Swath Grazing Annual
Forages Using Zero till
By Trevor
Atchinson
Producer
Pipestone,
I am a
managing partner in Poplarview Stock Farm.
We run 400 head cow calf operation, 100 custom cows, custom graze 300
yearlings and annual crop 350 acres of crop on
4200 acres. The soil is very
light and sandy and we began using zero-tillage in the early 90's, as it was an
excellent fit to our erosion prone soil.
Through my father’s appointment at the time to the local conservation
area we had the opportunity to try new equipment. Since our land was lighter we were able to
seed earlier than other farms in the area and we were usually first to use the
equipment they had rented for the year.
We purchased our own Edwards hoedrill in 1995. We have used it successfully in both our
grain and livestock operation.
Our goal with swath grazing is to
reduce our winter feed costs by extending the grazing season, reduce time and
expenses of making hay or green feed. In
our operation we felt that just to extend the grazing season was not all that
was involved. We had concerns that if
the loss in the amount of forage and/or forage quality was too great just being
able to extend the grazing season may not be economical. Added bonuses are leaving the manure in the
field as we gain the full benefits of the urine and the low cost
spreading.
The first sight we chose was
close to our normal wintering areas with natural shelter. We have since constructed portable windbreaks
to allow us more flexibility in wintering locations. 1999 was our first year for late seeded crops
of corn, oats and barley mixed and straight barley for a total of 45 acres. We had wet fall conditions but with our sandy
soils it worked very well so we have continued.
We have had cattle swath grazing in -30f temps in 12-16 inches of snow
for extended periods of time. The cattle
only have portable windbreaks for shelter with no bedding provided. We have never had an animal with frostbite or
lameness because of the cold and snow.
The cattle remain clean and healthy and have never refused to go out and
graze.
We have had failures like 35
acres of corn that produced about 3 days of grazing for 250 dry cows in 2000. In 2006 we grazed 65 pairs on 80 acres of
millet for 3 days. In 2002 we swath
grazed millet, oats, canamaize, sorghum
The first few
years we found out that cereals such as barley and oats had severely reduced
production levels due to the crop burning on our light land with late seeding
dates. Cereals are seeded around mid to
end of June so that maturity is not reached and the crop can be swathed just
prior to frost and still be highly palatable.
Soils that are less prone to crops burning when seeded late have had
excellent success with the use of cereals such as barley and oats. Results from yield research done at the
Souris Valley Irrigation Centre (SVIC) are in the table 1.
We
looked for other crops better suited to late seeding dates. In 2001 we planted 75 acres of crown millet
(proso), as it requires a 60-day growing season. It yielded 2.25tones to the acre. With the abundant yield we were afraid the
cattle would find the crop unpalatable because of the bulk. Wastage became a concern so about 50 acres
were cut and baled. The remaining was
swathed and left for swath grazing. The
utilization of the swaths was excellent. There was concern that there could be a severe
problem the following year with volunteer seed from the crown millet. There was some volunteer but it was minimal
and we had dry conditions in early spring.
Under higher moisture conditions much of the millet would have germinated
and froze off. If a crop the following
year for purposes other than feed is planned volunteer growth would pose a
concern.
In 2002 we planted Golden German
Millet for the first time and have seeded it every year since. 2002 was very dry through late June and
July. The German millet was very
stressed and in early August we had 2 inches of rain and the millet started to
grow and did not quit. The German millet
has much more leaf material than crown which makes a denser swath to protect it
from the weather, and is more palatable.
The feed value is higher than proso millet if cut before it begins to
mature.
Table 1
In 2001 we planted dwarf corn
(canamaize) and 2 silage corn varieties early Maturing Hyland Blend silage corn
and Prairie Pacific 6678. The canamaize
was sowed in mid May and was fully matured in early September. It was swathed to save the leaves from being
knocked to the ground by the wind. As
the cattle grazed it we found the kernels were fully mature so the cattle
passed most of the kernels through.
Currently we seed the silage corn in late may or early June and it seems
to mature enough for adequate feed value yet the kernels are crushed or ground
when the cow eats the cob. The Prairie
Pacific corn is high producing corn that grew a thicker stock and fewer
leaves. The cows did not utilize as much
of this variety as they did of the Hyland blend and canamaize. The canamaize provided 178 cow days/acre at a
cost of $.62 per cow per day. We weighed
the cattle in and out which showed a gain of 1.25 lbs per day. Some of the cattle in this weigh test were
cull cows and after the canamaize was finished they were moved to the Prairie
Pacific silage corn. They were shipped
for slaughter after 60 days corn grazing and a week on high quality hay 85%
sold as grain fed cows including 3 out of 4 heifers.
25 acres of crown millet in 2001
provided 150 cow/days per acre for a cost of $.45 per cow/day. 30 acres of Golden German millet in 2002
provided 197 cow days per acre. About
$.40 per day with a total cost of about $.57 with labour to move them every
second day. Silage corn was about $.38
per cow/day plus labour totalled about $.55 about 280 cow/days per acre. Silage corn in 2001 cost was 61 per
cow/day. Oats that our mature cowherd
grazed in 2002 had a cost of $.28per cow/day along with the oats we fed poor
quality hay to stretch out the higher quality oats at a cost of $.24 per
cow\day for a total of $.66 with labour and equipment to feed. The cost of a hay based ration for our
younger cows would have been more than $.90 per cow/day. That season swath Grazing saved us close to
$3000.
When figuring
the cost for swath grazing we use actual expenses divided by number of animals
and days. In some cases estimated yields
are found then average daily intake is estimated and the feed has a value
attached to it. On our operation if I
can do it cheaper swath grazing and waste some forage that lost material is still
valuable as it adds organic matter of the soil.
The estimated yield and intake is not as important. We have baled strips in fields to determine a
yield so we know how much of the field to allow the cattle to access.
To limit the cattle’s access we
use portable electric fencing. Out tools
include 3-1 geared reels, fibreglass posts, golf bag and a battery powered
drill. We had some trouble finding a
drill bit that would stand up to the use.
Our sandy soil is very abrasive and was wearing the bits dull. We welded the tip off a cement bit on to a
1/2-inch wood auger bit, which has worked very well. When the snow is deep and hard enough to
support the post I just pushed it into the snow bank to save drilling a hole.
We typically start with millet
then move to the corn later in the cow’s gestation and colder months, as the
feed value of the corn is higher than the millet. Corn does have a lower protein level but the
energy is much higher and adequately meets pregnant cows' requirements. We co-operated with Westman Agriculture Diversification
Organization (WADO) in 2002/2003 to keep track of the seeding and swathing
dates then samples were taken through out the winter to monitor feed quality.
The results of this project are in table 2.
2002 was our most successful year
of swath grazing yet. Much of this was
do to rains that came in early august and came timely after that to keep the
crops green until near frost when the crop was swathed. We like to use millet and corn to diversify
our crops a little in case one or the other doesn't produce as well. Both millet and corn seem to handle drought
to a certain extent which is a major consideration in our area. In 2004 there was a substantial frost August
20. We had 130 acres of millet for swath
grazing. The frost killed some areas of
the fields but most of the plants survived but 60% of the growth on each plant was
killed and dried out. With the warm
temperatures that followed the plants continued to grow and the re-growth grew
to almost the same height as the plants were before the frost. 20 days after the frost we put 95 pairs in 35
acres and returned $51 per acres gross and about $11 net. Even in a disaster there is salvage value
especially if the cattle can graze it and eliminate machinery costs to produce
stored feed.
Wildlife, weather and poor
production insurance coverage are a few obstacles with swath grazing. Weather can affect the feed value, palatability
and affect the cattle while grazing. We
have had problems with waterfowl in the swaths of millet, corn and oats. Wet weather in the fall can leave the soil
wet and muddy which can lead to tramping of the swathes creating wastage. This is not a big concern in sandy soil but
producers with heavy soil have had to delay swath grazing until the ground is
frozen. Deer can travel through the field and damage or knock the portable
electric fence down. This can be very
destructive if there is snow and it is cold as where ever the cattle walk the
snow will freeze hard and when they return are unable to get at the feed under
the snow. The depth of snow can have an
impact on how well your electric fence will work and if cattle can access the
feed. If any of these conditions are
encounter producers will need to have feedstuffs available. The cattle will eat the best quality feed
first if they have the run of the field so we try to limit them to 2 or 3 day supply
at a time to maintain the most economical animal performance. The aftermath has been of concern on a few
occasions but only harrowing was needed to prepare the fields for seeding. We have zero tilled in corn stubble that we
grazed standing or swathed with very little problem.
Table 2
|
Sample Date |
Feed Tests |
Oats |
Millet
(swathed) |
Millet (haybine) |
Hybrid Corn |
Dwarf Corn |
Sorghum Sudangrass |
|
October |
RFV |
97 |
88 |
89 |
129 |
110 |
N/A |
|
|
TDN |
62 |
59 |
59 |
68.5 |
66.8 |
N/A |
|
|
Crude
Protein |
11.2 |
10.9 |
13 |
8.8 |
9.8 |
N/A |
|
November |
RFV |
94 |
81 |
80 |
133 |
109 |
89.2 |
|
|
TDN |
62 |
58 |
58 |
70 |
65.7 |
61.4 |
|
|
Crude
Protein |
9.9 |
9.3 |
11.2 |
6.4 |
11.8 |
11.2 |
|
December |
RFV |
87 |
98 |
82 |
142 |
135 |
84 |
|
|
TDN |
58 |
64 |
49 |
69.6 |
68.7 |
48.35 |
|
|
Crude
Protein |
11.1 |
12.2 |
11.9 |
8.6 |
12.1 |
8.5 |
|
February |
RFV |
GC |
84 |
88 |
GC |
114 |
90 |
|
|
TDN |
GC |
57 |
60 |
GC |
65 |
66 |
|
|
Crude
Protein |
GC |
9.4 |
9.9 |
GC |
14.7 |
14.6 |
|
March |
RFV |
GC |
85 |
81 |
GC |
122 |
91 |
|
|
TDN |
GC |
52 |
52 |
GC |
58 |
61 |
|
|
Crude
Protein |
GC |
9.5 |
8.5 |
GC |
10.7 |
17.4 |
GC = GRAZING COMPLETED
From the data in tables 1 and 2 we can conclude that
swath grazing is a very viable option. A
cow in her first or second trimester of gestation would require 6.9% crude
protein (CP) and 48.8% total digestible nutrients (TDN) based on NRC
requirements. However, a cow that is in
the last trimester of gestation weighing 1400 lbs would require 7.6% CP and
52.5 % TDN. Our results indicate that all
of these feed types would meet the requirements for a cow throughout the entire
gestation period. As the grazing season progresses
producers need to pay close attention to the cows’ body condition and feed
values of the forage. It is recommend
that as the grazing season progresses; you test your feed sources to get an
accurate reading of energy and protein levels. “WADO 2002 annual report.
"When we compare the energy and protein levels of the six feed
types tested in our trials we see a trend that the grasses, oats and millet,
tend to drop off in protein and energy as the season progresses. On the other hand, the corn and sorghum
maintained their original feed values and protein and energy levels. This is to be expected because corn and
sorghum are hardier plants than the grasses.
The cobs of corn would not have decreased in their feed value therefore
making this an excellent source of feed for swath grazing." WADO 2002 annual report.
References
2001 Souris Valley Irrigation center annual report
2002 Westman Agriculture Diversification Organization Annual Report