---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 22:26:16 -0600
From: graze-l@relay.doit.wisc.edu
To: Multiple recipients of list <graze-l@relay.doit.wisc.edu>
Subject: GRAZE-L digest 165
Contents:
Re: Speaking of soil (Mark Ludwig <mpludwig@students.wisc.edu>)
Olsen P (jshov@shep.sheppnews.com.au (Jim Shovelton))
Re: soil loss:the thickness of a ton (<Cowboypo8@aol.com>)
Re: Bale Seeding (<Cowboypo8@aol.com>)
Re: agri. design:bells and electronic border collies, quality of li (<Cowboypo8@aol.com>)
Re: Fly control methods -Reply (Henry_M_Bartholomew <bartholomew.2@osu.edu>)
soil loss (Henry_M_Bartholomew <bartholomew.2@osu.edu>)
Re: outwintering (Tom Cadwallader <thomas.cadwallader@ces.uwex.edu>)
looking for Linda Carr ("Chuck Schwartau" <cschwartau@mes.umn.edu>)
Evolution of the dairy cow (<GingrichM@aol.com>)
Farmer to Farmer Discussion Groups (Taur McMahon <tam17@cce.cornell.edu>)
The manure patch (larryc@teleport.com (Larry Caldwell))
More riparian zone management info (larryc@teleport.com (Larry Caldwell))
Portable parlors a prime possibility? (<mpludwig@students.wisc.edu>)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 22:47:14 -0600
From: Mark Ludwig <mpludwig@students.wisc.edu>
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: Re: Speaking of soil
Message-ID: <3CA3F7D6DD6@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
At 09:10 AM 12/14/96 -0600, you wrote:
>
>We have decided to try to improve the area. We have another field that we
>have intensively grazed for 5 years. It started out as a plain dirt crop
>field and now it produces quite well. We have taken two cuttings from it
>and are distributing the bales down the hillside that is noted above in
>fairly close proximity to each other.
>
>It is our plan to use this as a bit of a feedlot for a poriton of the winter
>to concentrate all the organic matter from the transferred grass and the
>resulting output of the animals also.
>
>Has anyone tried this before and what were the results?
>
>Is there any I should learn from you prior to executing this plan?
>
>
>Best Regards,
>
>Jon Alan Gammon
>P.O. Box 559
>Ben Franklin, Texas 75415-0559
>Phone: 903 325 4210
>Fax: 903 325 4322
>Email: ezhandle@koyote.com
What seems most important here to me is how much manure you are adding to
how much land. If the "feed lot" will end up with 6 inches of manure you
will need to incorperate or compost the material for maximum benifit. A
thin layer will be more easily weathered in and buried by the soil life. A
rotovator will do a good job of turning the manure and mixing it with soil.
Compost turners are available if you want to windrow i, other people have
placed pigs in manure piles with added barley or corn piles buried in the
piles for incentives to turn them (use big piggies for turning power) . You
may want to add phosphorus to your manure to help retain nitrogen, but test
your soil to make sure you need it.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 16:25:48 +1100
From: jshov@shep.sheppnews.com.au (Jim Shovelton)
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: Olsen P
Message-ID: <3CAC9505E7D@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
I believe that there is considerable information in NZ about the issues
raised by Tanya Robbins.
The rough rule of thumb I use is 12 - 15 kg P/ha above maintenance will
raise the Olsen P (0-10cm) one unit on a Krazsnozem. For more normal clay
soils 10 - 12 kg P/ha above maintenance would appear to be required.
Maintenance given as 0.6 kg P/DSE.
Jim Shovelton
Euroa
NE Victoria
Australia
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 02:01:29 -0500
From: <Cowboypo8@aol.com>
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: Re: soil loss:the thickness of a ton
Message-ID: <3CC72BC6D6F@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
A rule of thumb we used at USDA was that a ton (2000 lbs, 910 kg) of soil
over an acre
(0.4 ha) of land was a layer about the thickness of a US. dime which is about
1/20th of an inch (1.3 mm) thick.
The soil creation process is generaly extremely slow, and depends on many,
many factors including climate, parent material, position on the landscape
land use, biological activity in soil....., most of which humans have little
control over. Remember, the mineral soil is formed from the bottom up,
except in alluvial or colluvial areas (flood plains and the bottoms of slopes
where already eroded soil is deposited.) In general, I believe that the
rate of natural soil creation is so slow that it should not be factored into
the farm operation equation. The focus needs to be on limiting the amount of
soil erosion, for a couple of reasons:
1. Soil that erodes takes with it the productivity of the land
2. If your land is eroding you are loosing the WATER to runoff that is almost
always the limiting factor in agricultural production.
Regards,
Steve
Steve Lucas
Mountain View Farm
Louisa, Virginia
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 02:01:48 -0500
From: <Cowboypo8@aol.com>
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: Re: Bale Seeding
Message-ID: <3CC742769FF@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Jon Alan and other folks:
We have done what you are suggesting with fairly good success.
We have a fairly steep hill, upon which runs part of a long ago abandoned
county road that the cows use for their treck to a stream for water. We did
a little it of front-end loader work on this road to make it more passable
for human transportation a few years ago. We tried conventional seeding
(lime, fertilizer, seed, mulch) but the eroded nature of the land and the
north facing slope limited our success. The next winter we fed on the slope
by unrolling the ripest (most seed head) hay we had. Some of the bales went
straight down the hill, others careened off into the woods, or rolled down to
the bottom of the hill without unrolling. Anyway, the cows ate, and stomped,
and pooped and layed around on the hay pack. At the end of about a month and
a half of feeding the area was pretty well covered with a 3-5 inch (7.8-12.6
cm) thick layer of enriched hay mulch.
We pulled the cows off this field in early April, and they didn't come back
until the end of May, by which time we had a lovely stand of fescue,
bluegrass, orchardgrass growing up through the decomposing mulch. The stand
persists to this day.
Regards,
Steve
Steve Lucas
Mountain View Farm
Louisa, Virginia USA
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 06:30:00 -0500
From: <Cowboypo8@aol.com>
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: Re: agri. design:bells and electronic border collies, quality of li
Message-ID: <3D0ECE37B6E@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Vaughn,
LIGHTEN UP!! it's all in fun!!
anyway,
I can't afford a "good" working dog, mine is a Australian ShepherdXLab
RetreiverX Bluetick Hound cross that barks at everything (but he was free).
When I got him, I thought he could be trained to track the cows (hound) and
retrieve then(Lab) with good herding instinct (Ausie). Occasionally he, by
chance or accident, is in the right place at the right time and manages to
turn the herd. He IS good at keeping the cows out of the gate when we go
through it to feed hay (barking all the way), and he will retrieve an
inflator as long as anyone will throw it, so I guess he earns the dog food he
eats.
Is a "BEEP" on a gate any less agravating than a bell, or a worthless dog
that barks?
Perhaps an electronic border collie that beeps instead of barks is more in
keeping with this "dream agridesign." Or better yet, (for the purists) maybe
some border collie breeders can breed a real dog that beeps only on command!!
Let us not be serious all the time, LETS HAVE A LITTLE FUN, NOW AND THEN!!
HAPPY TRAILS!!!!!
Steve
Steve Lucas
Mountain View Farm
Louisa, Virginia
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 07:51:21 -0500 (EST)
From: Henry_M_Bartholomew <bartholomew.2@osu.edu>
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: Re: Fly control methods -Reply
Message-ID: <3D2463532F8@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
At 13:21 12/12/96 -0600, Dave Johnson wrote: Four ideas for fly control:
>3) I have been planning on some cattle rubs
>(insecticide based of course) mounted on a
>water and minerals cart that would be moved
>with the animals. My Design bug involves the
>contradictory need for a heavy cart that the
>cattle won't push around vs. one light enough
>to move with ATV or by hand.
R.L. Dalrymple at The Noble Foundation has plans for a homemade mineral
feeder made from a plastic barrel that has a place for a cattle rubber which
lays down to go under electric fence. It also has a hitch for a 4 wheeler
and wheels on the opposite end. It's simple, easy to make and even I could
weld one up. R.L.'s phone is 405-223-5810.
Henry M. Bartholomew
Associate Professor
Southern Ohio Grazing Coordinator
Ohio State University Extension, Hocking County
150 N. Homer Ave.
Logan, Ohio 43138-
Ph 614-385-3222
fax 614-385-6572
e-mail bartholomew.2@osu.edu
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 09:10:35 -0500 (EST)
From: Henry_M_Bartholomew <bartholomew.2@osu.edu>
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: soil loss
Message-ID: <3D3987610C3@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Graze-L
Lots of discussion recently on soil loss. I have been working
recently with Dr. Lloyd Owens, who has conducted research on pasture soil
loss and water quality for 20 years. This is an article I have written up
based on his research. It also discusses both ground and surface water
quality from pastures. I have a slide set developed on this research
available for grazing schools. My gift to you this Holiday Season is the
knowledge that graziers are enhancing the environment not degrading it.
Water Quality from Pastures
Dr. Lloyd Owens and Hank Bartholomew
Water Quality is a hot issue in agriculture today with emphasis shifting to
non-point sources of pollution. Many graziers are surprised to learn just
how good pastures are from an environmental standpoint. Graziers need to
understand that their system of farming when reasonably managed is among the
best from a water quality and soil erosion standpoint in mainstream
agriculture. Ohio has a hydrologic research station where agriculture
practices can be studied for their impact on soil erosion, surface water and
ground water quality. Dr. Lloyd Owens is a research scientist for the
Agricultural Research Service which operates the North Appalachian
Experimental Watershed near Coshocton, Ohio in cooperation with The Ohio
State University. Dr. Owens has been collecting data from a variety of
pasture systems for over 20 years. This article will discuss several
different pasture areas which have had different management and levels of
nitrogen.
The first area we will discuss had no grazing for two years and then for
the next three years, 17 beef cows and their calves grazed the 64 acres in a
set stocking arrangement in a low input system with no additional
fertilizer. The surface water that ran off averaged 0.6 ppm nitrate prior
to the introduction of cattle and 0.7 ppm for the three years with cattle.
The EPA standard for safe water is less than 10 ppm nitrate so the water
from this pasture was very low in nitrate. In essence, nitrate levels in
this extensive pasture situation were unchanged by addition of cattle at a
low stocking rate of 3.7 acres per cow-calf pair. It was most interesting
to note that in an adjacent pristine wooded area with livestock excluded,
that nitrate levels were nearly two times as high as the pasture (1.2 ppm).
It was also noteworthy that while 17.3% of the total rainfall that fell on
the pasture ran off in storms, 23.6% of the rainfall in the wooded area ran
off in storms. There was greater infiltration of rainfall in pastures than
the wooded areas. Perhaps graziers should be reimbursed for the flood
control they provide for down stream neighbors.
There was a stream that originated in the watershed. The first several
years livestock were allowed access to the stream which was the only source
of water, but shade was available in other areas of the pasture. When
fence was added to exclude livestock from the stream and water was provided
from another source, annual soil loss from the pasture was reduced from 70.4
tons on the 64 acres (1.1 tons per acre) to 38.4 tons (0.6 tons per acre).
This pasture included slopes from 2 to 35% on soils that are predominantly
silt-loam. Although it wasn't measured directly, it was apparent that soil
losses must have very high in the stream when animals used it as a water source.
In another pasture system, 35 cows were rotated through 4 orchardgrass
paddocks (34 acres) in the summer and 4 tall fescue paddocks (25 acres) in
the winter after hay was made in June. In these pastures, 200 lbs. of N was
applied annually in three equal applications in April, June and August (many
farmers in the United Kingdom apply 70 lbs. of N after each cutting for a
total of 350 to 400 lbs. per acre). This fairly high rate of nitrogen
resulted in surface runoff with nitrate levels of 3 to 4 ppm. The ground
water after 5 years exceeded 10 ppm nitrate and was higher in the winter
feeding area. It was surprising that it took 5 years for the nitrate levels
to build up above 10 ppm in the winter feeding area. This area with the 200
lb. of applied nitrogen and nitrogen from protein in hay received appx. 400
lb. of N, with over half of it applied as manure and urine during the
winter when grass uptake of N is low. Subsequently, this same pasture was
inter-seeded with clover and alfalfa and the nitrogen was eliminated.
Surface runoff nitrate levels were reduced to less than 2 ppm nitrate, while
the groundwater dropped to less than 10 ppm in the winter grazing area and
less than 3 ppm in the summer grazing area. Using legumes rather than
nitrogen resulted in 30-80% reduction in nitrate losses the second year but
herd size was reduced from 35 to 25 cows to reflect a reduction in the
amount of forage produced. Soil losses were very low and averaged only 0.1
ton per acre each year. Lower soil losses in this pasture system were a
reflection of the improved sod cover over the area compared to the low
management area first described. In a MIG grazing system where forage
growth is enhanced and soil losses are nil, one could expect the depth of
top soil and % organic matter to slowly increase over several years. We can
build soil and organic matter and enhance the soil's productivity under
pasture systems.
In a third pastured area, 25 cows were pastured on 42 acres which was
divided into 4 paddocks. One of these paddocks was the winter feeding area
where hay from different locations on the farm were fed from Nov. through
April. The soil was a silt loam with slopes of 12 to 25%, averaging 20%.
The soil losses from this appx. 11 acre wintering area were less than 0.5
ton per acre for the winter and 0.1 ton per acre during the growing season.
This compares to soil losses on a similar soil and slope of 2.9 ton for corn
planted into a plowed seedbed in contour strips. Rotating the areas where
hay was fed over the entire 42 acres would have reduced soil losses greatly
and would have better distributed the nutrients from the hay.
The results prove that grazing systems on medium textured soils in this
region, when well managed, produce surface and groundwater quality of very
acceptable quality. Fencing livestock from streams will reduce soil erosion
on the stream banks as well as improving stream water quality. Legumes
should be the primary source of N for pastures with nitrogen applications
restricted to strategic timing to overcome summer slump or stockpile in the
autumn. Nitrogen applications should not be made on saturated soils where
run off is likely to occur with the next rainfall event. Nitrogen
application levels should be kept to 100 lbs. per acre each year taking into
account manure and purchased fertilizer.
Henry M. Bartholomew
Associate Professor
Southern Ohio Grazing Coordinator
Ohio State University Extension, Hocking County
150 N. Homer Ave.
Logan, Ohio 43138-
Ph 614-385-3222
fax 614-385-6572
e-mail bartholomew.2@osu.edu
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 09:30:54 -0600
From: Tom Cadwallader <thomas.cadwallader@ces.uwex.edu>
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: Re: outwintering
Message-ID: <3D3E51E114F@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
At 11:10 AM 12/14/96 -0600, Nat Bacon wrote:
>I'd like to hear the range of experience about outwintering in the
>Northern US states. What are your strategies to get water to the animals
>in freezing temperatures? How much (if any) extra grain/hay for
>outwintering dry cows?
>
>Nat Bacon
>nbacon@zoo.uvm.edu
>
>
I just read through Steve Castner's response to your request and I think he
did a pretty good job of summing up outwintering. With sheep, as long as I
have some snow, water isn't even an issue. I'm finishing out some lambs
right know on wrapped bale silage with a little bit of shell corn (about 2/3
pound per head/300 grams) and they hardly drink any water at all. I give
them some once in a while whenever we don't get snow for a week or so. The
mature ewes don't get any water.
We are seeing more seasonal dairymen doing outwintering in North
Central Wisconsin and like anything, once they get past some of the mental
barriers they find that it works pretty good.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Tom Cadwallader
UW-Extension Livestock Agent
Lincoln, Langlade and Marathon Counties
P.O. Box 917
Merrill, WI 54452-0917
Phone: 715-536-0304
Fax: 715-536-0336
e-mail: tkcadwal@ces.uwex.edu
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 10:40:33 +0000
From: "Chuck Schwartau" <cschwartau@mes.umn.edu>
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: looking for Linda Carr
Message-ID: <3D546D56A77@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
I haven't seen any postings from Linda Carr for a while and wondering
if she is still on the list. If so, I'd appreciate a contact to
follow up on some earlier discussions regarding sharemilking.
Thanks.
Chuck Schwartau
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 12:21:01 -0500
From: <GingrichM@aol.com>
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: Evolution of the dairy cow
Message-ID: <3D6C6CA7517@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
I would like to better understand the evolution of the dairy cow and I can't
find any convenient sources of information. Can anyone suggest a useful
source? My interest is piqued by how well our cows (Holsteins) do outside
during winter here in Southwest Wisconsin. I know the areas that the various
breeds were developed in but what sort of wild animal were they bred from
when were they domesticated? Is the original wild form extinct? Where did the
wild form develop? Under what sort of environment? I would like this
information mainly to satisfy my curiosity but it would also come in handy to
defend myself against people who think outwintering dairy cows is
inappropriate in this area. Thanks for any suggestions.
Mike Gingrich
gingrichm@aol.com
4540 County Rd. ZZ
Dodgeville, WI 53533
608.935.3414
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 14:47:22 -0500 (EST)
From: Taur McMahon <tam17@cce.cornell.edu>
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: Farmer to Farmer Discussion Groups
Message-ID: <3D931920CE2@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
I am working on a project at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County
to develop a guide for starting and maintaining farmer to farmer learning
groups. The guide will use the successes and failures of other groups as a
basis, and I need to find as many people as I can who have organized or
participated in these kinds of groups. If you have taken part in learning
groups, study circles, pasture walks, or any type of organized group
designed to promote farmer to farmer learning please contact me at:
Cornell Cooperative Extension
of Cayuga County
248 Grant Ave.
Auburn, NY 13021
PH:315-255-1183
email:tam17@cce.cornell.edu
Thank You In Advance,
Taur McMahon
Program Assistant
Cornell Cooperative Extension
of Cayuga County
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 13:55:47 -0800
From: larryc@teleport.com (Larry Caldwell)
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: The manure patch
Message-ID: <3DC14967B29@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Sun, 15 Dec 1996 Mark Ludwig <mpludwig@students.wisc.edu> wrote:
> What seems most important here to me is how much manure you are adding to
> how much land. If the "feed lot" will end up with 6 inches of manure you
> will need to incorperate or compost the material for maximum benifit. A
I have had pretty good success raising mushrooms in manure. It needs to
be mixed well with straw for it to work, since the mushrooms actually
digest the cellulose in straw, while the manure contributes nitrogen and
trace elements.
I just spread the straw/manure mix about a foot thick, then plug innoculate
with mushroom spawn. Agaricus bisporous works fine. These are the button
mushrooms you buy at the supermarket. Mushroom plants dump tons of exhausted
mushroom beds every month. All you need is a bucket full of spawn to get
your own started. I also had good success digging spawn of a huge agaricus
out of a neighbor's pig pen. :) Plug the spawn into the pile every yard
or so.
The mushrooms that come up will be darker and larger than factory mushrooms.
You can sell them for a couple bucks a pound. Once you get set up it's
not hard to pick a couple hundred bucks of mushrooms an hour after a good
rain. It's profitable enough to make watering the manure pile worthwhile.
Mushrooms grow great in those shady locations where you can't get grass to
do much anway.
The manure patch will eventually become exhausted, so spread it on your
fields. I rotovated a 6" layer into my garden, and got another crop of
mushrooms every time I watered my garden.
Useful stuff, manure.
-- Larry
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 12:55:32 -0800
From: larryc@teleport.com (Larry Caldwell)
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: More riparian zone management info
Message-ID: <3DC154C5AC3@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
The local farm weekly, the Capital Press, has an article in the "Water"
section of the December 13, 1996 issue, titled "Fixing Streams Through
Grazing Management." The subject stream is in a fairly arid portion
of Oregon, where cows will stand in the water all summer and totally
destroy a watershed if given the opportunity.
In the 1980's a rancher started cooperating with the BLM to heal the
damage that had been done by unrestricted grazing on 1,800 acres of
BLM land. He used rotational grazing techniques, juniper clearing,
and placing the downed junipers in the creek bed to form riffles and
protect the bank from erosion. Cows were only allowed to graze the
riparian zones from mid-February to the first of April. This is the
winter wet season in this area.
The result is a return of trout to the stream after an absence of 50 years,
year-round tributaries that once dried completely in the summer, and
improved productivity of the land. In 1980 the BLM leased the land for
72 Animal Unit Months. By 1989 the land was rated at 354 AUM's.
The project, known as the Salt Creek Allotment, has won two awards,
including the National Environmental Achievement Award presented by
Renew America.
Interesting stuff.
Here in Oregon the livestock exclusion initiative failed on the last
ballot, but it scared the bejeezus out of the livestock industry. The
Farm Bureau and Oregon Cattlemen's Association sat down with the governor
and worked out a massive watershed improvement program that they will
present to the next legislature in January.
With increased population pressure on water resources we're likely
to see a big string of legislation coming down the creek. Be sure to
let your community know how grazing can improve stream bank conditions,
or the practice is likely to become illegal.
-- Larry
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 20:58:02 -0600
From: <mpludwig@students.wisc.edu>
To: "Graze List" <graze-l@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Subject: Portable parlors a prime possibility?
Message-ID: <3E06FCD3FFD@cygnus.taranaki.ac.nz>
Has anyone got any good information on portable parlors? How many cattle
are they practical for? Would smaller animals like sheep or goats work
better? Does your milk inspector have any strong opinions? Who has a good
design?
------------------------------
End of GRAZE-L Digest 165
*************************