swath grazing economics

[cowman]

We did a little test if you will this year swath grazing. Planted barley late June and swathed it late September.
Grown on crop land that was worked once the fall before. Burned down mid June with 1 liter/acre weathermax, cultivated twice, disced once(a lot of dead material) Seeded and fertilized by the local dealers floater, disced lightly and harrowed once.
Nice decent crop cut in late milk stage. I estimate it was around 3 tons/acre, maybe a bit more.
Okay. Costs: Sprayed by us...$15. Seed was 2 bu. acre...$20(Used the good stuff treated etc.) fertilizer, a complete blend $40/acre, paid the neighbor $10 acre to swath it. Put the rent cost at $60/acre(going rate here).
So my costs were $145/acre and I'll throw in all the field work for $5(big bargain) for a total of $150/acre?
If I got 6,000 lb. of dry feed at 3 cents/lb. then I grossed $180? Not too bad?
Right now am feeding cows hay delivered at around 2 cents/lb. fed at the same rate as the swath grazing(as close as possible).
I'm trying to get this across so it makes sense. Now if I'd had that 20 acres in decent cultivated grass I could have run 10 cows on it for 5 months? The going rate here is $30/cow/calf/month for pasture or $150/pair for 5 months?
Looking at it that way maybe it paid more to swath graze than to pasture? But does it?
The cow being fed outside feed deposits manure worth $31(Alberta Ag). There is definitely some extra opportunity profit by running a cow/ calf pair? And if I can buy hay for less than what it costs to grow it or swath graze it...then it makes sense to buy it?
I hope I got the idea across? Sometimes its hard to explain these things?
My conclusion is swath grazing isn't the boon it is cracked up to be...at least this year. I do know it was a pain for me to be out doing the field work when I was busy with other things. I had the small equipment necessary but not the time.
It takes about two hours a day to feed our cows and it probably isn't the most efficient system in the world but fairly cost effective. Because I am a firm believer in lots of straw, couldn't go to a full system of swath grazing anyway.
....Think I'll be planting that 20 acres to grass next spring.

[rookie]

cowman, I did 25 acres of corn and 45 of swathgrazing and I will never go back to feeding until I have to again. granted It was a good growing year.

[cowman]

So what were your costs per acre and how much do you think the yield was on a dry matter basis?
There seems to be a lot of corn being raised for winter grazing around here. I have this one neighbor who was one of the first to try it and he claims swath grazing is more profitable compared to corn. What do you think?

[cowman]

The cows are done with the corn and the numbers were good but I don't know if I'll do it again, I live too fasr north for comfort. But I had a whole bunch of cows out there for a long time and they look good.

As for the swaths they just started on them and it looks good so far, granted the weather is so mild. I looked at you costs and mine where about half so...

But its also other things. The land is real handy for this type of stuff, and more importantly, we a had a baby this summer so my time is freed up a whole lot more while mom is back at work.

Still, I can say I will do swaths again even with the season for it just starting. I have double the tonnage you stated, and used alot of manure from the corrals and only half the commercial fert. The big key for me was the fert rates ( even on the corn ) ,I used alot of the organic kind and the cows put it out there themselves too.

Well I rambling now.

[farmers_son]

I think you may be comparing apples to oranges. It would be better to compare swath grazing to winter feeding than to summer pasture. On a normal winter cows can swath graze through quite a bit of snow when they would have trouble getting enough to eat on stored tame pasture.

If every year was like this year we could all do things quite a bit different but I would not want to count on many winters like this one.

[rookie]

excuse the delay, dam computer security settings too high.............

My cost seem half of yours and yeild was double. I will admit the swath stuff couldn't have worked out better. My silage didn't hit the rain and heat like the swaths.

None the less, I was able to rely on lots of manure and the cows put most of it out there themselves.

It also has been a mild winter and the cows just hit those swaths but things look good for cost per cow per day.

The corn really grew well too. But I am hesitant to try it again ( growing conditions were perfect and when does that happen twice ). I feel I am too far north with rain a rare comodity sometimes. No problem getting the fertilizer out there, but thats only part of the needed equation.

The big plus was the time it freed up for me. I babysit our new baby while mom is at work and it is easier to check an electric fence from the truck with my son.

Time wil tell on the final numbers but I will do swaths again . Corn A big maybe...

[blackjack]

...cowman...you bring up some good points...however when you seeded your crop in late june i imagine no one knew hay could be delivered in at 2c/lb... since i raised an imbundance amount of hay this year i am mixing swath grazing with feeding hay...

...i have a question why did you use treated seed and spray if you were planning on swath grazing

[Bruce14]

Cowman if you can get $60 an acre rent why not rent it out?

[ALLFARMER]

I at one time heard if you took a strip 10 or 15 miles wide from Edmonton to Calgary you would have 80% of the land value in Alberta. You can buy decent Gov't land up here for $25,000/quarter but clearing costs are If there is any decent wood on it must be logged first or the value of the wood is added too the approx $25g Good thing I like iron 4 more tractor payments & I'am buying a dozer. Glad the wife doesn't read this board!

[ALLFARMER]

Rookie "growing conditions were perfect and when does that happen twice"

Your right I had a son right off the bat followed by now 3 girls!!

Fish or cut bait???