Swath grazing

[almoy]

I would like to try swath grazing this winter. What is the best grain to plant and what stage do you cut it at? Have no experience with swath grazing, would like opinions on what to do.

[PureCountry]

We've tried oats, barley, wheat, triticale and mixtures of oats/barley. The best bang for the buck was wheat. We did wheat more or less by accident. A neighbour was renting some cropland from my folks and his wheat was hailed out. The adjuster claimed it would make 1 bushel to the acre, so we gave him $5/acre and turned the cows in. That was 2002, and pastures were in BAD shape.

The day we put our cows in the wheat, it started to rain, and after 3 weeks of grazing it, the pastures were in great shape. We kept 70 acres of the wheat for swath-grazing, and the cows licked it up like nothing I've ever seen. They didn't waste the stalk at all like they will with a heavy crop of barley or oats.

That is my only beef with oats, is that if the yield is high, you have alot of stalk, and they won't clean it up until they get hungry.

[Rodjam]

We did 55 acres in oats last year. Cut it at the milk stage before the heads became firm. 55 head grazed it for an average of $0.51 per head per day. Very happy with the cows condition and not having to start the tractor. I have no equipment and so this is a real price with all the work being paid for.

[ouellet]

Why do you have to cut it? Could you leave it up just like grazing corn?
Marcel

[Rodjam]

I ended up with a few acres that did not get swathed due to it being wet last fall and there is no difference between it and the swathed parts of the field. I think with any real snow cover though it would be more difficult for the cattle, finding and following a swath makes it pretty simple.