Author Archives: grasslandrenewal

Recommended planting dates for Tall Fescue are generally September 1 to September 30 in northern (colder) regions of the tall fescue belt, and September 15 to October 15 in central and southern regions.  These dates are ideal and give seedlings plenty of time to establish before freezing weather sets in.  In recent years there haveContinue reading “Timely Tips: October 2024”

October 2024 It has been another eventful month at Triple Creek Ranch.  As usual our calves started coming about 10 days before the due date.  We have been managing the cows to gain condition since we weaned the calves in August.  Most of the cows are in a high 5 or 6 body condition, andContinue reading “Triple Creek Journal: From One Extreme to Another”

Sixteen ninety-two was a bad year in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. The previous spring had been warm and rainy, and the main crop of cereal rye had been harvested during the summer and threshed around Thanksgiving. But during the winter of 1692, young girls started to exhibit a strange, convulsive hysteria. The good townspeopleContinue reading “Witches’ Brew”

Woody Lane is a well known consultant, educator and writer living in Oregon.  Woody has been an independent operator for many years, but also did a stint in academia early in his career.  He has extensive experience working as an advisor to several successful pasture discussion groups in Oregon, and he writes for a varietyContinue reading “Book Review:  Capturing Sunlight, Book 1 and 2”

As I have grown older and wiser I realize that my real calling is as an ecologist. I am a nutritionist by training, and my work in graduate school focused on starch and fiber interactions in the diets of beef and dairy cattle fed total mixed rations. Despite the specialization of my training, I neverContinue reading “Find your proper place in the ecology of your pastures”

Many of you know my friend and colleague Deidre Harmon. Deidre’s favorite question is “what is your favorite forage”? You might think that my favorite is tall fescue, but actually for many years my favorite forage has been Dallisgrass. Dallisgrass is a summer perennial grass that is native to Argentina. At one time it wasContinue reading “Triple Creek Journal: Learning to Live with Dallisgrass”

This is a preview of an article written for the Carolina Cattle Connection which will appear in the October edition.  Dallisgrass (Paspalum dilatatum) is a high quality summer forage that is naturalized across the Southern and Mid-Atlantic region of the USA.  It is becoming more widespread across the region because of it’s broad adaptation, it’sContinue reading “Managing to Prevent Dallisgrass Staggers”

September is a critical time for Tall Fescue Pasture Renovation. If you don’t have your critical dates set, make decisions and put the dates on your calendar. Specific establishment calendars are available for most states on the Alliance website, or from your local extension agent. For new stands to be planted this fall it isContinue reading “September Tall Fescue Pasture Renovation Tips”

August is a key time to be planning for stockpiling forage for winter grazing, either in fescue or bermudagrass-based systems. It seems like a long time to winter, but spending time now thinking through what you need to purchase, and how daily management will impact your ultimate forage yields is critical if you want toContinue reading “August is time to prepare fields for stockpiling”

The process begins on July the 1st when the fescue grass seed fields are mature enough to swath. The fields are swathed at night when there is dew on the grass to prevent seed loss, farmers will often work all night during this time of year. The grass will lay in windrows for approximately aContinue reading “The Estancia Journey: From Production Field to Kentucky Horse Pasture”