Pasture Management

Sizzling tips for electric and high tensile fence By Terryn Drieling High tensile fence and portable electric (hot) fence – both can provide affordable, low-maintenance alternatives to barbed wire, wood, or continuous fence. The keyword there is “can” – just because you build it doesn’t mean it will be low maintenance or that your cost […]

By Tim O’Byrne, with Jonathon Berry, Midwest Bio-Systems Our regular Pasture Management column by the always sterling Loretta Sorensen, found on p. 82 of this issue, is all about utilizing manure, primarily from the feedyard, as a treatment for your land base.  We wanted to expose you, dear reader, to the art of composting said […]

When, where, and how to treat your landbase with organic manure By Loretta Sorensen If the cost pencils out, applying manure to pastures is likely to increase forage yields. But analyzing costs is just the first step in preparing to apply manure to a pasture. Other key activities in a successful application include: Soil testing […]

There’s a lot involved in a successful irrigated pasture strategy By Loretta Sorensen Typically, when pasture is irrigated, forage receives adequate water at just the right time, forage quantity increases and grazing days can be extended.  Harvesting all of those and even more benefits, though, involves much more than just turning on the water. University […]

There’s a lot involved in a successful irrigated pasture strategy By Loretta Sorensen Typically, when pasture is irrigated, forage receives adequate water at just the right time, forage quantity increases and grazing days can be extended.  Harvesting all of those and even more benefits, though, involves much more than just turning on the water. University […]

Identifying plant life is the first step towards making you a better grass manager By Loretta Sorensen Photos by Terryn Drieling “Sedges have edges. Rushes are round. Grasses are hollow. What have you found?” (author unknown) There’s no need to become a botanist in order to gather information pasture forage provides. However, at least a […]

Why are you just coping? By Loretta Sorensen Fescue. It’s prized where extreme weather conditions persist, surviving cold and hot temperatures, waterlogged or dry soils and pressures from insects, diseases and overgrazing. Some 35 million acres of U.S. pasture and hay land are planted to fescue. However, what some ranchers have perceived as Tall Fescue […]

Sure… it’s all guesswork when you’re dealing with the weather, right?  So why prepare? By Loretta Sorensen Once the dust of roundup and symphonies of weaning have died down, beef operators might have a few moments to contemplate what Spring 2018 will bring for their operation. While every pasture across the nation has unique properties […]

A look at a grazing principle that dates back almost four decades By Loretta Sorensen Rangeland in southwest North Dakota gets thirsty, typically receiving less than 13 inches of rain over summer. That droughty climate, coupled with evolving beef production methods, has driven North Dakota ranchers like Wendell and Linda Vigen and Chester and Jane […]