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Baymule
Herd Master
Thank you!
Baymule’s Pasture Management (or MISmanagement)
- Thread starter Baymule
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #32
Baymule
Herd Master
Yesterday, May 13, 2025. @Ridgetop told me about a Texas Land Grazers Coalition meeting and pasture walk that would take place on May 13, only 4 miles from their house. I quickly called the lady hosting the event and reserved my spot.
Tuesday! I was up at 4 AM, out the door and gone by 5 AM. 3 hours to @Ridgetop’s house. Got there at 8:00. Knock! Knock! Knock!
The dogs, Hazine and Ozel barked at me, so I went to the fence, talking sweet, they sniffed my hand, Oh, it’s you! They wagged tails and I petted them.
Had a cup of coffee while Ridgetop and her DH got ready. They showed me their cross fence and it is impressive. Ozel wasn’t sure about the jump gate, but Ridgetop coaxed her and she jumped through it. Hazine looked at Ozel with a look that plainly said, Let the dummy do it. I love those girls!
The pasture walk and presentation was only 4 miles from their house. It was held in a big metal building, former tractor and equipment storage for a dairy. The pasture walk was breathtaking, maybe not for most people, but for livestock owners, it was fabulous. The wide variety of plants was fantastic. Deep lush greenery, tall grasses, birds, cattle and sheep. The owner of the property, Julie Mattox, has been developing her land for some years now and it is beautiful.
She showed us the purple Martin houses, I wish I had got a picture of them! Working with the NRCS, to try to discover what is causing their decline, she collects data every 4 days and records it. She’s my age and my goodness! She’s phenomenal! I wanna be her when I grow up!
We went on the pasture walk, following a mowed trail.
Eastern Gamma grass
Brandon Bing, NRCS grazing specialist from the Palestine office. He was talking about soil compaction, water retention and the plants that help the soil.
Forbs and more grass
Ridgetop
We had a delicious ribeye lunch, then more class room speakers and information.
Pictures or it didn’t happen!
They GAVE us books! The first 3 are from the Noble Research Foundation , the fourth book is from NRCS.
Phooey! Got to post the rest on the next post!
Tuesday! I was up at 4 AM, out the door and gone by 5 AM. 3 hours to @Ridgetop’s house. Got there at 8:00. Knock! Knock! Knock!
The dogs, Hazine and Ozel barked at me, so I went to the fence, talking sweet, they sniffed my hand, Oh, it’s you! They wagged tails and I petted them.
Had a cup of coffee while Ridgetop and her DH got ready. They showed me their cross fence and it is impressive. Ozel wasn’t sure about the jump gate, but Ridgetop coaxed her and she jumped through it. Hazine looked at Ozel with a look that plainly said, Let the dummy do it. I love those girls!
The pasture walk and presentation was only 4 miles from their house. It was held in a big metal building, former tractor and equipment storage for a dairy. The pasture walk was breathtaking, maybe not for most people, but for livestock owners, it was fabulous. The wide variety of plants was fantastic. Deep lush greenery, tall grasses, birds, cattle and sheep. The owner of the property, Julie Mattox, has been developing her land for some years now and it is beautiful.
She showed us the purple Martin houses, I wish I had got a picture of them! Working with the NRCS, to try to discover what is causing their decline, she collects data every 4 days and records it. She’s my age and my goodness! She’s phenomenal! I wanna be her when I grow up!
We went on the pasture walk, following a mowed trail.
Eastern Gamma grass
Brandon Bing, NRCS grazing specialist from the Palestine office. He was talking about soil compaction, water retention and the plants that help the soil.
Forbs and more grass
Ridgetop
We had a delicious ribeye lunch, then more class room speakers and information.
Pictures or it didn’t happen!
They GAVE us books! The first 3 are from the Noble Research Foundation , the fourth book is from NRCS.
Phooey! Got to post the rest on the next post!
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #33
Baymule
Herd Master
Books!
From NRCS
From NRCS
- Thread starter
- #34
Baymule
Herd Master
Julie’s farm is immersed in study. She and Brandon take fresh fecal samples from the cattle monthly to send for analysis. When Brandon announced this, I saw a lady in the audience, her face wrinkled up in disgust. I thought to myself, what a loser, scared of a little cow plop!
The manure is DNA tested for what plants the cattle are eating. The study is not completed yet, it is a year long study. Mind blowing on what plants the cattle eat on a seasonal basis. Curly dock is a cool season favorite and very important in the cattle diet. One month, I think it was March, curly dock was 67% of the cattle diet. Plus it is 22% protein. The charts that Brandon put on the screen highlighted the top plants, but he said the “other” catagory contained over 100 plants, which were probably a bite here and there. Dewberry leaves were another important early spring plant. I have tons of dewberry and dock! @Ridgetop is disadvantaged, poor thing, she has no curly dock! That’s ok, I’ll give her seeds because I have lots of it. Plant the weeds!
It was a great experience and presentation. I’m going to be digging into those beautiful books! Lots of color pictures and detailed descriptions.
WHOO-HOOO!!!!!
The manure is DNA tested for what plants the cattle are eating. The study is not completed yet, it is a year long study. Mind blowing on what plants the cattle eat on a seasonal basis. Curly dock is a cool season favorite and very important in the cattle diet. One month, I think it was March, curly dock was 67% of the cattle diet. Plus it is 22% protein. The charts that Brandon put on the screen highlighted the top plants, but he said the “other” catagory contained over 100 plants, which were probably a bite here and there. Dewberry leaves were another important early spring plant. I have tons of dewberry and dock! @Ridgetop is disadvantaged, poor thing, she has no curly dock! That’s ok, I’ll give her seeds because I have lots of it. Plant the weeds!
It was a great experience and presentation. I’m going to be digging into those beautiful books! Lots of color pictures and detailed descriptions.
WHOO-HOOO!!!!!
SageHill
Herd Master
OMG that sounds fantastic!!!! Love what the studies are doing. Wow, wow and WOW. It's kinda similar to what I did/do with my sheep when I take them out - though on a much more grand and scientific scale. The different things they choose to eat and when. WISH we had a seminar like that. I'll have to look around, maybe we do. LOL guess it was good that our land was let go ~15-20 yrs before we bought it - nature did it's own reclamation.
murphysranch
Herd Master
WOW!! I just love science and to have the ability at our age to continue to immerse and learn, is the most perfect way to be. Thank you for the fab pics.
I see vetch! I have it in my yard.Yesterday, May 13, 2025. @Ridgetop told me about a Texas Land Grazers Coalition meeting and pasture walk that would take place on May 13, only 4 miles from their house. I quickly called the lady hosting the event and reserved my spot.
Tuesday! I was up at 4 AM, out the door and gone by 5 AM. 3 hours to @Ridgetop’s house. Got there at 8:00. Knock! Knock! Knock!
The dogs, Hazine and Ozel barked at me, so I went to the fence, talking sweet, they sniffed my hand, Oh, it’s you! They wagged tails and I petted them.
Had a cup of coffee while Ridgetop and her DH got ready. They showed me their cross fence and it is impressive. Ozel wasn’t sure about the jump gate, but Ridgetop coaxed her and she jumped through it. Hazine looked at Ozel with a look that plainly said, Let the dummy do it. I love those girls!
View attachment 118006
View attachment 118007
The pasture walk and presentation was only 4 miles from their house. It was held in a big metal building, former tractor and equipment storage for a dairy. The pasture walk was breathtaking, maybe not for most people, but for livestock owners, it was fabulous. The wide variety of plants was fantastic. Deep lush greenery, tall grasses, birds, cattle and sheep. The owner of the property, Julie Mattox, has been developing her land for some years now and it is beautiful.
She showed us the purple Martin houses, I wish I had got a picture of them! Working with the NRCS, to try to discover what is causing their decline, she collects data every 4 days and records it. She’s my age and my goodness! She’s phenomenal! I wanna be her when I grow up!
We went on the pasture walk, following a mowed trail.
View attachment 118008
Eastern Gamma grass
View attachment 118009
Brandon Bing, NRCS grazing specialist from the Palestine office. He was talking about soil compaction, water retention and the plants that help the soil.
View attachment 118010
Forbs and more grass
View attachment 118011
Ridgetop
View attachment 118012
We had a delicious ribeye lunch, then more class room speakers and information.
Pictures or it didn’t happen!
View attachment 118013
They GAVE us books! The first 3 are from the Noble Research Foundation , the fourth book is from NRCS.
View attachment 118014
View attachment 118015
Phooey! Got to post the rest on the next post!
