Cow - Calf Testimonials

 
William Sanders

William O. (Bill) Sanders of Goshen, Alabama planted his first field of alfalfa in the fall of 1997.  He seeded two varieties, Alfagraze and AmeriGraze 702.  The varieties were planted in side by side strips and the field was divided into three paddocks of equal size.  This allowed him to evaluate each variety and set up the fields to make intensive grazing work easily.  The alfalfa has been used almost exclusively for creep grazing nursing beef calves.

Results: Weaned calves weighed 60-80 pounds more at the end of the grazing season than with any previous grazing crop. The cows get access only to the alfalfa as a clean-up crew following the calves.  With the long growing season, he was able to get five grazing ‘turns’ most years plus aftermath grazing most of the winter.

The beef herd consisted originally of 30 beef cows and calves.   By the fall of 1999, he enlarged the herd to 45 cows.
Will he plant more alfalfa for grazing in the future?  "As I can find the land on this farm that is suitable for alfalfa, you bet we will", he says.

Brian Hatfield

Brian Hatfield seeded his first field of Alfagraze in the fall of 1991 and the spring of 1992. Brian’s farm is near Big Clifty, KY.  All or nearly all of his land is rolling and lends itself primarily to grazing and hay production.  Mostly, his interest is in pastures that he harvests with a beef cow-calf herd now standing at 120 pairs.  By the way, that original field still stands at 65-70 alfalfa stand.

When he started with the Alfagraze, the 80 pair beef cow-calf herd was all he felt comfortable with.  Even though he had been into renovating fescue fields and seeding to clovers, mostly red clover and white clover, he was not able to get the drought resistance and thus summer production and carryover feed necessary to expand the herd.

That’s changed now.  He has grown from the original 5 acres to 52 acres for grazing.  He just introduced AmeriGraze 401+Z in 1998 which he really likes too.   When asked what has grazing alfalfa done for him, he says, "It has removed much of the guess work out of having enough feed for the herd.  It has allowed me to keep my calves to heavier weights as well as expand mature numbers.  In addition to grazing, there is surplus grazing that we harvest for hay.  What a blessing this has been for us during this summer drought of 1999."

 
Ross Tucker

Ross Tuckerhas managed the 465-acre Rockin R Ranch in Treasure Valley near Nampa, Idaho since 1996.   He realized soon after he took over the management of the ranch that it was going to take a lot of forage to feed the 140 cow-calf herd.  He had heard about the new grazing tolerant alfalfa varieties and wanted to give them a try.  He had also heard from reliable sources that these varieties had recorded high hay yields so he decided this was what he was looking for.

In the Spring of 1997, he made his first 80-acre seeding of AmeriGraze 401+Z.  It produced so well that he seeded an additional 125 acres in the spring of 1998.  The 205 acres are supplying sufficient forage for the entire herd.

Now what is the bottom line?  The 140 cows + calves has grown to 190 and calf weights have increased an average 100 pounds at weaning.  The acreage that is cut four times each year averaged 9.75 tons per acre in 1998 and 8.75 tons in 1999.   The remainder of the acreage (105 acres) is grazed 140-150 days a year depending on weather and needs.

Few alfalfa producers in the west grow it for grazing, most for cash hay.   Ross is one of those few.  Why do so few grow it for grazing?  It is not customary.  They feel that alfalfa, when grazed, will kill it, and that the crop is too expensive to grow and be fed to beef cattle and still be profitable.  Ross Tucker at the Rockin R Ranch has put these myths to rest these last two-three years.  Our prediction is that more farmers each year will ‘get the word’ too.

 
John Elliot

John Elliott was the first farmer to seed the new grazing tolerant alfalfa Alfagraze.  It was seeded in March of 1990.  Since then he has increased his acreage of alfalfa for grazing to 74 acres with another 15 acres going in the spring of 2000. 

His cattle program has changed and grown as well as the acres he owns and operates.  He started out with stockers  (60 odd) in 1990, but he switched to beef cow-calf production and his numbers have grown to 180 pairs.  Plus, he keeps the calf crop at weaning in the 450-500 lbs.  range until they reach 800-850.   In 1993, he also expanded his farm acreage from about 400 acres to 700+ acres.

Even though Alfagraze and grazing alfalfa has not been totally responsible for these changes and additions,  he says it has been a major factor.  Here is what he thinks about the crop: 

"Our cow conception rate has greatly improved."  Drought resistance was great especially this summer when he had the driest summer in many years.  "This  alfalfa can be abused terribly (and we had to do that this year) and still come back and grow.  In September after 3 1/2 months of dry weather, our alfalfa really jumped.  Gains and carrying capacity is second to no other mix.  We prefer to use orchardgrass with our alfalfa to help control erosion on our hills and help reduce chance of bloat and better protect the ground from hoof damage.   When we have surplus grazing, and we do, hay yields have been great and the quality is as good as it gets.  Bloat is no problem.  Just a matter of tending to business and not getting silly and trying to graze when the cattle are real hungry or when the forage is extra wet and the weather is unseasonably cool."

The future for grazing alfalfa in his area?  "No question but that this is one of the best opportunities that has come along yet.  I have no reservations about using it and recommending it to others who want to make pastures really perform for them."