What's a grass farmer?
Thunderstorm rolling into our grass fed steer finishing pasture during Hurricane Hanna.
We’re focused on grass - Not the kind that’s trying to be legalized in states all across the country. We’re focused on the grass in our pastures that gets converted into delicious beef. Producing the best grass fed beef available is priority #1. Does that make us cattle ranchers? Yes, but these days we feel like we’re equal parts rancher and farmer - grass farmer.
When we finish steers without a finishing ration, forage quality becomes a major issue. In other words, if we can’t feed our steers, our grass better be doing some great work! Brush control is a constant battle and we continue to fight it with help from our friends at Lazy B Ag Management. After we finally got our heads above water in regards to all the huisache and mesquite, we began to do some weed control. Weed control alone does wonders for native grasses by removing the competition for water and nutrients which lets the grass take over. The first photo is of our “finishing” pasture after a couple years of weed control efforts. The grass is really taking over.
This second photo is of a “growing” pasture where we are letting the younger steers grow and get ready to be moved to finish out. As you can see, it’s covered in dove weed and other weed species that consume nutrients and compete with the grass for water. This photo was taken during the same time of year and has roughly the same amount of rainfall. The primary difference is that we have done no weed control efforts on this pasture. (don’t worry, there’s plenty of room and the steers have plenty to eat)
A growing pasture with more weeds than grass.
What’s next?
We’ll be adding fertilizer to our pasture management soon. First, we mechanically removed much of the brush. Then, we sprayed a mix that targets huisache and mesquite. After that we began weed control. Finally our friends at Lazy B will be helping us add fertilizer to our annual routine.
Soil health is most important. Healthy soil yields healthy grass. Strong healthy grass yields fat, delicious cattle. We got core samples to know what to apply and are planning to begin this coming year.
Remember
Rain fall is SO important. But, if our pastures aren’t properly prepared, they can’t utilize the rain fall as well as they could. So we’re working hard to be rain-ready.
Being rain-ready takes time. This process took several years and will continue to require annual management efforts. However, soil health is important for our steers, the wildlife and even the health of our business for future generations. So, we’re enjoying our new role as a grass farmer!