The heat index is 106 too hot to do anything outside! I'm chillin inside looking for something to do so here is a snap shot of whats happening on the farm.
IMO the regenerative practices we have implemented on the farm have been a huge success. We rotate the cows thru every field and around the farm 6-8 times a yr. More in some places. The impact on the fields has been impressive. We have used no herbicides in 3 yrs and no synthetic fertilizer for over 10 yrs...I forget. Yet the fields look and perform better than ever. We have about 80-90 acres of clover and this yr may be the best I have ever seen. Even now with summer in full bloom the red clover and white clovers are still going strong. The arrow leaf and crimson was outstanding. Interestingly there are less weeds and sedges in the field since we started grazing the cattle thru them. The cows eat many of them and I suspect changes in the micro biology of the soil has an impact. The grazing seems to invigorate the clovers .
Just finished planting about 140 acres . Broadcasted cow peas, sunn hemp, buckwheat, and sorghum in about 40 acres of savannah and drilled another 10 acres in a couple fields. Starting late June I began drilling milo { poor mans corn } in about 25 acres of clover field and 70 acres of sorghum in the remaining clover fields. Much of the milo was planted in smaller hunting fields and once gone to seed in about 60 days I'll graze it then plant back to small grains for the season. Be a great energy/carbohydrate fix for the deer as they get ready for the rigors of winter. { A dove may show up also } The sorghum was planted in the bigger fields for winter stockpile grazing by the cattle. we will graze it when it gets about a couple feet tall then leave it alone till winter grazing. Should get 6-8' tall. With summer heat and drier weather the clover fields start thinning and going dormant late summer. Planting these grasses in the fields initially provide a little shade prolonging clover growth plus
they do a great job of managing weeds. Then the cattle pound them in the winter which lights up the fields for spring. Clovers come back starting late winter early spring. Cool system.
I'm very happy with the Savannah's we created. They are not only beautiful but the deer love them.To clear the savannah last yr I used a dozer and stump grinder. This yr. I'm trying to bring a forest Mulcher in to do the job where hurricane Laura left large openings in the woods. In the big picture I believe I only need enough woods for security, escape cover , thermal protection, avoiding social stress, and beauty. The savannah are far more productive nutritionally. By growing taller grasses like sorghum and sunn hemp along with other legumes they are an amazing wildlife habitat with the deer feeling very comfortable in them.
Been feeding pellets since Feb. We had a very wet spring early summer with lush growth everywhere so consumption has been slow. However it turned on in June . Even with all the crops around we are feeding about 800 lbs. week now and I won't be surprised to see that increase. Trying a new feed which I'm excited about. TBD.
I'll do a video later this summer as the summer plantings start to express.
That would be a lovely addition to your ranch.
