Nature, University of California Cooperative Extension West Virginia Forage and Grazing Factsheets The Value of Agricultural Limestone How to Reduce the Potential for Grass Tetany Plant Growth and Development as the Basis of Forage Management Forage Quality - Protein Forage Quality - Fiber and Energy Forage Quality - Minerals Sampling Pastures for Nutritive Analysis A Pasture Plate for Estimating Forage Yield Pasture Plate Construction Details Frost Seeding Pastures and Hay Meadows Principles of Grazing Management Clemson University - Pasture and Forage Management for South Carolina Forage Quality Tiller Dynamics Controlled Grazing Legume Inoculation Nitrate Toxicity The Fescue Endophyte Story Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems - University of Wisconsin-Madison Grazing-Based Dairy Systems What are the promises and limitations of grass-based farming? How can innovative research approaches address the challenges farmers face? How can grass-based operations be sustainable...and contribute to sustainability in communities? Why Make The Transition To Grazing? Wisconsin farmers share their perspectives. In 1994 and 1995, CIAS conducted case studies with six Wisconsin dairy farming families who've adopted management intensive rotational grazing practices. Dairy farmer career paths: Farm entry and exit transitions in New Zealand and Wisconsin: Observations, challenges and opportunities for exchange (62 pp.) This report is based on observations of dairy farmer career structures in New Zealand gathered during a field trip to that country in the spring of 1995. These observations are evaluated for their relevance to Wisconsin's declining rates of farm entry and the constricted options for farm exit for many Wisconsin dairy families. Farmer-to-farmer networks: effective grass-roots sharing Some 20 Wisconsin networks focus on management intensive rotational grazing, weed and pest management, soil fertility, herd health, or the economics of farming sustainably. Management intensive rotational grazing's sense...and dollars Compared to confinement systems, management intensive grazing can turn work hours into higher profits by reducing machine, production, and feed costs. Project evaluates forage production and potential in northern Wisconsin More than one million acres of forages are grown within 75 miles of Hayward in northwestern Wisconsin. The area relies heavily on growing forages and converting them into higher-value products such as milk, meat, and wool. Milk production and quality of pastured cows rival confinement feeding The study is part of a larger rotational grazing project conducted jointly with farmers and non-profit groups from Wisconsin and Minnesota and University of Minnesota scientists. Grazing project combines strengths of on-farm, research station studies Dairy farmers who practice rotational grazing report that the system helps lower feed and machinery costs, improves animal health, leads to higher forage quality, and increases flexibility of time and labor during the grazing season. As these farmers developed their systems, they raised numerous research issues that are difficult to examine on farms, such as grass-legume species selection and dairy cow nutrition and management. At the same time, they questioned the usefulness and timeliness of examining these issues on research stations. He Aims for Each Month To Be April Trantham says he is spending 25 to 30% less on input costs than he would if his cows were fed completely in confinement. The Clemson study showed the grazing saved him an average of 47 cents per cow per day. For 70 cows in the milk herd, the savings totaled $9,606.80. Extended Grazing Most dairy herds in Northern Ireland house their cattle during October and do not turnout until late April. Some years ago a group of farmers from New Zealand who critisised our grazing methods. This encouraged ourselves and the Hillsborough Research Institute to review our whole method of grazing. Terminology For Grazing Lands And Grazing Animals The Forage and Grazing Terminology Committee Tall Fescue and the Fungal Endophyte -- The University of Tennessee Tall Fescue Toxicosis Glossary of Terms Early History of Tall Fescue Toxicosis Studies in Tennessee Tall Fescue and the Fungal Endophyte--The Tennessee Research Program Tall Fescue and the Fungal Endophyte--A Review of Current Knowledge Effects of Endophyte Infestation Level and Endophyte Free Tall Fescue Cultivar on Steer Productivity Productivity of Endophyte Infested Kentucky 31 and Forager Tall Fescue Hillside Pastures for Beef Steers Replacing Infested Tall Fescue with Endophyte Free Tall Fescue: Is It Profitable for Stocker Operations? Intensive Grazing/Seasonal Dairying: The Mahoning County Dairy Program Eastern Ohio is characterized by shallow soils and hilly terrain with many areas having shale layers close to the surface. ...not suitable for extensive cultivation but will support the production of permanent pasture. Preface 1. Program Description 2. Intensive Grazing 3. Heifer Rearing 4. Herd Health 5. Mastitis Control 6. Reproduction 7. Milk Production Patterns 8. Agronomic Summary 9. Nutritional Program and Forage Features 10. Economic Patterns and Labor Utilization 11. Soil Pesticides 12. Summary References Grazing Dairy Cows Can Increase Profits Study results from Vermont, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Wisconsin suggest that dairy profits increase $50 to $200 per cow when farmers shift to management intensive grazing. Prescribed Grazing Management To Improve Pasture Productivity In New York This guide is targeted for use on the many dairy and livestock farms in New York State where site, soil, or economic conditions indicate that a more intensive use of pasture can, with proper planning and management, provide opportunities to significantly improve farm profitability and concurrently reduce environmental degradation. Prologue Background Acknowledgement Introduction The Pasture Predator at Work Controlling the Pasture Predator Prescribed Grazing Grazing by Prescription Pasture Growth Dynamics Pasture Growth Rate Seasonal Pattern of Pasture Production Pasture Quality Impact of Time on Pasture Yield and Quality Prescribed Grazing Management Frequency of Grazing Intensity and Timing of Grazing Duration of Grazing Stocking Methods Rotational Stocking Methods The Use and Management of Rotational Stocking Planning Procedures for Rotational Stocking Methods Implementing the Plan Continuous Stocking Methods The Use and Management of Continuous Stocking Planning Procedures for Continuous Stocking Implementing the Plan Other Important Considerations In Prescribed Grazing Water Shade Shape of Paddocks Paddock Orientation Gate Location Laneways Clipping Pastures Dragging Pastures to Spread Manure Soil Fertility Pasture Seeding References Appendix 1: Prescribed grazing management plan worksheet for rotational stocking methods. Appendix 2: Prescribed grazing management plan worksheet for continuous stocking methods. Appendix 3: List of other resources and information available from Cornell. University of Minnesota dairy scientist Dennis Johnson and Iowa State University economist Tony Harvey Dairy scientists list questions to ask in considering grazing Grazing presents opportunities, challenges to dairy producers The Vermont Dairy Profitability Project An Analysis of Viable Grass-Based Options for Vermont Farmers Supplementary Feeding on Seasonal Supply Dairy Farms in New Zealand Supplementary feeding is used in dairying to fill gaps in pasture supply. The key to efficient and profitable use of supplements depends on timing and accurate assessment of pasture deficits. Underlining the importance of this is the fact that around 80% of NZ dairy farmers actually lose money from buying supplements. Getting Started Grazing - Ohio Management-Intensive Grazing has made it possible for us to turn a run-down Southeast Ohio hill farm into a highly productive, environmenttally sound, low input livestock operation. Maintaining Forage Quality by Intensive Pasture Management A speech by E. Ann Clark. Variation in the nutritional value of pasture herbage has been identified as a key limitation to consistent, high levels of dairy cow performance on pasture. Thousands of Bites per Day The rate of biting for dairy cows is in the range 55-65/minutes. An Australian researcher suggested that the maximum number of bites a Jersey cow could take per day was 36,000 - a cow grazing at 60 bites/minute for 510 minutes would take 30,600 bites in a day. Intensive Management of Livestock Grazing The term "Intensive Grazing" is meant to describe livestock and grass management practices that focus on increased levels of manager involvement. Grazing: Forage and Animal Management The students of the Agronomy 534...seven papers, each written by a separate student, on one aspect of either forage or animal management as it deals with grazing. Preface K. R. Harmoney, Iowa State University Chapter 1 Measurement of Forage Intake and Digestibility in an Intensive Grazing System Chapter 2 How Four Legumes Respond to Grazing Chapter 3 Utilization of Forages by Different Biological Types of Beef Cattle Chapter 4 Effects of Biostresses on Alfalfa Quality and Quantity Chapter 5 Effect of Grazing Management Practices on Forage Quality Chapter 6 Grazing Behavior of Ruminant Livestock Chapter 7 The Physiological and Morphological Effects of Grazing on Grass Optimizing Pasture Management in Québec Department of Plant Science and Department of Agricultural Economics. McGill University, Mcdonald Campus Managing Oregon Coastal County Pastures An introduction to the fundamentals of improved pasture management.. Management's The Key To Intensive Grazing Boman converted 80 acres of his family's alfalfa farm to a system of intensive grazing to raise replacement dairy heifers on a contract basis. Pastures largely consist of perennial ryegrass, with some alfalfa remaining from the previous stand. He estimated the cost of conversion (fencing, water tanks, etc.) at $300 per acre, and thinks he can recover those costs in a year or two. A Primer On Pasture Management Livestock producers trying to get the most from their pastures should look at matters from the plant's perspective. Knowledge of grass regrowth will let producers maintain the most desirable forage grasses and increase pasture productivity. Grasses And Legumes For Controlled Grazing In Michigan Farmers can do a great deal through management and fertilization to improve naturally seeded permanent pastures. Intensive Grazing -- The Least Cost Ration for Animals If you're tired of working long hours all year long and ending up with little cash in your pocket or having to work a full time job off the ranch or farm just to make ends meet, it's time to make some changes Penn State's Pasture Page The forage industry is the major agricultural enterprise in Pennsylvania and in the northeastern United States. Grazing Links at the Forage Information System in Oregon Forages at Oregon State University [Table of Contents] [Top] [fwo@ bright.net]