Pasture management is dependent on three basic areas of animal control:

1. Control of the area to be grazed.
2. Control of the number of animals to be grazed.
3. Control of the grazing time.

These three controls are fundamental to any pasture management programme.

Control of the area to be grazed
Control of a grazing area is achieved economically with Gallagher power fence systems, using either permanent or portable fences. Fencing allows specific areas of pasture to be grazed, while ensuring other pasture areas rest and re-grow.

When a pasture is rested, the plants " tiller " or produce leafy shoots from the base of the plant. Tillering produces high quality, palatable pasture. To encourage these shoots to grow, regular but controlled grazing is required.

Control of the number of animal numbers to be grazed
This control factor determines the stocking density of the grazing area. The stocking density is the number of animals in a given grazing area for a stated point of time. Stocking density determines how efficiently the available pasture is grazed.

Control of the grazing time 
Control of the grazing time, determines the annual production of the pasture area. It is important that the plants are not grazed down too low, as the leaves are required for the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is vital for the plant itself to grow and feed its own root system. Good root reserves are needed to provide healthy tillering and leaf growth.

Pasture that is maintained at the tillering stage is young, lush, green pasture with high protein and high energy levels.

Farm animals have a very acute sense of taste and smell and will only eat pasture 4-6 weeks after dung and urine have been deposited.

Subdivision with high stocking density of pasture ensures animal manure is spread more evenly over the whole grazing area.

To achieve quality pasture rotational/controlled grazing is the preferred grazing method. Rotational/controlled grazing involves grazing paddocks in rotation by shifting the power fence regularly to allow the stock an allocated ration. The stock are contained by both a front and a back fence. The back fence protects the recently-grazed area to allow it to recover so it can be grazed again at a later stage.

Set stocking can also be used to successfully manage pastures, however, care must be taken to achieve the right balance between the number of animals contained in a grazing area and the length of grazing time. The grazing area or paddocks generally vary in size. Set stocking should be done for each, individual paddock. Large paddocks, can be fenced off into smaller more manageable grazing areas, with a portable power fence.

You’ve got a couple tomato plants, you regularly visit the farmer’s market and you’re ready for theat next step in the locally grown, organic food movement. What could be better than fresh eggs from your own back yard?

But the commitment of purchasing chickens, building a coop and more could ruffle the feathers of any suburbanite. That’s where RentACoop comes in.

“We wanted to educate people and help create new, modern farmers,” says co-founder Diana Samata ’09, who started the company with boyfriend Tyler Phillips (above).

Families can rent hens or chicks for four weeks for $180, giving them a chance to bond with the birds, eat fresh eggs and decide whether to bring a feathered friend permanently into (or, more accurately, outside of) their homes.

Featured in The Washington Post, “CBS Sunday Morning” and lots of local media, RentACoop has grown to include customers in New York and Connecticut since its creation two and a half years ago. It started, unfortunately, because of some headless chickens.

Samata and Phillips had been helping out with his parents’ mobile petting zoo, Squeals on Wheels, when one night, a raccoon reached a paw into the commercially manufactured coop and ripped the heads off of several unlucky tenants.

Phillips’ mom, who considered the chickens like family pets, was devastated. She asked her son to make a safer coop that could keep out raccoons, foxes and coyotes. After doing that, he and Samata started selling and renting more coops on Craigslist. Then they realized they could offer the whole package.

Today, their hen rentals include two chickens, a predator-proof coop, organic feed and pine shavings for bedding, as well as a chicken care pamphlet.

They’ve improved the coop design many times, and it now fits easily into a minivan if the back seats are removed. The 6.5-feet-long coop, usually made from recycled wood, includes an area to graze on grass and bugs, an enclosed upper section to lay eggs in and a “basement” for resting in the shade. They recommend letting the chickens out for supervised grazing each day, but if it’s not possible—like for one couple in a D.C. rowhouse—the chickens are fine staying in the coop.

These fluffy little creatures are curious enough to follow you around to get some fruity treats and friendly enough to be picked up and tucked under your arm—just like a pet dog or cat. That’s why about 90 percent of RentACoop customers have children, Samata says.

Terry Kettler, who rented chickens last fall, says they’re “hysterical. They have so much personality.” Her family, especially her three young daughters, ended up loving the hens so much—the girls like to swing with them in their laps—they purchased four.

Samata and Phillips also started a chick-hatching program last fall. Customers get two chicks, seven eggs in an incubator that automatically turns them, a specialized light to see inside the eggs, as well as feed, bedding and a cage. Since the eggs won’t hatch for three weeks, families can take care of the two chicks and watch them grow as they wait for the rest to hatch.

They’re working with local schools and daycare programs to introduce chicks in the classrooms (Kettler is sponsoring programs in eight classes, including her daughters’, at Potomac Elementary School this fall) instilling an early appreciation for the furry and fluffy in children.

“I’ve always connected with animals,” says the Romanian-born Samata. She spent summers visiting family there, often playing with ducks and chickens.

Animals—and her boyfriend—helped her get through a yearlong treatment for Hepatitis C, a chronic liver disease, after she graduated from Maryland. It left her drained and disconnected from many of her friends. She worked sporadically when she had the energy, teaching ballet to little kids and working part-time at her dad’s company.

Phillips, who had been her friend for several years, was “very supportive during a very hard time in my life,” she says. They started dating, which led to Samata doing administrative work for the petting zoo. Being back around the animals “helped me step by step to get back into the world,” she says.

Though RentACoop was profitable last year, it’s not making enough to support the couple yet. Samata still teaches part-time, and they’re looking to move their operations out of Phillips’ parents’ back yard in Potomac so they can hire more workers and expand the company. He currently builds every coop by hand, and there’s only one employee to help with all the cleaning and feeding.

Samata is planning to return to school to get her M.B.A. and envisions taking RentACoop nationwide.

“We’re part of the movement to be more green, more organic,” she says. “We want to be everywhere.”

Amazing Grazing kicks off its second year of programming with a comprehensive, two-day workshop led by Dr. Jim Gerrish focusing on pasture-based sheep and goat production and marketing.   Join Dr. Jim Gerrish--a well-known and respected sheep rancher, researcher and grazing educator who co-founded the Missouri Grazing School--on August 15-16 for "Management of Sheep and Goats for Grazing, Herd Health, Performance and Profitability." According to Dr. Gerrish, "Sheep and goats offer opportunities for landowners as alternatives to raising cattle. Greater production efficiencies, niche market values, and ease of handling make sheep and goats particularly attractive for smaller acreages. Managing smaller ruminants does require a different skill set than cattle, and they require more attention to the details of management."   This workshop will cover topics including: grazing practices for parasite management; fence and stock water development for ease of grazing; extending the grazing season; selecting the optimal season for lambing/kidding direct marketing and more Dr. Brian Faris, head of KSU Animal Science Department Sheep and Goats and the newly built small ruminant facility, will join the Manhattan small ruminant workshop. Faris was raised in Texas and will share a wealth of knowledge and experience in the sheep and goat industry. The workshop will include a tour of the new facility; where a hands-on workshop for producers to learn small animal health management techniques will be held later in the fall. Click on a link below to learn more or to register.

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We encourage ranchers of all sizes to attend as you will learn valuable grazing information and management skills that will improve production and profitability of your livestock enterprise. Please feel free to contact Mary if you have any questions about the event or how to register.   We look forward to seeing you in Manhattan!   Sincerely,   Mary Howell Kansas Farmers Union & Kansas Graziers Association kfu.mary@gmail.com 785-562-8726

SAVE $10 with Early Bird Registration!   Ends TOMORROW, July 31! Amazing Grazing kicks off its second year of programming with a comprehensive, two-day workshop led by Dr. Jim Gerrish focusing on year round and winter grazing for cattle.   Join Dr. Jim Gerrish--a well-known and respected rancher, researcher and grazing educator who co-founded the Missouri Grazing School--on August 13-14 for "Ranch Management for Successful Winter and Year Round Grazing of Beef Cattle." "Winter feed costs are generally the biggest determinant of profitability in the cow-calf business, but they don't have to be.  This workshop will get you well down the road to planning for and implementing year-round grazing on your farm or ranch," says Jim.  Gerrish encourages ranchers to "throw off the hay addiction shackles of iron and oil and feel the freedom of grazing in the grass." We will explore alternatives for extending the grazing season in different environments, effectively grazing winter range and pasture, as well as livestock selection and management to make sure the cows work for you, rather than you working for your cows! Click on the links below to learn more or to register.

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Topics to be covered include: extending the grazing season, managing and planning for successful winter grazing including nutritional requirements, using winter annuals, effectively utilizing winter pastures for animal performance, managing animal costs, and how calving date effects profitability. We encourage ranchers of all sizes to attend as you will learn valuable grazing information and management skills that will improve production and profitability of your  livestock enterprise. Please feel free to contact Mary if you have any questions about the event or how to register.   We look forward to seeing you in Topeka!

by: Glenn Selk
Oklahoma State University Professor Emeritus

Understanding and avoiding heat stress in cattle can be a valuable management tool for summertime in Oklahoma. According to the 1997 Oklahoma Climatological Survey most areas of Oklahoma have 10 or more days each year above 100 degrees and 70 or more days with high temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that most cow/calf operations will be working cattle on days when heat stress to cattle is possible. Cattle have an upper critical temperature approximately 20 degrees cooler than humans. When humans are uncomfortable at 80 degrees and feel hot at 90 degrees, cattle may well be in the danger zone for extreme heat stress. Humidity is an additional stressor that intensifies the heat by making body heat dissipation more difficult.

Over heating is sporadically encountered in cattle, but is really a rare problem. High humidity contributes to the likelihood of heat stroke or prostration because water evaporation from the oral and nasal cavities is decreased, in spite of rapid panting. At an environmental temperature of about 88 degrees, heat dissipation mechanisms such as sweating and evaporative cooling must take place to prevent a rise in body temperature. Sweat gland activity in cattle increases as the temperature goes above the thermoneutral zone. Panting is an important heat regulatory device in cattle.

The signs of overheating may develop suddenly and depend upon the environmental conditions -- and the health of the cattle exposed to the heat. Panting often occurs at rectal temperatures at or above 104 degrees F, but may begin even at lower body temperatures. Some animals manifest restlessness, excitement, and spasms of certain muscles. However, other animals may be dull and depressed. A protruding tongue may be covered with saliva, and frothy mucus discharged at the nostrils. Rectal temperatures of overheated cattle have ranged as high as 107 to 115 degrees F.

Overheating in cattle can be prevented under most management conditions. Allowing animals access to cool water and mineral supplements is a must in very hot summer weather. Shade and free air circulation should be provided if at all possible. Avoid working cattle during very hot parts of the day. Very excitable cattle will be even more prone to heat stress if handled at high environmental temperatures. If animals are going to have limited access to water under stressful conditions such as shipping by truck or trailer, they should be allowed water prior to further stressful situations.

If weaning calls for cattle to be gathered and put through a working chute for immunizations, implanting, or other operations, then a few common sense rules should be followed.

1) During hot weather, cattle should be worked before 8 am, if possible. Certainly all cattle working must be complete by about 10 am. While it may seem to make sense to work cattle after sun down, they will need most of the night cooling before enough heat is dissipated to cool down from an extremely hot day. Recent research at Oklahoma State University with rumen temperature boluses has shown that the core body temperature of beef cows peaks at two to five hours after the highest daytime temperature. On a hot summer day the highest daytime temperature is often late afternoon. Therefore the peak body temperature of cattle may occur at 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Source: Pye, Boehrner, and Wettemann. 2011 Page 104; Abstract 285 http:/ /adsa.asas.org/midwest/2011/Midwest_Abstracts_2011-revised.pdf.)

2) Cattle that must be handled during hot weather should spend less than 30 minutes in the working facility. Drylot pens and corrals loaded with cattle will have very little if any air movement. Cattle will gain heat constantly while they are in these areas. Therefore a time limit of one-half hour in the confined cattle working area should limit the heat gain and therefore the heat stress.

3) Make every effort to see that cool, fresh, water is available to cattle in close confined areas for any length of time. During hot weather conditions cattle will drink more than one percent of their body weight per hour. Producers need to be certain that the water supply lines are capable of keeping up with demand, if working cattle during hot weather.

It's summertime and that means thunderstorms. Protect your computer from lightning and power surges with a Surge Protector. A good one costs $20 or $30. Don't waste your money on the $8 ones even though they are labeled "surge arrestors" or "protectors". Those glorified extension cords are next to worthless for surge protection. Still a direct lightning strike will blast through a surge protect or "off" switch almost as if it wasn't there at all. Physically unplugging the PC and the phone line from your modem (Dialup or DSL) or your coax cable from your Cable Modem is the only 100% sure method to protect against the worst thunderstorms. But a good surge protector will help against most lightning and routine power problems. You can find hundreds of vendors online.