Fall is a transitional time on the cattle farm.  Pastures are often scorched in the late summer heat, but with a little rain our cool-season grasses will again thrive as the temperatures begin to wane, giving our cattle a few more months of fresh, lush grazing before the deep freeze of winter arrives.

 

Autumn is usually a good time to wean calves.  We use the fence-line weaning method, where calves are physically seperated from their mothers so that they cannot suckle, but can still see, smell and nuzzle their mothers through a fence and gates.  This places puts much less stress on the calves than traditional weaning where calves are placed out-of-sight.  It does, however, require a very good fence, which is why we have a special paddock with a heavier-duty fence for weaning.

 

While weaning may seem harsh, it is necessary for the calf, the calf's mother, and for the mother's next calf.  The calf fetus developing in the cow takes large energy reserves from her, and a cow who would have to continue nursing a yearling calf while also coming close to term would begin to lose weight rapidly.  Additionally, all mammal babies depend on antibody-rich colostrum to give their immune systems a jump-start when they are born and colostrum cannot develop in the cow's udder if the mother's previous calf is still nursing.  Thus weaning allows the cow to dry up and recover in preparation for her next calf.  Once the cows dry up and the calves are properly weaned they are returned to the main herd to continue to graze together.

 

Fall is also the time that many commercial grain crops come off the fields and we have found opportunities to take advantage of the empty fields for grazing.  Traditionally crop fields would sit fallow over the winter until planted to another grain crop the following spring, but recent advances in farming methods include the use of "cover crops" which both shelter the soil from erosion and aerate the soil with their roots.  Innovative farmers with livestock have begun to think "why not graze these cover crops?" which is exactly what we have done.

 

Crops that come off very early can have forages such as rye, ryegrass or oats drilled behind the grain crop.  Another method that is still in the experimental stages is using an "interseeder" that can drive through a field of corn or soybeans before it comes off and air-seed cover crops that then germinate after the next rain.  This would give the grazing crop additional time to grow before winter comes.  Cereal grain crops are often harvested in late June or July, and those fields can then be seeded with some interesting mixes of summer annuals like sorghum and sudangrass and even brassica crops like turnips and radishes!  This is an extremely good utilization of land and resourses and leaves the soil in excellent condition with little to no erosion or runoff.  

 

Eventually even these crops will halt their growth as the days grow short and temperatures plummet, and the cattle will then get fed the hay and haylege bales that had been harvested in the spring.  Many of these fall crops will grow again in the spring, where they can then either be grazed or baled and stored.  

 

I hope you've enjoyed reading about the annual cycles of this cow/calf farm and about how we produce such delicious, wholesome beef.  Hopefully you have noticed how little chemicals our cattle come into contact with and how their well-being is always given the top priority.  No grain is ever fed to our cattle.  75% of what they eat is free-grazed with the balance being hay and grass crops that are baled.  None of these forage crops are genetically modified.  If you'd like to purchase some beef please feel free to contact us, and if you're in the area visitors are always welcome, though as it is also the farmer's residence it would be apppreciated if you call first.