Show 5 ar um TOPICS lipics PASTURE OUTRANKS DRY LOT FEEDING plan saves labor machinery costs grain and hay by E T robbins bobbins live stock extension specialist university of 0 illinois service live stock makes no labor charges for gathering grass in addition to saving labor and machinery costs as well as grain and hay pasture agrees with any stock beiter better than dry lot feeding this fact makes pastures pay even on tillable land that might produce more meat to the acre if grain were grown there and fed to live stock however many pastures serve only as a location for the stock and a poor location at that grass is scattered and short there are no trees and water is some distance from the lane animals on such pastures work hard to gather enough short blades of grass to satisfy them until another day they do not thrive give much milk or get fat more land in pasture better land in pasture or both would provide the same amount of live stock with a good living and a surplus easily and quickly secured many pastures are injured by too early grazing in the spring on well grown pastures the stock can get an easy mouthful and a quick fill the final result is faster gains gains and more meat made an acre A number of successful stockmen stoc kmen on prairie land are using a four year rotation of corn corn small grain and mixed clovers alfalfa and grass for pasture and hay most permanent pastures are started by sow sowing ing clovers timothy and bluegrass many farms have one field at a time in alfalfa for one or more years to avoid bloat in cattle on alfalfa or other legume pasture this plan Is suggested first get the stock accustomed to grass pasture second when the animals are full of grass turn them into the alfalfa pasture third leave them on the alfalfa pasture continuously day and night rain or shine fourth have water and salt always handy in the pasture grass in a pasture mixture or dry roughage such as a straw stack in a field helps to prevent bloat |