Grazing

Grazing cover crops can be a very profitable enterprise for cover crop users who are willing to do the management. This topic provides strategies for cover crop grazing and real-world examples with farmers and ranchers who are making the practice work on their farm. Grazing cover crops has the potential to improve not only animal health but soil health as well.

ARTICLES

Gaska's-cattle-Feature.jpg
Soil Health

Raising Cattle to Feed Grain

Cover crop rotation paired with grazing system completes no-tiller’s holy grail of soil health.
Jeff Gaska’s first time experimenting with cover crops came when he decided to frost seed clover into winter wheat.
Read More
SCOTT2.jpg

Direct Use of Cover Crops Boosts Beef Production

While cover crop discussions usually hover around soil health & managing residue in row crops, many graziers realize profitable returns from using covers as high-quality forage.
In 2015, Jack Gorczyca retired from his 33-year career as an ag teacher, bought a Case 550 dozer and set about preparing 160 acres of hilly, timbered land as the basis of a full-time cattle operation.
Read More

Grazing Cover Crops with Spring in Full Force

Calves, robins, geese, vultures… all signs confirming spring’s arrival in Iowa. The green up can feel like it arrived in hours, and it really is changing by the hour. Rye is among the first species to break winter dormancy and grows when temperatures reach 38 degrees F. While how fast the growth comes depends on multiple factors like growing degree days and moisture, in general, triticale and wheat tend to lag behind rye about two weeks.
Read More
Thompson3_GrazingCovers-1.jpg

Grazing Specialist Gives Tips for Grazing Cover Crops & Annual Forages

No matter what type of grazing livestock you have, you likely have experienced time frames when you wished you had more forage available, especially during the summer slump period to help extend the grazing season. Having more forage available to graze or mechanically harvest helps to balance out dry matter needs and reduces the need to purchase additional forage.
Read More

Rethinking Crop Rotations to Utilize Cover Crops as Annual Forages

7th generation dairy farmer shares tips for increasing cover crop efficiency, choosing cover crop species & striving for efficient harvest management.
Daniel Olson has been trying to incorporate cover crops into his Lena, Wis., dairy farm for several years. There is a lot of trial and error that comes with the process, but he says there’s one main thing that has helped him start to have some success.
Read More

EVENTS

Live

2023 National Strip-Tillage Conference

8/3/23 7:00 am to 8/4/23 11:59 pm CST
Bloomington-Normal Marriott & Conference Center
201 Broadway St
Normal, IL
United States

Discover 2-days of cutting-edge ideas, techniques and strategies in Bloomington-Normal, IL, August 3-4, 2023. Join the most innovative, forward-thinking minds in strip-till to raise your level of strip-till profitability, efficiency and efficacy.

Read More

Live

2024 National No-Tillage Conference

1/9/24 8:00 am to 1/12/24 12:00 pm EST
Indianapolis Marriott Downtown
350 W Maryland St
Indianapolis, IN
United States
For more than a quarter of a century, the National No-Tillage Conference has been providing the practical tips and information you need to run a more successful no-till operation. In our 32nd year, we’re ready to do it again as our event takes place in Indianapolis, Indiana, January 9-12, 2024! Read More
StripTillageConference_blue_4c_Date-2023_working-1.png

The National Strip-Tillage Conference returns August 3-4, 2023! Build and refine your strip-till system with dozens of new ideas and connections at the 10th anniversary National Strip-Tillage Conference in Bloomington, Ill., Aug. 3-4, 2023. Experience an energizing 2-day agenda featuring inspiring general session speakers, expert-led Strip-Till Classrooms and collaborative Strip-Till Roundtables. Plus, Certified Crop Adviser credits will be offered.

Learn More

Top Articles

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

View More

Get all things Cover Crop all the time!

Start Your Membership