Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Preparing to Bale Hay...






Rich said...

Have you ever considered using an Australian technique for improving pastures called pasture cropping?


It is similar to over-seeding a pasture with oats, rye, ryegrass, etc. in early fall to provide winter grazing, but pasture cropping is designed to also allow for the harvest of a grain crop.

Usually a native grass pasture is grazed short with a higher stocking rate in the fall, then something like winter wheat is drilled into the pasture. The wheat is then managed in much the same way as conventionally grown wheat; grazed over the winter and grain harvested in early summer, it can be grown for grain only, it can be grazed-out, or it can be baled.

I have been thinking that I could bale a part of our native pasture, wait till it starts to go dormant in the fall, drill in some wheat, graze it over the winter, harvest the grain, and then immediately start grazing it again like a normal pasture. The next year, a different part of the pasture would be treated in this manner, so that a rotation of hay baling, pasture cropping, and grazing would be started.

It might be worth the effort to “experiment” and plant a small test plot in a portion of your pasture that has been cut for hay. If you can’t get access to a drill, it is possible to plant small grains with a broadcast spreader.

Starting on a small scale and working out all the details associated with pasture cropping winter wheat could eventually lead to being able to grow enough wheat to support a value added venture (whole wheat flour sales, artesian bakery, etc) while still grazing your pastures.

Throwback at Trapper Creek said...

What is an artesian bakery? Does dough come out of the ground?

Sorry I couldn't resist ;)

Rich said...

"...Does dough come out of the ground?..."

Actually, in an artesian bakery the baked goods would come out of the ground, not the unbaked dough.

I meant to type artisanal (stupid spellchecker).

Throwback at Trapper Creek said...

Thanks Rich, for clearing up the dough versus baked goods well.

Water should not be used until it is mature and ready to come out of the ground anyway, so I guess it would be the same for breads and such...

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