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There was a good article in Acres USA last month on Cheyenne and his grass based Holstein herd. I really liked it since I milk Holsteins and am working toward grass based. Like he says in the article its not the breed so much as the body type.

Russ

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I do think it's possible with any breed. I started with AI Holsteins

and went from grazing and feeding cob corn, then oats, to no grain. My

cows were big (1400 -1500 lbs.) and the older ones still are, but the

new generations are looking like they may not get quite as large. They

are shorter and more compact.

Within any breed there are those cows with the right conformation to

work well on grass. I like to have a huge barrel (rumen) on my cows so

they can eat lots of grass. The funny thing is, most all of my cows

were profitable and did quite well so I still believe if you give them

the right pasture nearly any cow can work. Some just don't last as

long, and they do tend to be the more dairy animals. I still have some

very " dairy " animals in my herd and they do quite well. That may be

because of the way I graze. Much taller pasture, annuals to fill in

the voids and extend the season, and fertility inputs to improve the

nutrient density of the forage they eat.

I believe the nutrient levels of the feed the cows eat may be one of

the most limiting factors of eliminating grain. It takes good feed and

fiber (taller grass) to make a cow work right. I've fed kelp free

choice for about 10 years so that may have helped cover up some of the

nutrient deficiencies in the early years. Another piece may be eating

what grows on the farm. I had to buy a lot of hay last year because of

the extreme drought we had last summer. I seldom ever have found hay

the cows like as well as my own and they sure didn't milk very well on

it. This is the first time I can ever remember having any thin cows,

but there are a few this spring. That will clear up quickly if the

grass will ever grow. I'm giving them some grass in the day and hay at

night to slow things down. Too much protein does more damage than any

other factor. Hopefully we can get on full grass shortly, but I want

some height before I do that.

Cheyenne

>

> There was a good article in Acres USA last month on Cheyenne

and his grass based Holstein herd. I really liked it since I milk

Holsteins and am working toward grass based. Like he says in the

article its not the breed so much as the body type.

> Russ

>

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Share on other sites

Guest guest

I do think it's possible with any breed. I started with AI Holsteins

and went from grazing and feeding cob corn, then oats, to no grain. My

cows were big (1400 -1500 lbs.) and the older ones still are, but the

new generations are looking like they may not get quite as large. They

are shorter and more compact.

Within any breed there are those cows with the right conformation to

work well on grass. I like to have a huge barrel (rumen) on my cows so

they can eat lots of grass. The funny thing is, most all of my cows

were profitable and did quite well so I still believe if you give them

the right pasture nearly any cow can work. Some just don't last as

long, and they do tend to be the more dairy animals. I still have some

very " dairy " animals in my herd and they do quite well. That may be

because of the way I graze. Much taller pasture, annuals to fill in

the voids and extend the season, and fertility inputs to improve the

nutrient density of the forage they eat.

I believe the nutrient levels of the feed the cows eat may be one of

the most limiting factors of eliminating grain. It takes good feed and

fiber (taller grass) to make a cow work right. I've fed kelp free

choice for about 10 years so that may have helped cover up some of the

nutrient deficiencies in the early years. Another piece may be eating

what grows on the farm. I had to buy a lot of hay last year because of

the extreme drought we had last summer. I seldom ever have found hay

the cows like as well as my own and they sure didn't milk very well on

it. This is the first time I can ever remember having any thin cows,

but there are a few this spring. That will clear up quickly if the

grass will ever grow. I'm giving them some grass in the day and hay at

night to slow things down. Too much protein does more damage than any

other factor. Hopefully we can get on full grass shortly, but I want

some height before I do that.

Cheyenne

>

> There was a good article in Acres USA last month on Cheyenne

and his grass based Holstein herd. I really liked it since I milk

Holsteins and am working toward grass based. Like he says in the

article its not the breed so much as the body type.

> Russ

>

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