July 17, 2025

From the Barns: Quest for perfection

There were some doggy dog days in August that stressed the cattle and the people. Our electric bill increased even though I am signed into the Power Smart Pricing Program. Must I turn everything off to make that work?

Well, August is over and September is making us think fall and some great working temperatures. But stay safe and sane out there as things get really busy. If you are not vaxed yet, please do so. It is the only good way things will improve. If you had an outbreak in the herd, would you vaccinate?

The Heart of America Grazing Conference was a great event, even though attendance was down compared to our previous Illinois hostings. The speakers were good, the food was good, the topics were pertinent and it was so good to see many old friends and network with others. Featured speaker Greg Judy was right on and always quick to the important stuff. Being able to listen to an expert is always better when you know he is practicing what he is preaching.

I shared three things in my time on the producer panel: our “last grazed” worksheet that hangs on our bulletin board to let us know when a paddock was last grazed; our 2020 grazing results emphasizing the need for records to know pasture production and the value that can then be assigned per acre; and part of our grazing lease contract that we use here at River Oak.

Tom Saxe, not surprisingly, asked the panel the most difficult question: “How do you know when to clip or not to clip?” I said that a “perfect graze” never requires clipping, but less than perfect may — seed heads, weeds, uneven stand, mature stand, but never just for aesthetics.

Thanks to Martha Blum, I didn’t need to take notes because she was at the conference and I knew I could read all the good stuff in the AgriNews soon after the event. Thanks, Martha.

It has been a time of complete transition here at River Oak in the last few days. The bred heifers — 129 — are gone back home. Twenty opens remain to work on some of our smaller paddocks. The bred heifers have been replaced by 80 bred cows. Carson says the heifers will be easier to access for visiting customers, which I can understand, since last year there were times prospective buyers needed to be toured in a distant paddock.

I am very much looking forward to the winter stockpile grazing, since we have often said that cows would do a much better job utilizing the stockpile than the heifers. And our stockpile is going to be large if Old Man Winter stays away. Come to think of it we have been grazing stockpiled fescue with heifers the last 12 years.

I will report back in January on the difference I am anticipating with the cows. What I am specifically thinking is more complete utilization will create a better seedbed for frost seeding red clover and get us back to a better mix than we have had the last few years.

I have saved the bad stuff for the last paragraph. I just no-till reseeded the New South 20 with fescue. Our division fences there all have a great fescue stand under them, but out in the paddocks not much. We expected the second-year red clover and Italian ryegrass to die away, but not the tall fescue. Do not have an answer, but we have seed in the ground.

Second, last Saturday I discovered armyworms in some of our reeds canary paddocks. So, Sunday morning we sprayed about 50 acres. We have some significant damage on those paddocks. Just a lesson to be vigilant all the time even in those areas not being grazed.

Our theory is that the paddocks where we had significant trample were attractive for egg laying and the third-generation hatch subsequently took place there. I think we will still get some late production from those paddocks after the 21 day quarantine and sufficient re-growth before frost.

Hope to have an announcement in the next few days on our last Western Illinois Grazing Group event. Watch your email or texts.

Trevor Toland

Trevor Toland

Macomb, Ill.