Hey Folks,
If you watch a beef carefully, you will see that they are absolute experts at grass management - far better than us "two legged" types!
A cow has an auto-receptor cell structure inside of its teats. This system detects the bacteria in her calf's mouth while it is suckling on his or her mama. The receptor cells send a message to the Cow's brain, that in turn effect her taste buds, driving her to seek out certain plants that will keep her calf healthy.
This was a well known fact in the early years of our county, proven in University research in the early 20th century - but the data was discounted because of pasteurization. Any pro-biotic that a Cow might produce for her calf (or a human) is killed off in this process, so the value is lost in the pursuit of almighty "safety". Those of us that suffer from seasonal allergies and eat true, raw honey from a local beekeeper (or the bee pollen) follow the same theory - it acts as a sort of anti-histamine - and tastes a whole bunch better than the chemical junk we take to cure the seasonal sniffles...
When we (as a family) consume raw milk from cows off the pasture next to our house we never (I really mean it) get sick! In fact, I can't remember the last time I had a cold or the flu.
| Grazing Managment |
If you click on the imbedded link above, you will find a video that I've posted on YouTube showing one of our Milk Cows (who is "in milk" with a young calf) selectively grazing. This stuff is fascinating to watch! At least for me... I spent a lot of time with beeves, so it's kind of second nature for me, but for you "city folk" who have passed beeves on the side of the road and thought that they were just dumb animals - this might open your eyes a bit to just how awesome a creature they are.
By the way, from a management perspective, the beeves usually develop a grazing pattern in as little as 72 hours. That means that if they feel it necessary (for the health of their calf) they will revisit the same plant after its first grazing in as little as 72 hours.
Well, it doesn't take a genius in horticulture to figure out that plant has not recovered yet, so we must purposely move the cattle to a new (never before grazed) fresh growth. We do this by calculating their feed usage, then fencing off a grazing space that will supply (only) the feed they need for the duration of the next grazing period - this is done every 24-36 hours on the ranch. This practice promotes grass growth, prevents overgrazing and keeps the cattle at optimal health.
This week we are offering a coupon for 25% off pork shoulder steaks ordered at www.son-riseranch.com.
Thank you for supporting our ranch.
Douglas Lindamood
Owner
SonRise Ranch
(858) 909-0945 |