swath grazing economics

[cowman]

farmers son: Wasn't looking at winter grazing grass. The idea was if I bought winter feed it would free up the 20 acres for more summer grazing. 10 more cows?
blackjack: Because this was an experiment I just went with the easy way when it came to treated seed. The fertilizer dealer just picked it up at local seed farm. No time to bother with running around. Sprayed the weeds out pre harvest(roundup) because they were pretty thick...thistles, sow thistle, chickweed etc...
Bruce: Rent out some land already on a share deal and usually get at least $60/acre but am having trouble convincing my cousin to even continue renting. Not interested in any other renters.
The whole point here is does it make more sense to swath graze or buy in feed? Now this year hay was extremely cheap and probably makes more sense, in my opinion, but the numbers might not work another year? However I see a lot of grainland going back into hay around here and a whole lot less cows around. I am close to about four big hay producers and if they have hay that gets a rain they roll it up in round bales instead of small bales for the horse business. No long trucking hauls.
I think for me buying hay makes more sense than swath grazing due to time restrictions? I have time in the winter to feed cows. I have zero time in the summer.
If adding 10 cows makes me a gross profit of $7500 then I can see spending $1500 to feed them over the winter? All how you look at it but at $6000 for 20 acres is $300/acre! Now I know that is pretty simple and not a true picture but I hope you catch my drift?

[cswilson]

We swath grazed long before it was popular-(they even had our critters on the TV lol). We pretty much quit it because like Cowman said it was pretty borderline economically-by the way 6,000 lbs per acre dry matter is a pretty impressive yield-in a wet year when your swath grazing will really perform hay is usually pretty reasonable in a drought year well nothing really shines. One place it did work good was vback in the day when we still broke grassland up-we'd seed a swath grazing crop and let hoof action etc break down and pack the sod. Right now were using what most what call bale grazing-we hire a picker truck to haul our feed and he puts a weeks worth in every paddock-this hay is costing us 1.8c/lb delivered to the cows mouth. I suppose swath grazing might work if you have the iron etc but we always had to hire it done-it was getting to be quite a nuiscance.

[cowman]

I thought 6000 lbs. was pretty decent...in fact it might have been a bit more? I just did a guesstimate!
Not sure if rookie was quoting dry matter when he said his yields were twice mine? If he was, then its time to move to his neck of the woods!
I will also note I didn't include all my costs. You don't run equipment over a field for nothing! Now maybe I overdid it but this was just an experiment. If I was doing it in a big way on a continuing basis I could get those costs lower?
But I do consider this: When I bring in feed I am getting a bonus from the manure? Grassfarmer has mentioned this in the past? I believe the extra fertilizer value is estimated at $31/cow for the winter feeding period? So if it costs me $150/cow per winter then you get $31 worth of nutrients back, you come to $121/cow per winter?

[rookie]

cowman, you wouldn't want to live in this neck of the woods......

Looking back at the post, my costs were half if not a little less, dry matter was aboyt the same, and every day I look at the the stuff I'm impressed.
Tractor is not running and neither am I for most of the winter.

It fits into my operation like a glove. And the numbers are just as good.

[cowman]

Hey if it works for you thats all that matters! It could work for me too...if I had the time in the spring/fall. As it is I have time in the winter and I like feeding cows(well if I only have to do it once in awhile...its nice having someone you can pawn the work off on!).
As I stated I suspect I could get the costs down if I was seriously pursuing this. I should be able to reduce the fertilizer bill to almost zero? Also my seed costs were very high and I sprayed the roundup at a heavy rate of 1 L/acre when in fact .67 L/acre is the rate for weathermax. At $13.37/L the .67L rate would cut $4.40/acre right off the top? Might get away without spraying at all?
This year was a fairly good growing season with a lot of timely rains although generally too cool. I did notice some leaf disease which was pretty general for cereals in this area.

[PureCountry]

To me this comes down to the same old thing...DO WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU...BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.

But there's one thing that I didn't notice anyone mention...cost per day or cost per head. My swathgrazing cost per day to feed one cow averages 75 cents. Varies greatly with the crop/conditions, and hinges on how many grazing days we get. Bale grazing will be cheaper THIS YEAR, b/c feed was so cheap, but not by a great deal.

Anyway, feeding a cow through the winter for $100-150 is damn good IMO, when you accomplish it without much labour or equipment.

[rookie]

Yeah purecoumtry, some of what I read here is the same old blah,blah,blah

Didn't figure out the actual costs on the swaths yet, as we're not done yet,
but that corn came in at 69cents per cow per day.

[cowman]

Hay: 2 cents/lb. 22 lb. day. Straw about 15 lb. day...eat what they want use the rest for bedding...adds organic matter out in the field. Don't know what value to put on straw. Would be using it whether swath grazing or not.
Costs some money to run the tractor everyday, but would be using it anyway for straw.
I take it neither of you bother with any bedding?

[PureCountry]

No bedding yet this year, other than the milk cow and bulls that are at home in a pen.

[rookie]

I do have a bedding pile near the yard. Just an experiment to see if waste in the field could be reduced, and I do spoil these girls, many have been around for a while and they've earned it . But with a weather like its' been there certainly is a saving on bedding.Not to mention feed consumption.

No doubt about it.