Grass

There are a lot of jokes in the cattle business about the fact that being a cattle producer is really about moving the protein found in grass directly to the consumer, with the transportation vehicle being a cow.

Many producers first concern is the grass in their meadows. Although cows can eat all kinds of “weeds”, they prefer grass. It turns out that grass is a very nutritious plant for large vegetarian animals like cows and horses. And because it grows without a lot of work on the part of the land owner it’s a very economical feed for cows. Different types of grass are used in different parts of the country as producers try to maximize the amount of protein grown.

Some parts of the country have grass year around but others require supplemental feeding of hay, grain and nutrients during the cold months. Since you have to buy the hay or grain it directly reduces your profits. If you see maps of where cattle are produced they pretty much map where the grass grows naturally. Because you don’t always have that choice there is an increasing interest in how to maximize the amount of “feed” you can get out of a given pasture. It’s called the “carrying capacity” as in how many cows can you have per acre of grass. Fertilizers and insecticides are expensive alternatives but most of the focus these days is on rotational grazing where cows graze a small area 5-7 days (or to a specific grass height) and then let that area recover for 28-40 days. This uses the natural fertilizer from the cows and allows the grass to regrow quickly.

A really interesting and thought provocative monthly magazine is called The Stockman Grass Farmer and is edited by N. Allan Nation. Since 1947 it has been devoted solely to the art and science of making a profit from grassland agriculture. You can get to their website by clicking HERE. I subscribe.