How many guys are swath grazing & Bale Grazing

[ALLFARMER]

We are trying swath grazing for the first time this year and considering doing a little bale grazing trial. Just looking for input & opinions

[smcgrath76]

As long as you restrict access with cross-
fencing you will never go back to feeding
every day. If you make the cows clean it
up, they will.
If you sit down and go over the numbers,
you will be surprised how much money is
spent in the act of feeding and cleaning
up after cows.

[per]

I don't particularly like fencing so I try to seed my swathgrazing in smaller paddocks and smaller acreages in big fields of grain that is harvested. A little planning saves extra fencing. Then I run yearlings first and let them take the cream and then follow with cows and make them clean it up. Every year has a few different challenges like this year I would prefer it to be dry and cold not warm and rainy. Not sure how many nutrients have been leached. At least nitrates won't be a problem.

[perfecho]

I use tumble wheels when ever I can, move every day or two in 15 minutes, including checking cows, with the quad.
The nicest size is a 30 acre piece that is the whole 1/4 section long.

[15444]

Been bale grazing for about 13 years now. Did it intensively last year (everything but our bulls - will do bulls this year as well).

As Sean said, once you do it, you will never go back. I saved $500 on fuel just avoiding moving bales from the yard to the cows.

[ALLFARMER]

We have about 35 acres of a heavy crop to swath graze. I would like to start once the ground is frozen, it seems like rebar in the ground when it freezes freezes in solid, but is ok to get in and out of frozen ground.

[per]

A cordless drill can work well getting the holes started.

[smcgrath76]

take a little aluminum pipe wrench with
you. Give the rebar a twist and it will
pop right out.

[wade]

You say you have some heavy crop to swath graze- what is it? cows will clean up certain crops better than others. It is better to have a plan then to just..... and make a conclusion. Like other have said-it's the only way!
For me the rebar pounds in easy even without a drill and a few twists with a small pipewrench while pulling up will get the rebar back out.
Only been doing it for 4 years using oats.

[ALLFARMER]

The pipe wrench is a good idea...Oats is what we are swath grazing.

We had perfect weather this year lots of the canola 50 bu/ac some to 60bu/ac The Oilseed farmer I work for has a rotation of 75% canola 25% cereal. With 4 combines JD 9650,9650,9750,9860 we were yielding 3000bu/hr x $10/bu $30000.00/hr on 6800acres of canola the worst we yielded was 18bu/acre on about 1500 acres Not bad for a guy who's 35

[wilagro]

Swath grazing is a great idea and works well for most of my neighbours. I have no cattle now so I don't worry about these concerns.

One caution: Have a backup plan if we get one of those "old fashioned" winters that I recall back in the early "40s" when snowdrifts were ten feet high or more.

Having most of your feed under tons of snow won't be any picnic.

Of course with our "global warming", we will not have to worry about minor details such as winter.