Mary Anderson, Grazing Specialist for River Country RC&D was here to give us some advice and check out our operation last week.  We got alot of good information and suggestions. She’s a great mentor for us!  She suggested we make temporary fences to move the cows into the hayfields to graze through November- or maybe into December if we don’t get too much snow.  That would save us alot of hay bales!  So- with that advice, we moved them the next day- and they were in heaven!  The field they were in was getting munched down and we were supplementing with hay.  There’s quite a bit of grass in the hayfields and we can move them a couple times before bringing them back to where we will winter them.  The temporary fences work great- as long as they have enough to eat!  Best advice- cows will stay in the fences unless they are hungry or thirsty!  Mary was impressed with our 4 barb wire and 2 electric wire fences and we were so glad to hear that!  And the temporary 2 electric wire fence is a great way to move them around without investing too much.

We also talked about breeding and Mary thought the cows were already pregnant since we hadn’t seen any signs of heat since we got them.  They were with a bull from July – August before we got them.  And, if we’re wrong on this we can chalk it up to a learning experience!  So, the only one left to breed is the one that just calved.  We’ll keep an eye on her and have the AI guy here in November some time.  As far as breeding, we may consider a bull next year…

October 19, 2014

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