Farmers with frosted-out crops might want to consider letting cattle take care of this year’s harvest.
Swath grazing has been around for 10 or 15 years, but has never been widely practised.
However, the frost and rain that wreaked havoc on this year’s harvest through much of the Prairies might give new impetus to the idea.
“What is different this year is we’ve got a huge amount of frozen crops,” said Lorne Klein, a rangeland and forage specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture.
“So we’re trying to promote swath grazing as a cost effective way for people to deal with those frozen crops.”
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Normally, a frost-damaged crop is cut and baled or cut and chopped for silage. Swath grazing can reduce those machinery costs, especially if adequate fencing, water and shelter are available.
Novel idea
Klein said swath grazing is still in the “early adopter phase,” estimating that only about one out of 50 producers in Saskatchewan engages in it on a regular basis.
“It’s out of the traditional mindset,” he said.
“But those who have done it wonder why anyone would do all that other stuff.”
There are savings in time and money.
With swath grazing, there is no need for crimping to assist in drying. In most cases, the crop is cut with a swather rather than a haybine.
After cutting, there are none of the costs associated with baling, chopping, hauling, stacking or packing and feeding. Manure removal costs can also be avoided.
Swath grazing can start immediately after the crop is cut. It has traditionally been reserved for late fall and winter, but with the volume of frozen crops available this year, producers may want to start sooner than usual, which would have the bonus of reducing grazing pressure on perennial pastureland.
While Klein encourages grain and livestock producers to take a fresh look at swath grazing this year, he acknowledged it’s not appropriate in every situation.
“The problem with just promoting it for this year is that not everybody has a piece of land that was set up for swath grazing and where they grew a crop that is suitable for swath grazing,” he said.
The requirements are that the land be suitable for fencing and cattle have access to water. Shelter may be required depending on the weather, and possibly a handling facility.
Farmers can use electric fences to fence off parcels relatively quickly for swath grazing. Fences should be moved regularly, limiting access to about five days worth of feed at a time.
While it’s difficult to generalize about costs, Klein said one estimate puts it at about 20 cents per head per day, including labour and materials.
Gordon Hutton, forage technology transfer specialist with Alberta Agriculture, said farmers should be cautious about jumping into swath grazing simply as a short-term solution for dealing with frost-damaged crops.
“Most guys who are swath grazing have already got everything lined up and set up for it,” he said. “Grain farmers don’t.”
Those who swath graze as a matter of course have already selected fields that have water and power.
The fields are usually close to the home quarter to make it easier to move animals or haul bales if necessary.
Planning required
Veteran swath grazers seed late to maximize the grain’s palatability and quality. They also lay out their fields in certain ways, such as cutting 16 to 20 foot swaths.
“You have grain farmers out there whacking it down with 40 foot windrowers,” Hutton said.
“They’re going to have way too much stuff in there to effectively manage the grazing.”
He estimated that about 25 percent of Alberta livestock producers swath graze between Calgary and Edmonton and east to the Saskatchewan border.
Alberta Agriculture has set up a “swath grazing calculator” to help producers evaluate the economics of it on their farms. The calculator can be found on the provincial department’s website.
