It is definitely getting colder now and with that the forage grasses for our horses and livestock have shut down. To compensate for the loss of grass for cattle it is fairly easy to simply increase the amount during feedings, and as we all know feed more hay. For horses there are a number of ways to help maintain their fiber source throughout the winter months. As we all know, maintaining consistency and good quality in the Horses fiber source are the the keys to preventing colic. This is not always an attainable goal with hay. Not only this, but hay is not always attainable due to travel, availability, etc... To help solve this problem, Purina Mills has created a line of Horse feeds that they refer to as complete feeds. These feeds include Horse Chow 100 and 200, Equine Junior, Equine Adult, Equine Senior, and Horseman's Edge Complete. These feeds are designed so that if the recommended feeding rations are given to a horse, there is no need for an additional source of fiber or roughage. Not only do these allow for a more consistent fiber source, but with hay prices continuing to climb, they can also prove to save more dollars per day by eliminating the cost of roughage. Feel free to stop in or give us a call, and let us help you see if a complete feed would be a good idea for you and your horse.
-chase
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Winter Pasture and Lawns
The motive behind the planting of winter pasture and the over seeding of lawns varies greatly from person to person. Finding the landowners goals is the initial step taken when choosing a seed variety to fit their needs. I run across many different goals including erosion control, growing calves, wintering cows, or simply a more eye appealing green look throughout the winter. Since these goals vary greatly so do the recommendations. For guidelines I normally give the the following advice:
Fall Grazing - Bob oats do a great job giving fall grazing for calves or cattle. Some problems that can arise can include too much rain, causing rust, too little rain causing poor tonage, or an early hard frost which can shut down a great oat crop. Many are tempted to plant ryegrass for fall grazing but end up dissapointed. Although ryegrass is best planted in the fall and will germinate it lacks vigor in the fall and winter but a good established ryegrass will flourish in the early spring through early summer in many parts.
Winter Grazing - Winter grazing can consist of many months depending on your area. In our area, east Texas, our winters can vary greatly. A well planned winter grazing season can last up to six months with adequate rainfall. A mix of Oats, Wheat or Rye, and Ryegrass can feed cattle all winter long. A common misconception of this planting method is not planting the full rate of each variety of seed. The proper rates are Oats - 80lbs/acre, Wheat/Rye - 80lbs/acre, Ryegrass - 25lbs/acre. Although you will be mixing these seed and they will be germinating close to the same time, their most active growing times are much different; therefore, you must plant each of them ate their full recommended rate.
Aesthetics - If you are simply going for a green look throughout the winter months, ryegrass is a great choice. When planted in the fall it will germinate fast and grow until it becomes too dry or the temperatures become too warm the next spring. There are many varieties of rygrass but the main difference between lawn and pasture ryegrass is the rate at which they grow. Because perinial ryegrasses tend to have finer leaves and do not grow as tall the are a great choice for lawns. In a pasture situation the differences and the leaf size, cold tolerance, and heat tolerence. Choosing the right variety can sometimes depend on the weather in your area.
-Burge
Fall Grazing - Bob oats do a great job giving fall grazing for calves or cattle. Some problems that can arise can include too much rain, causing rust, too little rain causing poor tonage, or an early hard frost which can shut down a great oat crop. Many are tempted to plant ryegrass for fall grazing but end up dissapointed. Although ryegrass is best planted in the fall and will germinate it lacks vigor in the fall and winter but a good established ryegrass will flourish in the early spring through early summer in many parts.
Winter Grazing - Winter grazing can consist of many months depending on your area. In our area, east Texas, our winters can vary greatly. A well planned winter grazing season can last up to six months with adequate rainfall. A mix of Oats, Wheat or Rye, and Ryegrass can feed cattle all winter long. A common misconception of this planting method is not planting the full rate of each variety of seed. The proper rates are Oats - 80lbs/acre, Wheat/Rye - 80lbs/acre, Ryegrass - 25lbs/acre. Although you will be mixing these seed and they will be germinating close to the same time, their most active growing times are much different; therefore, you must plant each of them ate their full recommended rate.
Aesthetics - If you are simply going for a green look throughout the winter months, ryegrass is a great choice. When planted in the fall it will germinate fast and grow until it becomes too dry or the temperatures become too warm the next spring. There are many varieties of rygrass but the main difference between lawn and pasture ryegrass is the rate at which they grow. Because perinial ryegrasses tend to have finer leaves and do not grow as tall the are a great choice for lawns. In a pasture situation the differences and the leaf size, cold tolerance, and heat tolerence. Choosing the right variety can sometimes depend on the weather in your area.
-Burge
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
