At C-BAR-J we strive to get the most from our land, all while trying to make
it better while in our care. We are working towards Holistic management.
We believe the status quo cattle producer cannot remain profitable. We
believe in the cattle working for us, not us for them. Cows live 100% off grass
or they get a free ride to town. Low inputs. We consider ourselves “Herd
Quitters” as we do things different than most. We do not base our practices
on “we have always done it that way”
We calve in May and June (Spring herd), more in sync with nature, rather
than the middle of winter. Look at when the deer and other animals have
babies. (our Fall herd calves in Sept.)
We practice managed Intensive grazing (MIG) We provide our cattle with
enough grass for 24 hrs at a time. Thus, we move them onto fresh grass each
and every day. Horses our rotated on a weekly basis. This gets the animals
away from their manure which reduces flies and other insects. This also allows
the pastures to rest for a minimum of 60 days before being grazed again.
The following will explain our setup and a few of our practices.
East side of the farm (42 grazing acres) is split into (8) 5 acre paddocks, further reduced to
2.5 acre paddocks using poly rope. Water tanks are placed in the fence line. Aisle way down
the middle to rotate the herd, being able to easily by pass a paddock. The aisle way is an
easy way to bring the herd up to the working facilities. Fence consists of 5 strand barbed
wire.
The West side (30 grazing acres) of the farm is divided into (5) 5 acre paddocks
w/ an energy free waterer in the center of each pasture. This side also includes
approx 3 acre stocked lake and 6 acres around the lake in which we have planted
pollinating forbs. We have planted several fruit and nut trees as well.
The North Farm (35 grazing acres) consist of (17) 2 acre paddocks. We utilized water blocks
consisting of concrete tanks. Interior fence consist of single strand hi-tensile wire and pasture
pro post. Exterior fence is 5 strand hi-tensile and powerflex G2 post. Really enjoy grazing this
system. We incorporated an aisle way into this system as well.
Ritchey CT-2 energy free waterer. I really like the disc
for a few reasons. They keep the water cool in the
summer, they also keep any bugs/ mosquitoes out.
We fence line wean. In other paddocks we use a single
hot wire. When weaning in these pasture I like that
momma and babies can drink from the same tank, also
the water is already in the right location, nothing
additional has to be done.
We really like aisle ways. We use
them to rotate the herd. We are able
to skip a paddock as needed. Makes it
simple to bring the herd up to the
facilities. A common misconception is
that this is wasted. Not true! We
figure all aisle ways into our rotation.
We graze all grass.
“If you have
Live stock,
you’ll have
Dead stock”
To prevent ground water contamination and/or putting possible disease into the
soil, we have chosen to compost our dead animals. Most recent we put in a 1100lb
horse. 8 months later, just the leg bones remained.
We compost our horse manure. We typically spread it on the pastures twice a year.
We let the pile heat up for a few weeks before turning it, to ensure we kill any weed
seeds that may have been in the hay. The heat also kills any fly eggs.
Provide a base of at least 1-2 feet of co-compost material (2 feet for an adult large animal),
put the carcass on it, perhaps wet the carcass slightly if it and the co-compost are very dry,
cover so there is another 1-2 feet of co-compost over the carcass and wet that slightly if
needed. If there is leaching of fluids from the pile, it needed a deeper base, was too wet, or
too much water was used. Confine and absorb these leaching fluids with other co-compost
and then put this mix into a composting pile. If odors are escaping, a deeper coverage with
the co-compost may resolve that problem. But, the pile or windrow may be too wet inside
or the co-compost may not have provided enough carbon.
It is usually considered best to puncture the rumen and to open the thoracic and abdominal
cavities of large carcasses. This will increase the surface contact area and speed up the
decomposition and composting process. But, some producers have had good success with
no carcass preparation. The carcass has just been laid on the co-compost pile and covered.
That is certainly the easiest method.
The site for composting should be accessible, even in wet weather, and provide rather level
ground to avoid an influx or an outflow of water from precipitation. A hard surface such as
concrete or asphalt is ideal but not essential. A plastic cover can be placed over the ground
and under the composting site, but this plastic may complicate the turning of the pile or
windrow. The hard surface or plastic liner may be essential and required in areas with high
water tables to prevent leaching into the groundwater.
A three foot long stem thermometer should be used to monitor the progress of the composting process.
The internal temperature of the compost pile is a good indicator of the current biological activity. Take
and record daily temperature measurements at one and three foot depths. The temperature should
reach 135-145o F and stabilize there for a few days to weeks.
Usually the carcass compost pile should be turned after 3-4 months and allowed to continue the
composting process for another 3-4 months. Be sure to get all the animal parts and pieces re-covered.
Then the compost should be ready to apply to land and work into the soil. Any pieces of bone remaining
(even large ones) should be brittle and weak and will usually break apart during the spreading process.
Some of the finished compost can be used in the next cycle of carcass composting as up to 50% of the
co-compost mix.
For successful composting of the carcasses of large animals: Be a good observer willing to adjust and
correct problems.
Use a thermometer and keep records.
Check for fluid leaching and confine and absorb it with co-compost material.
Check for odors and if present, add more co-compost or water, or dry out the pile with aeration, if
needed.
If necessary, re-start the whole process with a different type, quantity or wetness of the co-compost
material to get the odor, flies and leaching under control.
An excellent guide on composting in general and with specific information on composting of animal
carcasses is available for purchase : Field Guide to On-Farm Composting. Natural Resource, Agriculture,
and Engineering Service (NRAES) 114, 1999. Cooperative Extension, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, NY,
14853-5701; phone 607-255-7654; Web site: WWW.NRAES.ORG
Our latest experiment, we just started using the fly killer
kover. We feed loose salt in the 3 compartment mineral
feeder. The cover is lined w/ felt on the under side. We fill
the reservoir with mineral oil which in turn saturates the
felt liner. When a cow eats the salt some salt sticks to the
felt and the salt falls into the eyes of the next cow. In theory
this will control pinkeye. (jury is still out) The reservoir can
also be filled with fly rub.
We unroll hay as needed. We find it as
a tool to repair worn areas and a good
way to add fertilizer where needed.
Strip grazing is our preferred method.
We utilize solar chargers for all our electric
fences. This particular energizer is a tru-test
6000. It is a 6j charger w/ a remote control. The
fence can be turned on or off from any where
that you can touch the wire.
For short runs or temporary fences
we like the S20 all in one units by
Gallagher
We recently installed a new grazing
system and we used water blocks for
our watering areas. This allows the
livestock to drink from the same tank
from 4 different paddocks.
Aug 27 1918 is the date in the concrete on this hand dug well. We
took almost 100yr old technology and threw some modern
technology at it, pretty cool if you ask me. The well has about 10’ of
water and it is spring fed. The well recharges at a rate of 1 gpm, and
this was tested during a relatively dry time. We are using an 80 watt
panel with (2) 12v battery linked to make a 24v system. The auger
pump starts at 0 rpm and gradually increases, resulting in very
minimal vibration and low power start up demand. The pump is
currently producing 5 gpm. Currently watering 28 pair, the batteries
are staying charged and the water level only changes a couple of
inches or so.
We retain the majority of our calf crop and sell as
freezer Beef. Mostly grain finished with a few grass
finished. Still have a lot to learn about grass
finishing. The majority of our customers work at
Whiteman AFB. We try to have 2 ready per month.
Stall and pasture boarding is a large part of our operation. At
present we board 34 horses and we have 4 ourselves. We offer
stall boarding, pasture boarding, and foal delivery, just to name a
few things.