Swath grazing?

[cowman]

Driving around I see a lot of these late seeded crops, used for swath grazing. Basically they are just starting to head out and are a combination of oats and barley. A few of them are now being swathed.
Anyway it seems there isn't a whole lot of volume in these swaths/crops? Maybe it is just the year or something?
I also see some ripe barley crops swathed and lying in the fields and it seems the volume is close to twice or more than the crops for swath grazing?
Now I realize the green crops probably have a lot more protein in them but I doubt they have near the energy?
Does a dry beef cow really need all that protein? Actually does a dry cow even need the protein that semi decent hay might have(say 12%)? If I remember correctly a dry cow just needs in that 7% range? A lot of good two row barley straw is approaching 5%! I often wonder just how much protein we are wasting by feeding hay or for that matter swath grazing?

[JD4ME]

Later seeded crops don't traditional yield as well as earlier seeded ones , however the green crops when swathed can be deceptively dense as compared to the rioe fluffier crops in the swath. I have read some interesting thing about yellowfeed and the ability to use glyphosphate to "freeze" crop maturity at the ideal state which is late milk from what I gather. And than leaving the crop standing until later in the fall preserving quality and quantity has anyone done any on farm trials comparing swath grazing VS yellowfeed swath grazing??

[PureCountry]

I've tried swath grazing different types and stages, and many things seem to effect it. If you get a great stand of thick tall oats, you want to cut it early, otherwise they waste alot of the stalk and leaves. When I've had it get yellow, it was a thin poor crop, and they seemed to clean it all up. Then they went onto ripe wheat swaths that had a few frosts and what not. They licked the ground clean for that - stalks and all.

Russ Horvey from Ab. Ag. said for swath grazing that the best stage is an early milk. For greenfeed early dough, but swath-grazing should be early milk. He added that you don't want to cut it at an early milk though if it's early in the year and have it lay on the ground to spoil for too long. It's a fine line no matter what you do.

[cowman]

Obviously I have an interest in this? What I am trying to decide is there an economic benifit to swath grazing as opposed to greenfeed/ harvesting?
And I will admit it is the boy who is pushing this swath grazing thing! He thinks it is the real "fullmeal deal"!
Heres my concern: If I can grow a decent regular crop, I get close to 100 bu/acre at 50 lb/bu or 5,000 lb of grain at 13% protein? I get a further 2,000 lb of straw at 4.5% protein?
Now without a doubt there are costs involved here? However realize in my situation these costs are minimal?
My question is this: Does it make more sense, economically, to swath graze those acres or take it off and feed it?
I am intrigued by the concept of "yellow crops" although I have no concept of the numbers involved.

[cattleman2]

Cowman you say that your costs are minimal for getting the crops off the field.

What does it cost you to run your swather, combine, baler per acre? You have to figure your fuel costs at minimum even if you want to give away your depreciation and your time?

Also the fuel cost of running the tractor every day to feed the cows in teh winter the grain and straw? The cost of cleaning the manure out of the corrals and spreading it on the field you just combined, baled and transported all the nutrients off needs to be accounted for.

Facor in the above costs (not including your time and depreciation) and I have a strong suspision that you could have a yield of 60 to 65% of your "harvested crop" and still be further ahead.
As added benefits, your cows are in a little better conditioning because they are walking to the feed and water rather than being penned up, and by cycling the nutrients right there on the field, your dependance on artifical fertilizer becomes less and less.

You do have to have provisions available for the cows that don't seem to keep their condition or when the weather gets really cold they might need some extra energy...

Your biggest issue is that how do the cows get a source of water on the swath grazing field? What happens when the snow disappears?

[PureCountry]

Well put cattleman2. It isn't even a close comparison for me. The most expensive paddock of swath grazing we ever did was 10 acres that cost us $2 per day because the cows went through it so fast. Our best was 55 cents, and our average has been 65.

Some guys say you're hooped if you get alot of snow. One time it happened where they didn't want to paw down, so we just rented a small plow tractor, straddled the swaths and peeled them open.

[cowman]

Well I do feed them out in the fields. Also lots of bedding out there although they do like to bed by the bush wjen the wind is blowing.
Cousin rents my crop land on a share basis and we usually bale all the straw. He prefers it this way as it takes too much N to incorporate all the straw.
No elaborate equipment. One 7 year old large round baler, one 15 year old smaller round baler, An old 3 ton with a bale rack and one Kubota tractor that we trade every couple of years. This Kubota is pretty fuel efficient and more than pays for itself in the oil field during the summer. We also have an older larger German tractor that we bale with.
In the spring level out any manure/straw out in the fields with land leveller/pasture harrows(also oil field). Only calves are corral fed and push bedding in a pile, let it break down for a year or two and dump out on fields in three ton, or use in reclamation work!
Cows drink out of flowing springs. Calves in corral on a hydrant/tank/ wood heater...no electricity required other than the pump.
All the land is well fenced and cows clean up the grass in the fencelines as well as the hay fields(no second cut). Gives me some very good late fall grazing before they head to the banked prairie wool.
When we calved in the winter things were different of course. Had to keep them real close to the barn and corrals.

[PureCountry]

Cowman it sounds like you've got everything figured out pretty well. I don't think anyone here needs to tell you if one way is more economical or not. If you figure it pencils out for you, great.

[Freesaw]

I tried swath grazing once, It was about 40 acres of late oats that didn't get thrashed before winter arived. The white tail deer about 400 head camped there most of the winter. What do cows like that deer don't? I would like to give it one more try