W.K. Kellogg Biological Station

W.K. Kellogg Farm

  • Bird
    Sanctuary
  • Conference Center
    & Manor House
  • Research &
    Education
  • Home
  • About
    • Sustainable Agriculture Focus
    • Blogs & News
    • History
    • People
    • Research Sites
    • Events
  • Research
    • Current Research Highlights
    • Conducting Research at the Farm
    • Programs & Sites
  • Who We Help
    • Community Partners
    • Public
    • Scientists
    • Farmers
    • Students
  • Contact Us

Help! When do I send the cows out to pasture?

05.09.19

Brook Wilke, Farm Manager at MSU’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, helps take the guesswork out of when cows should return to pasture. This blog was originally featured in the print edition of The Farmer’s Exchange.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One question that I get asked quite a bit, and often ask myself, is; when do I turn the cows out to pasture? I think this is a common question that all graziers wrestle with, and even if we have some hard and fast rules about how to approach the topic, there always seems to be some uncertainty. “Jumping the gun” can get you off to a really bad start to the year, yet waiting too long just makes managing the spring flush that much more challenging.

The first thought that comes to my mind is that I can let the cows out whenever I can finally get around to getting all of the fence fixed up. This is even a challenge for us at the MSU Pasture Dairy Cows heading to pastureCenter every year. As we pass the spring equinox, our focus turns to calving, hauling manure, prepping fields for planting, and everything else that comes with spring. Fencing sometimes becomes an afterthought until it’s an absolute necessity because the cows are leaving the barn tomorrow.

This topic reminds me of my youth in Nebraska. Each spring, my dad would load up the truck with wood posts, barbed wire, tools, and the boys to go out and fix the four-strand barbed wire fence well in advance of sending the cows to pasture. It’s wise for graziers to prepare well in advance, and make sure the fence is in good shape so the focus can turn to letting the cows out when the grasses, legumes, and forbs are ready for the cows.

Speaking of the grasses, we want to consider two important factors when deciding when to let the cows out; the amount of forage available, and the expected growth rate over the next two weeks. It’s okay to transition the cows to pasture a bit early if you use rotational grazing, and the 10-day forecast is warm. We know that the spring flush of growth is coming, and the lightly grazed pastures that are first in the rotation will respond very rapidly. Plus, we will be well on our way to building a grazing wedge so that we always have pastures ready to be grazed in the rotation. However, if one of those cold periods is on the horizon, you are best to hold the cows for a few more days rather than make one full rotation around the pastures before the growth really gets started.

Sometimes it’s really hard to wait for the right time – especially as those cows look longingly out at the pasture from the barn or the winter grounds. They watch us carefully, all lined up along the fence or gates, as we are out in the pastures working on fencing, lanes, and water, hoping that today is the day that we are going to open the gate. Watching the old cows jump around in the pasture the first day they are let out is good for the soul. Yet, it’s worth the wait to make sure the pasture is ready, and the fence is intact.

Integrating Annuals into a Perennial Grazing System

04.29.19

Brook Wilke, Farm Manager at MSU’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station writes about integrating annuals into a grazing system and making the most out of the investment. This blog was originally featured in the online edition of The Farmer’s Exchange.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diverse mixtures of perennial plants are the backbone of our grazing systems in the Midwest. Pastures planted (or occurring naturally) with these mixtures offer many benefits, including deep Cows in corn fieldroots to maximize nutrient and water uptake, no need for replanting, tolerance, or even benefit from, grazing the biomass, weed suppression, etc. I could go on and on regarding the benefits of these perennial plants, but there are times when annual crops might provide some unique benefits for graziers.

Planting annual crops for grazing adds cost to the system. Existing vegetation needs to be terminated, seeds need to be purchased and planted, and there’s a time period where grazing cannot occur while the new plants are getting established. But, these costs can be recovered because annual forages offer three key benefits over perennials. These include: 1) Potential for increased total biomass production, 2) Forage production during the periods of poor perennial plant growth (summer, late fall), and 3) Potential for higher quality forage for high-performance animals such as dairy or finish period of lambs or steers.

For these reasons above, it’s worthwhile to consider integrating some annuals into the grazing system to improve your overall profitability. But, it’s important to take notice of the following tips to help you manage these crops to make the most out of your investment.

  • Plant annual forages in pastures or fields where you want to establish new perennial pastures in the long run. Crop rotations with perennials and annuals over time work very well. We’ve found that seven years of perennials followed by three years of annuals, and then back to perennials is a good rotation. Cultivating annual crops for three years helps to eliminate problem weeds in perennial pastures, making establishing perennial species easier.
  • Wait until June to terminate perennial pastures and plant annuals. Nearly half of the growth from perennial pastures occurs during the spring months of April May and early June, so we want to take advantage of that growth, and then establish the annual crops after the peak growth period for the perennials has passed. Herbicides and tillage both work to terminate perennial pastures; sometimes two passes are needed to get good control.
  • Double cropping annual forages is key to profitability. For example, plant a full season crop of sudex in June, grazing up to three times across the summer, and then follow that with a winter cereal such as triticale in the fall, which will be grazed once or twice in the spring. Similarly, spring-planted cereals such as oats can be grazed in June, and then followed with brassica crops (kale, rapeseed, radishes, etc.) for late fall/winter grazing. Mixtures can be used also, but make sure the species grow well together, rather than one species out-competing the others. The key is to have crops growing all year round in order to grow more total forage compared to the perennial mixtures elsewhere on the farm, which is essential to recover the extra cost of planting annuals.
  • Often times, relay cropping (planting the next crop into the previous standing crop) can be used to avoid the need to till or use herbicides to kill the previous crop. A great example is planting a winter cereal (e.g. triticale) immediately after grazing sudex in September. The sudex will die with the first frost in October but will compete with weeds until then while the triticale is getting established.
  • Graze annual crops by utilizing strip or mob grazing techniques. This is important to limit trampling and increase utilization of the crops, and also to encourage regrowth of those crops that will regrow after grazing.

There’s so much fun to be had with growing annual crops for grazing. Explore these options and how they might fit on your farm, but be sure to manage them well to take full advantage of the investment.

Pasture Dairy Farm featured on Great Lakes Echo podcast

02.25.19

Cows at the Pasture Dairy Center with the Lely Robotic MilkingSustainability in the Michigan dairy industry

In this two part series on sustainability in the Michigan dairy industry, Quinn Zimmerman talks with the Kellogg Biological Station Pasture Dairy Center farm and dairy managers, Brooke Wilke and Howard Straub. Listen here.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR RESEARCH

  • Current Research Highlights
  • Sustainable Agriculture Focus

Events

  • No events
  • VIEW FULL CALENDAR
  • Recent Posts

    Rye variety trials at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station in the summer of 2021. Photo by Leon Thelen.

    Cereal rye trials can help growers decide which varieties to grow for end use in distilled spirits

    Phil Robertson smiles at the camera while crouching in an agricultural field at KBS.

    Phil Robertson honored by LTAR Network for local, national contributions

    Sarah Hubbard poses in front of an ivy-covered brick wall at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station.

    A sustainable summer: Agriculture, academics, and a good book

    A legacy of conservation; a commitment to sustainability.

    W.K. Kellogg Farm
    10461 N. 40th St.
    Hickory Corners, MI 49060
    (269) 671-2402
    kelloggfarm@kbs.msu.edu
    FacebookTwitter

    Sign up for our monthly newsletter

    Get regular updates from KBS about research, events, and more!
    *indicates required
    • Call us: (269) 671-2402
    • Contact Information
    • Sitemap
    • Privacy Statement
    • Site Accessibility

    Call MSU: (517) 355-1855 | Visit msu.edu | Notice of Nondiscrimination

    SPARTANS WILL | © Michigan State University Board of Trustees