Bee~ Journal of then...

[Beekissed]

Wouldn't be a bad idea!

 

[Farmfresh]

Your points are taken.

The article I read about the corn fattening rotation was saying that the nutritional value of eating the whole corn plant, leaves and stalks, when it was young was similar to a cow eating a fescue or other grass. In the article they started the rotations when the corn was very young, about pasture sized. He also planted it broadcast like a pasture, eliminating cultivation rows. You could supplement it by interplanting peas or another legume with the corn. At any rate this method would only be used at the end of the process, with regular pasture being the main component to raising the animal from birth to a fattening age. I understand about the majority of farmers using the silage - I am just trying to save the labor again.

I know that corn fattening is hard on a animal. I am just wondering if eating the whole plant, not just the seed, would make a difference. If not corn then why not a planted field of another grain used in the same manner and finishing when the seeds are ripe on the plant. Like eating grain and hay combined.

In the olden days they planted oats and peas in combination with the sole goal of making, what was known then as, oat hay. It was carefully harvested when the grains were almost ripe and fed to the cattle in the winter. Could a similar planting be used as the standing hay crop?

Just being the devils advocate - asking a lot of questions to think about. I also agree Salatin seems to have the best tested ideas around.

 

[Beekissed]

I don't know if corn can be planted by broadcasting but some do not plow, but drive the seed into the soil, but it can't compete against native grasses in this manner~and, again, they need large amounts of nitrogen to flourish. Some farmers will plant a ground cover of a nitrogen fixing legume and drive the corn seeds into it, but its not as common as just the usual cultivating.

I know that they used to grow and harvest oats, but again, I don't know if one could get a clean crop of oats or grains by simple broadcasting, oats are usually planted with cultivation methods~even back in the old days. Grass seeds don't necessarily need cultivation, as they are small enough to fall between existing growth and can germinate on the surface. I don't know enough about oats to know if this would work for them, as they are a large grain as well. They did very well in my garden from the horse manure I used the year before last!

I can't imagine why anyone would want to improve on the good nutrition available in just the grass, FF. If someone doesn't like the taste of the meat or wants to have marbled fats in their steaks, I could see looking for an alternative to just grass. I know that sheep don't benefit from high grain diets, as they don't marble their fats, but store it around viscera and on their backs and hips.

 

[Farmfresh]

I agree again.

The thing is if you are using the grain as a grazing crop it need not be "clean". The grain can be drilled like modern times if you wanted to, but I don't think you could drill with two sizes of grain, such as peas and oats.

I think the whole purpose of the idea is to produce a marbled beef with pasture rotation methods and less labor.

I prefer grass fed beef as well. All of the grain finishing talk is just for consideration.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep, although I can't imagine why anyone would want more fat in their diets, huh? One could just use Highland cattle, who store their fat in a marbled way, as they don't need it for insulation on the surface! And they are browsers, so they can stay in good condition on less nutritious graze than can other breeds.

 

[Beekissed]

I found some interesting articles on this site about grazing:

http://www.stockmangrassfarmer.net/index.html

I don't agree with some of their info but most of it is very informative and supports what Salatin states about parasite loads on pasture, etc. If my sheep project goes well this year, I may add a bottle calf to my rotation, to help with any parasite control and to increase my manure output.

I would also like to contract with a couple of lawn services in the area for their clippings and leaves. I know I run the risk of getting some chemicals from this but I'm not doing an organic operation here and what trace chemical residue that may occur will not be enough to do any damage. The people around here don't really do much lawn or leaf manicuring, they just hire someone to cut and haul it away. No Home and Gardens candidates around here, fortunately!

I plan to incorporate the clippings into mulch and the leaves into mulch and bedding. With the leaves, I plan to keep them on tarps and covered by tarps and turn them on occasion to discourage mold formation.

 

[FarmerChick]

on grass clippings, be real careful feeding these.....they are rotary cut and not the same as grazing at all....they heat up fast, mold up fast and can cause bloat, colic, laminitis and founderand more real fast. a little is one thing, as a feed definitey not a good choice. also you don't have control of where they come from, and how long ago they have been cut and you don't know what truly is in them like poinsonous plants cut into the clippings also.

just a word of caution if you ask for stuff to be dropped off to you from a lawn service and such. it is very risky. your own clippings is one thing.

for me personally, I would never feed this.....but if you use caution I am sure you can incorporate it into your daily rations.

just chatting about grass clippings. I know a little might not hurt of course, but ever since the vet described feeding them to my horse and all the problems they create, I opted to not bother.

One thing I did think is a great use for them is as weed control along fence lines. I would pile up the spent grass clippings on the outside of my fence lines and it would smother weeds....so it worked well for that.

 

[Beekissed]

I plan to incorporate the clippings into mulch

Not going to feed them, FC! Just use their nutritive values for my garden and maybe my lawn as a green fertilizer. If I spread them on the lawn they will be fully dried and incorporated into the grass before the sheep rotate back onto that particular paddock.

The leaves will be bedding if I can get them, to keep my winter feeding place dry.

 

[Beekissed]

I know, I kind of switched subjects in midstream on ya, didn't I? I went from talking about getting more manure from a calf than sheep, to talking about getting green manure from a lawn service! My mind does make some leaps that don't translate well in type!

 

[FarmerChick]

COOL
that is a good deal then....I was thinking the clippings were to be feed....so many people do this and overfeed it and have so much trouble.