Kentucky is a dream state for cattle producers, with lush pastures that dot the panorama all through many of the 12 months. Nevertheless, winter cattle feeding may be time-consuming, messy and inefficient. Because of a $2.3 million USDA Pure Assets Conservation Innovation Grant, Greg Halich, a College of Kentucky agricultural economics professor, is main a six-state, multi-year bale-grazing examine that’s already making winter feeding simpler for Kentucky cattle producers.
“The standard methods to feed hay are sacrifice tons, feeding pads and feeding barns, and for essentially the most half, these are merely not working effectively. Most farmers who use these strategies are drained and worn out by the tip of the winter,” Halich stated. “Bale grazing is a winter-feeding methodology the place we set bales out instantly on pasture and feed in a deliberate, managed method. It’s principally rotational grazing of spherical bales.”
He stated that when farmers feed hay to livestock, most vitamins cross by way of the animal and might develop into fertilizer for future forage development.
“How and the place you feed the hay makes all of the distinction on this course of,” he stated. “Vitamins must be returned or recycled to farm areas that may successfully use them. In the event you lose vitamins earlier than that happens or unfold these vitamins out on already-high fertility areas, you lose a lot of the potential nutrient advantages. So now we have to consider feeding hay as an general nutrient movement—exporting vitamins from hayfields and importing vitamins wherever you feed hay.”
For the examine, producers place bales out on pasture after which arrange short-term electrical fencing to restrict cattle entry to the bales. Every time the farmer strikes the fence, the cattle transfer to a brand new space with new bales, and probably stockpiled pasture, normally 30-90 toes from the earlier fenced space.
“They’ll repeat this course of each one to seven days,” Halich stated. “If farmers correctly plan, they will not have to make use of a tractor for months at a time and vitamins might be deposited the place they’re wanted. An additional advantage is that cattle will keep away from mud issues so typical of typical hay feeding.”
Lowering mud issues for cattle is critical. Mud causes cattle to expend extra power to stroll by way of the pasture and it additionally muffins on the animal’s disguise and reduces its insulation functionality. Halich stated each of these issues create a situation that raises the animal’s power necessities when it is important to take care of physique situation.
The examine started this previous winter. UK School of Agriculture, Meals And Atmosphere specialists labored with Mike Wilson in Anderson County and Josh and Melissa Ballard in Shelby County. Halich’s crew will acquire soil and forage knowledge for the following three years after every pasture has been bale-grazed.
Josh and Melissa Ballard have been bale grazing earlier than the venture and imagine it is a wonderful instrument to extend soil biology, pasture fertility and management mud.
“These of us who’ve been utilizing bale grazing know that it really works, however we’re excited to see the outcomes of the examine,” Josh stated. “Bale grazing is the one instrument I’ve discovered that may flip a worn-out, broom sedge-filled pasture round with out spending a dime. We spent three to 4 hours setting hay out in December and did not want a tractor the remainder of the winter. In the summertime, once we flip cows out right into a discipline that was bale grazed, the cattle instantly go to areas the place they have been fed hay. It does one thing to make the grass higher; even the cows know.”
Years in the past, Wilson was reluctant to undertake bale grazing. However then he noticed the way it labored on one other Kentucky farm and determined to strive it, supporting Halich’s ‘seeing is believing’ assertion.
“I’d add that it additionally provides natural matter to your fields, which helps retain moisture,” Wilson stated.
The crew will add collaborating farms in every of the following three winters. Halich stated in 12 months 4 of the venture, they are going to swap the main focus from knowledge assortment to demonstration farms that spotlight the method and outcomes of bale grazing to different farmers.
The NRCS hosted a national-level assembly for its employees in early 2023 the place Halich offered on bale grazing. Based mostly on that presentation, the NRCS realized the bale grazing necessities for his or her Environmental High quality Incentives Program funding required farmers to feed hay at far too concentrated charges for situations within the Japanese United States, and they’re now revising this protocol.
“Outcomes from this venture will proceed to assist NRCS officers revise their EQIP protocols and basic wintering suggestions for beef cattle,” Halich stated. “However greater than that, having a community of demonstration farms highlighting this apply will present alternatives to Kentucky cattle farmers to see bale grazing practiced on actual farms with real-world constraints.”
He added that for many farmers, seeing is believing. An hour spent seeing bale grazing on an actual farm of their group is value a dozen displays or articles.
“That is how most actual change happens: seeing a brand new apply on an precise farm and having the ability to see the outcomes and having the ability to speak to the farmer,” he stated.
Halich’s crew in Kentucky consists of UK Agricultural Economics Extension Affiliate Samantha Kindred, UK Division of Animal and Meals Sciences Beef Specialist Jeff Lehmkuhler and UK Division of Plant and Soil Sciences Extension Professor Ray Smith, Forage Technician Gabriel Roberts and retired Anderson County Agriculture and Pure Assets Extension Agent Tommy Yankey.
“Bale grazing isn’t for everybody,” Halich added. “It takes good administration, affordable stocking charges, cattle that respect electrical fencing, and probably most significantly, being prepared to strive one thing new. The advantages, nevertheless, may be nice—lush, high-fertility pastures, zero industrial fertilizer bills, lowered equipment and labor prices, and lowered well being issues throughout winter feeding.”
