Grassland Evaluation Contest Sample Scenario
Pasture Scenario:
The farmer has a 120 acre cow/calf operation. He has a fall calving cow herd. He would like to wean his calves the beginning of spring and graze them out through the spring and sell at the beginning of summer. He has been using continuous grazing, but would consider using management intensive grazing if it will help him meet his goals. He needs to harvest and store 25 tons of hay from spring season to feed in the winter in addition to stockpiled tall fescue. Harvesting and feeding losses have been calculated for the hay.
Current Situation:
- 30 cows weighing 1100 pounds with superior milking ability
- 1 bull weighing 2000 pounds
- fall calving herd
- 90% calf crop
- continuous grazing
- He wants to wean all calves at the beginning of spring and graze them out through the spring, sell at the beginning of summer. All calves will be sold at this time.
- Average weaning weight in the spring is 450 pounds.
- He plans to graze them 100 days and sell them at 600 pounds.
- Their average daily gain would be 1.5 pounds.
- Calculate the average weight for the 100 days period for figuring forage consumption by season.
- Use only whole numbers for calculating.
Forage Production:
| Pasture | Acres | Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter |
| Fescue/legume | 60 | 231,000 | 100,800 | 117,600 | |
| Orchard/alfalfa | 40 | 169,600 | 92,800 | 57,600 | |
| Fescue | 20 | 59,900 | 5,800 | | 65,000 |
| Minus hay harvested | | - 76,923 | | | |
| |
|
| TOTALS | 120 | 383,577 | 199,400 | 175,200 | 65,000 |
Hay available to feed: 50,000 lbs.
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