[Table of Contents] The
Owenlea Farm Mud Page
Rule of Thumb
I am interested in the NZ rule of thumb which says hoofprints over 1 inch deep are too deep.
I think they are talking about "ideal conditions" where they already have a high producing pasture they don't want to damage or reduce its future production. They have research to show that winter pugging damage considerably reduces a pasture's subsequent production -FWO
Exceptions to the Rule of Thumb
Are there circumstances where the New Zealanders feel deeper footprints are justified?
I'm not sure, but I think they may allow tramping in wet weather if:
- If they are trying to get rid of a bad species like
Tall Fescue
- Where they want to introduce a new species by seeding
from hay fed on the area or sowing seed just before
removing the stock.
- Where they intend to cultivate for a crop (turnips?), then they might sacrifice a paddock.
So how do they prevent pugging in New Zealand?
Those guys don't even have barns do they? Aren't their cows in the paddock all the time?
Here is what Michael Hansen told us in a message to Graze-L:
"We build feeding platforms so we can remove stock from pastures to prevent pugging.This is mainly carried out when stock are not milking and they are fed mainly hay or silage. Some farmers remove stock as soon as thy have eaten their grass ration and in extreme conditions will do this to milking herds despite the immediate loss in production. This is all to preserve the future productive ability of the pastures. These activities are common to most farms in the Hauraki Plains a low lying area of marine clays in the Eastern Waikato. You guys already have excellent facilities for feeding stock off the pastures?(yards or barns).
Apparently a solution that is used in New Zealand is to allow grazing for 4 to 5 hours and then return the cows to a sacrafice area or resting pad.
Here is what Peter Aldridge told Graze-L about this:
"It does reduce pugging remarkably. One problem with leaving them on wet & pugged areas is that ( if cows are forced to stand, rather than lie down, which they won't if it is too wet,) it costs them energy, and they will loose weight when you want them to maintain or put on weight."
Hoof damage in rainy weather is good!
This is according to F. W. Owen, who may not know what he is talking about if he steps off his Bluegrass/White Clover/Weed sod.
FWO GRAZING RULE: Hoof damage is good. It provides an open site for clover to run in or self seed.
- Cows can churn a beautiful pasture into a sea of mud
during a rain storm. I have had several pastures churned
up so badly that there was nothing green left in
sight.
- These pastures always return to normal very quickly.
Don't be concerned about them.
- At Owenlea Holsteins we think of hoof prints and
tramped up areas around gates and water tanks as a golden
opportunity for clover to run in or reseed.
- These patches are quickly filled by bluegrass and
white clover either by running in from adjacent plants or
new seedlings.
- Countless millions of white clover and bluegrass
seeds are lying dormant in your Ohio soil waiting for the
opportunity to fill hoof prints with baby plants. Weed
seedlings might get ahead of the bluegrass/white clover
seedlings. Don't worry about it. Cows love immature
weeds.
-FWO
Photo of damage
Try not to get too upset about this sort of thing on your
farm.
If you live where Bluegrass/white clover is the default
vegatation, than do nothing. There is enough Bluegrass/white
clover seed present to last until the next ice age.
Casting handfulls of Annual Ryegrass seed about is a good
temporary solution.
