Grazing on the field near the road, for NRCS

The first of August we moved our finish herd into the paddock near the pond and near the road where we keep our NRCS grazing stick.

Prior to grazing, wide shot.
Prior to grazing, wide shot.

The paddock had received plenty of rain and was doing well with the summer heat. We’ve had very few truly hot days this summer and plenty of rain and all the pastures show it. This paddock had been accidentally grazed about a month prior so this was actually a regrowth. The grass was about 8-10″ tall as it’s base layer, with the shoots running up to 14-16 inches.

Close up shot of the grass and the grazing stick
Close up shot of the grass and the grazing stick

We pulled the cows off after a couple of days. We were combining herds (the new red angus cows arrived) and we needed the cows behind solid fencing while we got everyone used to hot wires and each other.

Post grazing, grass is about 3-5" tall.
Post grazing, grass is about 3-5″ tall.

After grazing, there was a lot of trampled grass and plenty of material to build thatch and soil.

Post grazing close up
Post grazing close up

Leaving the cows on the paddock longer didn’t seem to have any negatives but we are sticking with our daily moves as our overall plan. However when the need arises, I don’t think I’ll be as quick to move them as I would have been.

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