Pasture Renovation Options

Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator Athens County, Buckeye Hills EERA

At the March kick-off meeting for the Athens area grazing council, some cattle owners talked about the beating some of their pastures have taken this winter. Cattle on pastures in wet, muddy winters can destroy a sod base. What are the options for these pastures? Well, I’m guessing that any experienced cattleman and grazier knows the answer, but there is something in human nature that compels us to ask anyway, just in case there is that new thing that will allow us to have our cake and eat it too. So, unless I have missed it, there is not a silver bullet or easy solution to this question. It comes down to Continue reading

Posted in Pasture

Calving Ease: A Trait We Can All Agree On!

John F. Grimes, OSU Extension Beef Coordinator

Spring is a very exciting time of year on the farm as it is a season of renewal. It is the beginning of a new crop year and the anticipation of planting this year’s grain crop. Pastures and hay fields are beginning to “green up” and will soon see rapid growth as temperatures increase. For the beef cow-calf producer, it may be the most exciting time of the year as we see the results of months of planning and anticipation of the new calf crop that is on the ground or soon to arrive.

One of the great strengths (and inherent weaknesses) of the beef industry in this country is the amount of genetic Continue reading