Grass losing it's green

[grassmarketeer]

It sounds like there is pasturing concerns everywhere. I've got more cattle around than ever. The grass is not coming this spring and the next few weeks will be critical. Do the rest of you listeners have increased cow herds? If the next 30 days are dry what is your game plans?
Grassfarmer re.your comment that numbers peaked and then fell in the UK post BSE problems. What do you feel is happening with our domestic herd? What is your strategy on your own place?
The gov't dropped pasture insurance after last year. Do any of you expect any more tidbits coming from the gov't?

[cakadu]

Let's hope that this forecast for snow/rain/thundershowers comes to fruition at least here in West Central Alberta. The last couple of weeks have been full of forecasts for rain, but it has blown right around us and someone else has maybe been the beneficiary of it. Last week it was nasty and cold, but no rain came with it.

I found out not too long ago that out where I live it used to be nothing but a peat bog. Now there are some 160 miles of drainage ditch carved into the soil every fall so that the water drains away. Even with the drought the past several years this practice has continued.

I have to ask what the benefit of doing that is, particularly when there hasn't been enough water around. Perhaps what we need to do is to let some of the water hang around so that both surface and groundwater can recharge and quit digging these drainage ditches for the time being.

I am at a loss to understand why they want to drain water away from marginal land at best, to grow grain crops that they are taking a beating on. It doesn't make sense to me, but maybe someone can explain that to me.

It might even give the grass a chance to come back as well, if some of that water were allowed to penetrate into the ground.

[Smithy]

It has been raining where I am in northern B.C. off and on since Friday night and every drop just sounds wonderful. It was so dry here it was just sickening. We need another few days of it at least.
We have more cows than usual this year, didn't sell any culls last fall, just butchered a few for our own and family consumption and kept the rest. We ran out out of pasture three weeks earlier than usual last year, so we were getting pretty worried as this spring is drier than the last one. We are out of feed in another week so we are also turning out sooner than usual which won't help for fall pasture. We are fencing some bush for pasture and seeding some barley as well but I still sure hope that rain keeps up for a few days...

[CattleAnnie]

Thank God we've got a heavy snowfall warning for tonight and tomorrow in northerneastern BC. Supposed to amount to 10 cm percipitation. Hayfields and pasture darn dry.
Unfortunately, still thirty cows left to calve, and the system is supposed to blow in from the North on 30 km/hr winds gusting to 50 km/hr. Of course, nobody calved on Saturday when it was 27C. Expecting a bunch of babies with the squall.
The joy of cattle!

[cakadu]

Annie, fear not - sheep do the same thing. We've only been lambing for about 10 days now and I'm expecting them to lamb when it takes a turn.

Hard part is that it is definitely a trade-off --- we need that moisture so badly that I'll gladly increase my shepherding duties if it means that it will stop here. A lot has been just blowing by, so you and Smithy can please send it our way when you are finished with it.

Good part about our sheep is that they do not lamb at night, so there are no nightly shepherd checks.

Best of luck finishing off your calving.

[CattleAnnie]

Thanks Cakadu, and best of wishes with the lambing. The kids had some sheep as 4H projects, and God, talk about cute little things when they lambed last spring.
I'll keep my fingers crossed that the precip will make it your way.

[cowman]

Do you ever get sick of always relying on the weather? Always hoping it will rain and suspecting it won't? This is a goofy business where one year we might have lots of moisture and the next couple it might be so dry the cows are scraping the bottom of the barrel from day one?
In 2002 we had a big dry like I've never seen! As I scrambled to keep my cows out grazing, something quit in me! Right then I realized I didn't want to do this anymore...I guess I was spoiled...I'd never seen a drought!
Well I unloaded some cows and planned to phase my way out of the cow business. Then along comes Mad Cow and I got stuck with them! My cheap Scottish nature is having a hard time accepting the fact I'm going to have to take a bath on these suckers, but hey what can you do? Hopefully I can find a few optimists this fall who are willing to take a chance?

[cakadu]

We need to start looking at water conservation measures and restore some of the wetlands that were drained and continue to be drained. The wetlands serve many vital functions, not the least of which is trapping water for future use somewhere.

In our quest to have more land to grow marginal crops and I am not including forage land here, we've drained areas that could become an absolute necessity in the not too distant future, if not already.

It seems to me we have to take a long hard look at what we have been doing and determine if that is how we wish to move forward, because from what I've seen, it really isn't working for us.

[grassfarmer]

Cowman, You must be too far removed from your Scottish roots to keep bringing up that "cheap Scot" jibe. That's an English idea about Scottish people because they secretely admire our thrift and skillfull management of limited resources. This asset is what shaped our identity and made us very sucessful as a small nation both at home and abroad. The fact we are used to crap weather made us ideal to explore and settle countries like Canada!

[cswilson]

I'm Scotch too-I'd boil a fart for the grease-lol

[CattleAnnie]

Oh my God!
Thanks! I just finished wiping the tears from my eyes.
Oh yeah, the snow is falling in the BC Peace now (wet and wonderful), so all you folks to the east of us should keep your eyes peeled for it in the next day or two. That especially applies to the Edmonton area, as they generally get the storms we've had within two days.
Take care.

[Smithy]

I am sending all this rain we had yesterday in the Nechako area over to you Alberta folks this afternoon too, so you should gets lots of moisture in the next day or so.
We are supposed to get some snow tonight as well so I am going to walk out and tell the cows that if they feel like doing anything to do it quick or wait a few days

[cakadu]

The rain has started here, so thanks for sharing it. It certainly is a welcome sight.

Right on cue, as the rain picked up, so did the ewes - about 9 new ones in the back of the barn with 3 moms sorting it out. Good job they are all at least in for their 2nd time - 2 are on their 3 or 4th sets, so mom should get it all figured out. Lord knows the shepherd couldn't! ;-)

Here's hoping the grass gets green.

[CattleAnnie]

Go figure, eh, Cakadu? And you know what? Two calves born so far in the storm, and I wouldn't be suprised if there's one more before midnight.
Hang in there, hope you get wet.

[grassmarketeer]

How did you guys fair with the moisture? Here in east central AB I only got 2tenths. Much more is needed. Maybe tonight though?