KENDAL, Sask. – It’s apparently never late too to teach old cattle producers new tricks.
Bill Ripplinger has raised cattle for more than 30 years, but he learned something new during a forage workshop held Aug. 5 near Kendal.
“I did learn that certain areas should be grazed earlier in the season to get the best protein value, which I didn’t realize,” said Ripplinger, who farms near Kendal.
“I will be switching my grazing around somewhat and putting in water in one pasture so that I can graze it earlier than I was.”
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Ripplinger was one of 30 southeastern Saskatchewan farmers who attended the pasture management tour organized by the North Moose Mountain Creek Agra-environmental Group Plan.
He said there’s always something new to learn when it comes to environmentally friendly management practices.
“The last few years I’ve gotten more into the environment, so this is a good way to learn about increasing my production of grass and at the same time looking after the environment,” he said.
“I figure if you can do both, that’s a good thing.”
The workshop took farmers to pastures that were seeded with tame grass and others that were in their original native grass state.
Both kinds of pasture land are part of most grazing rotations, but range management specialist Michael Champion said it’s important for the environment that native pastures are conserved.
“They’re two completely different systems that complement one another,” he said.
“You do need some tame grasses for hay and year-round feed, but native grass pastures are like a smorgasbord for cattle and are good for grazing any time after the first of June.”
Kylie McRae, a forage agrologist with Ducks Unlimited Canada, said most farmers know the ins and outs of feeding their cattle, but specialized knowledge is available that can improve their operations.
“They’re running excellent operations, but they’re always looking for new ideas to reduce the cost of production and how to manage their forage resources for long-term stability,” McRae said.
“Those are the kinds of questions I love to answer because the farmer is looking at it from a practical point of view, whereas I’m a grass geek and I can do my best to answer specific foraging questions.”
McRae and other agrologists took farmers through various stations, pointing out the best native and tame grasses to grow and the most efficient ways to graze.
She focused on native grasses, identifying several of the best-producing grasses out of more than 200 species, while Champion identified some of the best-producing tame grasses.
<< NORTHERN WHEAT GRASS << GREEN NEEDLE GRASS << KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS << PUSSY TOES << PRAIRIE CROCUS << CRESTED WHEAT GRASS << SMOOTH BROME << ALFALFA
<< PRAIRIE SAGE
Pros:
.Prairie sage is good as a nesting
habitat
Pros:
.cattle thrive on this rhizomatous (creeping roots) grass, which is packed with protein and other important nutrients
.extensive root system makes it resistant to drought
Pros:
.this perennial bunch grass is highly palatable to livestock
.is the highest yielding of the needle grasses with its numerous long basal leaves
.has short, weak awns, meaning
Pros:
.low growing point means it can be clipped repeatedly without dying out
.produces a lot of seed and is rhizomatous, which makes it competitive
Pros:
.This mat-forming native forb spreads out to protect soil from erosion
Pros:
.adds diversity to native prairie and is an important resource for insects
Pros:
.good for early grazing and hay production
.drought resistant and grows well in most soil types
.can withstand heavy grazing pressure once stands are established
Pros:
.excellent for grazing and haying
.grows well in most soil sites
.hardy and durable
Pros:
.fixes nitrogen
.high in nutrients and a good source of protein
.good for grazing, haying and soil stabilization
.holds high digestible energy from spring into fall and early winter
Cons:
.easily decreased by heavy grazing
.produces relatively few seed heads
fewer mouth sores and pink eye
.dense fibrous root system can extend to depths of two to three metres
Cons:
.does not form dense stands
Cons:
.shallow root system makes it susceptible to drought.
.this low-yielding forage invades pastures in poor to fair condition
.protein content drops significantly once it produces seed, poor value in late summer and fall
Cons:
.not palatable to cattle, and its low-growing nature means it is inaccessible for foraging
.an over abundance of pussy toes indicates overgrazed pastures
Cons:
.is not palatable forage for cattle
.its dense stands indicate
overgrazed pastures
Cons:
.can be invasive when located
beside native pasture
Cons:
.invasive because of its durability
Cons:
.can cause bloating problems in some animals at certain times of the season
Cons:
.unusable for grazing
