Rotational Grazing | Bailey’s Bit About Nutrition

Rotational Grazing 
More than one-quarter of the Midwest’s agricultural land is in some form of pasture. Rotational grazing is where one part of the pasture is grazed at a time, while the remainder pastures “rest”. Resting grazed paddocks allows forage plants to renew energy reserves, rebuild vigor, deepen their roots system, and give long-term maximum production. Below is the relationship between the number of paddocks and the rest period per acre.For optimum production, pastures should be grazed about a week before the grass heads out (goes …

Salt Benefits for Cattle | Bailey’s Bit About Nutrition

How Salt Benefits Cattle Nutrition
Salt is Sodium Chloride (NaCl). This mineral has a ton of benefits to cattle nutrition. One benefit is that salt helps cattle maintain normal appetite and body weight, as well as increasing feed consumption and weight gain. Sodium and Chloride aid in proper nervous and muscle functions, body pH regulation and water retention. Cattle on salt mixtures drink 50 to 75% more water than normal or approximately 5 gallons of additional water for each pound of salt.

Feeding Kelp to your Herd | Bailey’s Bit About Nutrition

Why feed kelp to your herd?
Kelp is a natural feed supplement that is packed full of bioavailable minerals and vitamins. Feeding cattle kelp is a great way to fill in trace mineral deficiencies. Kelp also has a great source of iodine, which can support thyroid and metabolic health. The benefits of feeding kelp to the herd include improved reproduction health, improved calf development, and preventing disease. Kelp enhances cattle performance in many ways. It includes selenium and zinc, which supports breed back.

Living with Lower Prices and Increased Costs

Let me start with the good news about today’s dairy markets: It’s time to evaluate. That is exactly what my family is doing on our own farm. What expenses can we eliminate or reduce? On most dairy farms, there are things one can do that won’t negatively affect today’s production (or future production) and cow health. But there are also areas where you can’t skimp.
What are the key things we must do to maintain our farms in the future?