Bee~ Journal of then...

[Quail_Antwerp]

Bee, with grassfed cows are you talking about rotating them into different pastures? DH and I have done that in the past, and we would give the cows chop as an occassional treat...but the chop was mixed from grains that we grew ourselves, no chemicals mixed in.

BUT my DH is a firm believer in treating for scours. He always tells me if we get a new calf to make sure I have scours meds on hand. (and to be honest I'll have to google scours to even know what the heck it is. I asked DH and he said it's diarrhea in cows..)

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, with grassfed cows are you talking about rotating them into different pastures? DH and I have done that in the past, and we would give the cows chop as an occassional treat...but the chop was mixed from grains that we grew ourselves, no chemicals mixed in.

BUT my DH is a firm believer in treating for scours. He always tells me if we get a new calf to make sure I have scours meds on hand. (and to be honest I'll have to google scours to even know what the heck it is. I asked DH and he said it's diarrhea in cows..)

Aly, here are a couple of links that can get you some info on grazing vs. feedlot or grain supplementation of cattle.

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/rotategr.html


http://stockmangrassfarmer.net/

When people talk about grassfed, they are refering to 100% grass fed animals, though the USDA definition allows 5% grains for finishing a beef for slaughter. Purists feed no grain.

I am new to this and am just learning it, but what I'm learning is a big eye opener for me. Not just that it can be done, that it actually improves your pastures the more you do it! I happen to like Joel Salatins methods more than other's as he goes one further and uses no commercial fertilizers on his pastures and tries to improve on the land and the graze in natural ways. His ways take more time but the man is planning on his farm being passed down to generations, so its a good plan.

He starts with permanent perimeter fencing, and incorporates temporary electric fencing to establish his paddocks. The size of these fields will change with the seasons and the weather. Yes, it takes extra thought...but not extra work. He takes all of 30 min. to move his cattle each day to new graze. In the winter, it takes him an hour to do all his regular chores for the day. In his busiest times on the farm, it only takes him a total of 4 hours a day to do all his regular chores. Not bad, really.

Graziers work with the land and the seasons to improve on the nutritional value of their existing grasses, move their cattle to fresh graze each day and "rest" the grass between rotations. This allows the grass to grow back into a more nutrient- rich cycle before its eaten by the cattle once again.

More bang for your buck, more grass for the size of your acreage, less parasite cycles, better soil, better herd health....the list goes on. You will just have to read Joel's book Salad Bar Beef to get the total picture of just what this type of farming does to the grass, the soil, the cows.

As for scours, prevention is the best medicine and there are some organic and all-natural methods to prevent and treat scours. Joel Salatin hasn't had to give his cattle conventional medicine for almost 20 years and states his total vet bill for the year is around $100. Can't beat that with a big ol' stick!

 

[me&thegals]

I slid over to Backyard Cows and they removed my whole thread on grass fed cows!!! Why in the world would they remove the whole thread? Do they just not want anyone to even consider the idea at all? Is grass feeding such a threat to folks or such a hot, debated topic that it must be removed?What?!?! That's crazy!

I almost never post here, but it's fun to read your take on Joel Salatin. As I've mentioned before, I'm completely in love with his method of farming and fantasize about doing it someday myself. Does he ever give ideas on watering animals without going nuts on piping it out across pastures, if there is no stream available?

 

[Beekissed]

Yes, he does! He does pipe his but he tells you just how to do it cheaply and efficiently. He uses different kinds of ponds and seeps as holding tanks for his water and a bilge pump wired to a car battery to pump his tanks full. Some of them fill with just gravity. These pipes just lay on top of the ground as he doesn't use his pastures as much when they would be inaccessible due to freezing temps.

He uses a hay shed run in type of feeding for winter and how he does this is just as fascinating. His explanation of hay storage and the whys and wherefors of why he doesn't use round bales and why he stacks his hay a certain way is very sensible.

 

[freemotion]

Watch your language, young missy, you will be censored! You know you cannot discuss such topics on a family forum!

 

[reinbeau]

Watch your language, young missy, you will be censored! You know you cannot discuss such topics on a family forum!

Yes, she will, and there are other moderators here with heavier hands than I.

 

[Beekissed]

Watch your language, young missy, you will be censored! You know you cannot discuss such topics on a family forum!

Grass feeding, grass feeding, grass feeding! There! I said it!

 

[reinbeau]

There is no one who would stop you from posting about grass fed anything here. Never has been, never will be. Posting in a childish manner, however, can and will be dealt with. I've always thought the posters here were thoughtful, mature individuals whose postings were well-considered, let's keep striving for that.

 

[freemotion]

Sorry, Ann, some situations bring out the 12-year-old in us. Especially when there is no closure. Or justice.

Apologizing is a sign of maturity.

 

[lorihadams]

I am sooooooo glad you are back!

I can't wait to read more posts...this stuff is fascinating!

I don't like using commercial medications for my animals either...I hate that people that don't have the space or wherewithal to grown their own food are faced with making the decision to either spend an astronomical amount of money on organic foods from who knows where or buy locally grown stuff that is full of chemicals. That goes for everything from produce to meat to milk, everything. It just sucks.