Dow agro campaign rolls on

[grassfarmer]

Dow agro sciences campaign to remove income from producers pockets rolls on. I received in the mail an unsolicited cd-rom promoting their pasture herbicide products - remedy grazeon etc. How much do these cost to produce and mail? doesn't really matter I suppose as producers will pay ultimately. The advertising literature is complete bs - 75% of the case studies highlighted were supposidly having problems with dandelions!One guy had a recently sown pasture with gaps and dandelions in it - whoppee big deal. So he set up a 4 pasture rotational system and used a spray and got great results. The other case studies also brought in management changes plus spraying. Can't they see the total junk science they are being sold? Dandelions fill bare spaces in pasture - they are high quality feed and cows love them so obviously tightening up stocking density and ensuring adequate rest will remove them over time - who can afford to spray dandelions when spraying water would achieve the same result? All research done with these chemicals indicates they increase grass, kill legumes and reduce broadleaf weeds and scrubby bushes. It also indicates you will get the same total green matter production post spraying as before - only the species change. Why not control aspen suckers or buck brush by fencing cows tight on it in the fall when the cattle are naturally attracted to it by the higher protein levels than the grass? They will chew it right down and leave lots of manure so you will get a flush of grass the next year naturally.
It makes me mad to see these guys profiting off farmers ignorance. I haven't been able to find profit figures for Dow Agro Sciences Canadian operations but it would be interesting to compare their income with Canadian net farm income.
I found a Monsanto 3rd quarter 2004 report showing their sales as $1,679 million US with a net of $252 million US.

[whiteface]

Grassfarmer, you must be mad to do all that typing while healing a collar bone! Incidentally I agree with everything you wrote but shouldn't you be resting!!!!!
Have a good night and enjoy the rain!

[grassfarmer]

Nah, I get bored when I can't get outside ! we've not had so much rain up here maybe 1.5 inch since last week. Hope that Airdrie east band is getting plenty.

[Bez]

Science and money - I am through listening to the big money boys and I am through spending it.

We have one 150 acre pasture that was over run with willow and some type of blue flowered weed. Local boys wanted a ton of money to come in and spray it off.

I turned the cows into it early when the weeds were tender and the willows just starting to leaf out. Kept the girls there for about a week longer than normal.

We then took them off long enough for the pasture to start to recover - and turned them in again for a period of time that forced them to eat everything.

Over the past two years we have continued this plan.

Today the willows are pretty much gone and the weeds have never had a chance to go to seed - so they too have disappeared.

We are now down to almost a straight grass - and yes - dandelion pasture. The cows love it and I have saved a fair dollar.

I listened to the scientists and the "special advisors" for years. Spent money that I should have saved. Now I could use that money.

Funny thing is the cows seem to be doing as well now as when we were spending the big bucks. I have come to the conclusion that I will continue to keep my money in my pocket and control the pastures my way from now on.

Bez

[Bez]

Experiment time. we are now doing our own very non-scientific work.

Today my neighbour came over for a visit. He brought his no till drill and a bunch of corn seed he had left over from this planting season. Every different variety under the sun.

We have a small 5 acre field in front of the house. We usually have a few yearlings in the field to fatten up for the gate business. (Our own version of "You Pick") This year we have none left to sell, so we turned out the cows and they cleaned it off in about one and a half days. Right down to the dirt.

Neighbour has always wanted to try to plant surplus corn through sod and see what it would do. He figured I might be interested and brought the whole shebang over on spec.

Ground is dark loam and never truly dries out - good garden soil.

After a coffee and a sandwich he laid the plan on me. I said what the heck - let's have a go. So daughter rode the drill and brushed all of the seed into the tubes - not enough to really fill the box - so she used a whisk and he drove real slow. There was almost enough seed to do the whole patch. I promised him I would keep the cows out for the summer.

If this stuff comes up we will just turn a few calves into the field in late summer, or early fall.

We have no idea how things will turn out, but this field is right along the road - so I am sure it will turn a few heads if things come up.

Anyone ever try this? I think my neighbour and I are probably just "strange" - we are not araid to try anything once. If it works it will be interesting.

Bez

[15444]

Bez, pasture hard and long and anyone is guaranteed to be rid of willows and weeds in no time. We are going to be doing this on a small acreage of an abandoned farm yard we own. Willows are young (10-15 years) and leaves supple right now and because the ground hasn't been compacted from being a normal pasture (we are just putting new fence in right now), the grass (and weeds) are growing as high as that in the hayfields...good pasture.

Secondly, keep us posted on the corn bit. Sounds really interesting. If it does work, I would be interested to see your results another year if you lightly applied a little rotted manure a couple days before you seeded. You may just discover a stockpile system which could add some much needed extended grazing time to depleted pastures, with minimal time and fuel inputs.

[cowman]

grassfarmer: Dow Elanco profits are extremely good and actually rising. Monsanto is higher I believe. I'll try to get out the report to the shareholders and put the figures up.

[kato]

One things for sure, if that corn does grow you will have very happy cows. Our cows graze corn in the fall, and they will line up at the gate waiting to get into the next paddock just like shoppers on Boxing Day!

We went on a grazing tour last summer, and learned another interesting way to deal with pastures that have undesirables growing in them. What these fellows did was feed hay bales in the winter by using electric wire. They would put a few bales in a group, and every few days take down the wire and let the cows in. First day they would eat most of the hay, second day they were forced to clean up the scraps. They didn't end up wasting any more than they would with round bale feeders, but during the process they pounded hay seed into the ground with their feet. The next summer, you could see the spots in the pasture where the bales had been fed. The grass would be much healthier, taller, and thicker right on those spots. I can't think of a cheaper way to renovate a pasture.

[15444]

We have been doing that now for a few years as well. The poplar saplings are a little more resistant to the cows tramping on their roots than the willows are, so summer pasturing doesn't quite cover it. The 20 acre pasture we winter feed the cows in had the wood taken off it a few years back, with some smaller conifers and hardwoods left behind. The poplar saplings took off, so we shimmy the tractor around the bigger trees and place round bales with hoops amongst the saplings. The cows pound the heck out of the roots and churn the left over hay and soil into one big mess of muck. By late summer, its as if we planted a bunch of circles in the pasture. Lots of trefoil, timothy, clovers and other grasses.