Originally released November 16, 2020.
Winter can be the most expensive time to own a cow in the Midwest. As the season changes, five of our staff who also raise beef and dairy cows gathered to share the ways that they’ve found to reduce the cost (and labor) of wintering cattle on their unique operations. All five live in different parts of Minnesota and run pasture-based farms, some raising organic dairy, some grass-fed or grass-finished beef.
While there’s no one-size fits all management style to wintering livestock, the team discusses a variety of practices that have worked for them, including bale grazing, stockpiling perennial pasture to extend the grazing season, and the timing of calving. They’ve also found benefits extending beyond the cost savings of quality winter feed: Doug Voss finds that by bale grazing, he also saves on labor and improves the health of his herd. And farmers certainly don’t need to outwinter their cattle 100% of the time to start seeing the benefits--just making a few changes can show cost savings, a boost to herd health, and improvements in soil biology.
Jared Luhman, SFA Soil Health Lead
Angie Walter, Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship Central Minnesota Education Coordinator
Doug Voss, SFA Grazing Lead
Tyler Carlson, SFA Silvopasture & Agroforestry Lead
Kent Solberg, SFA Senior Technical Advisor
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.
If you enjoy Dirt Rich, consider supporting our work by becoming a member of SFA or donating at www.sfa-mn.org.
72: Farm Marketing & Mindset with Charlotte Smith
71: Shifting Agriculture with Dan Kittredge
70: Building Your Dream Team and Farm with Derek Schmitz
69: Grazing Management, Drought, & the NRCS
68: Dealing with Drought Roundtable
67: What is Farm Profitability?
66: From Farm to SFA and Back
65: The Emerging Farmers Office
64: Grazing Tech - PaddockTrac
63: Business Management at Cedar Crate Farm
62: From Planting to Pack Shed at Cedar Crate Farm
61: What’s on your mind?
60: Consults & Conferences
59: Enchanted Meadows - In Transition
58: Old Farm, New Visions
Revisited: AMPed for Grazing
57: Fundamentals of Adaptive Grazing
56: Get to Know Jonathan Kilpatrick
Revisited: Planting Minnesota Garlic
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