Let’s Talk “Total Grazing”

As i listen to podcasts and videos of various producers, hosts, and grazing gurus, i’ve found that there is a misunderstanding of the term “total grazing” as to be expected since at the front of it, simply implies grazing all the forage in front of the stock with little to no regard to forage recovery, soil, water, animal, wildlife, air, and human health or harmony. As taught in the Real Wealth Ranching program, this is not at all the definition but instead may be more aptly described as managed nonselective grazing or high harvest efficiency. 

Far too many seem to get hung up on the 4x daily moves as if that’s all they hear and summarily dismiss all the concepts. As part of a complete program, “Total Grazing” is a systems approach of directing life, land, and livestock which enhances and builds all those important aspects. I’m in my 6th year (2024) of total grazing/real wealth ranching and enjoy the improvements even though life has thrown some curves which have seldom allowed 4x daily moves. Remember the harmony part which includes less labor.

Although the understanding of the system is simple, the application of dynamic aspects of genetics, weather, people, animals, forage causing management to sometimes be quite challenging – it’s an art and science melded into a constantly changing symmetry in which the manager must be watching and shifting. Anyone involved in agriculture needs to be flexible and able to make quick and correct decisions. Too often, we become stuck in what we think is right (paradigms) and promote wrong understanding. This only works to set back newcomers and next generation. 

So what is the program often labeled as “Total Grazing”

As taught by Jaime Elizondo, who owns Real Wealth Ranching, it includes four pillars of focus which are integrated into a whole, but also includes harmony (including profitability) of the owner/operator’s life. Based on well over 30 years of ranching experience and a great deal of plant and nutrition science, he has discovered that some of the old ‘science’ has been refuted and needs discarded as new information has been brought to light. It’s a program - not a one-off.

The Four Pillars

1) Grazing – it is not leaving animals in a paddock or pasture until all the forage is destroyed and animal health is wrecked.

2) Calving Season – calving or lambing in the correct season for your area may be the low hanging fruit and quickest way to profitability.

3) Adapted Genetics & Selection – keeping replacements from your own herd may be a slow way to grow your operation, but it is the best (imho)

4) Nutrition – don’t skimp on nutrition and quality pastures for various classes and types of livestock.

Jaime is just now launching a quick start version (Ranching Made Simple) of his in-depth teaching. I recommend the whole online Total Grazing Academy, but this new program with its lower up-front cost will help introduce more producers seeking to explore options and opportunities.

“Fat Roots, Fat Land, Fat Cows, Fat Wallet”

Jaime Elizondo

Feeding Calves Through Winter

So many variables need considering before deciding whether or not to feed calves through the winter – especially in super cold areas like ours in north Missouri. Profitability is very important, but it’s more than a dollars and cents decision; it also must include quality of life and harmony.

Consider reasons for feeding calves:

1. weaning calves off young heifers early (before winter) so the pregnant young cow has time to recover before calving again in the spring. 
2. buying calves at a traditionally (late fall) lower price in hopes of adding value and gain before selling
3. custom feeding calves and being paid by the owner
4. Selling the cows and keeping calves.

In our case, the first and last ones are why we have calves this winter (2023-2024) to feed. With only 50 or so, I’ve decided to hand feed purchased alfalfa pellets in bunks which at the rate of about 1 lb per day, that’s quite doable. This gives them necessary added protein since our stockpiled forages through the winter is typically 7% to 9% protein. Good enough for cows, but not for growing calves.

I did go ahead and sell off about 12 calves that simply won’t match the others weaned or those still on the cows through the winter. They were smaller or rough haired and a few were steer calves showing a lot of Corriente – those will make excellent ropers since i left on the horns, but won’t match anything we will sell later in the spring or fall. 

The cows were sold because i’ve planned to retire and lease out my farm since early last year. It takes time to organize that since i wanted to join cows with bulls much earlier than i typically do. Many producers want to calve in the winter, so to make the cows more desirable for that market, i did that. By weaning the calves earlier, selling the cows was easier since i didn’t have to mess with loading and hauling them. As it turned out, it seems the market in Dec and Jan would have been favorable to split the calves off anyway, so it was a good decision. Plus, i’m planning to keep as many replacement heifers as possible. (Wait! wasn’t i talking retirement? :-)) The steers will sell right with the calves weaned in April.

Since we sell only grass raised stockers and weaners, i chose to feed alfalfa pellets. 

The downside is now it’s -14F and bitterly cold wind causing -37F windchill. Keeping the water open for another group of animals is very problematic as well in this weather. Typically, we do not have weaned calves, so we are not set up as well as we could be, so we’ll slog through this year.

Going forward, as we work through my husband’s health issues, me not wanting to work quite as much physically (trying not to break down my body), and rebuilding the herd as quickly as possible (or selling completely out and quitting), we need to decide whether or not to breed the heifers as yearlings or 2-year-olds. (Compare 2-year-olds vs 3-year-olds) An update on the previous link is that now i’m selecting ONLY my home raised, adapted cattle, the yearling heifers getting bred on grass is 67%.

There are plusses and minuses to each scenario. One of which is addressed here in having the added trouble of weaning calves early. It could be that once weaned, we could just go right ahead and sell the calves before winter, thereby eliminating feeding. However, should we decide to keep them and there were more calves to feed, we could purchase large bales of alfalfa hay to unroll which would be much easier than hand feeding in bunks. Also, address the watering issue!

Many options, we simply need to choose which direction we want to go.

Create something beautiful today!

Shalom,

tauna

For who of you desiring to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has the things to finish; that having laid a foundation, and not having strength to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and did not have strength to finish.” Luke 14:28-30 HRB

Polar Vortex

Wintry blast of arctic weather across the entire United States hit north Missouri early Friday (12 Jan 24) and temperatures have continued to plummet. This morning was -14F with a windchill of -34F. Well above any record cold, but mighty uncomfortable at best. Grazed pastures are now well frozen even under the 8-12 inches of snow. 

Although, we have plenty of standing forage for grazing, my husband has been keen to unroll big bales of hay to the cattle. If he wants to do it, that’s fine by me. It looked last summer that there would not be enough grass for winter, so he had baled up and purchased a lot of big bales of hay and since we store most of it outside and directly on the ground, right now is a perfect time to feed it up. No mud and the cows do appreciate it although with the extreme temps, they quickly adapted to it being substitutionary feed vs supplemental feed. Once the weather breaks, though, they’ll go back to grazing that green grass under the snow.

It is good for Allen to get out although he is mask wearing and son, Dallas, goes as well to get the gates and to take off the net wrap. Although he is in remission from his AL Amyloidosis cancer, he is not out of the woods yet and must still limit exposure to dust, dirt, livestock, large groups of people, young children, and pets. 

These young long time weaned calves are experiencing their first harsh winter without their mums. Since i ‘retired’ the pregnant cows were sold mostly last year (2023) and carry over the calves and the remaining cows to sell in January 2024. We’ve had too much income due to drought sales and that Allen sold all his fall calving cows because of his cancer and he has no help to manage it all. I can handle the 350 or so spring calvers, bulls, and replacement heifers, (with some help from my sons) but the task of calving out that many fall calvers with Allen’s weekly trips to KU Med for treatments, then the 2-week hospital stay followed by 2 weeks at Hope Lodge near the hospital (i had to stay with him as well) was just going to be too much.