Week 4: Water, Fences, Forage, and Finance
#bfrdpwy #aginternship #RightRisk
This past week I got to learn a lot about leasing land for grazing cattle during the summer months, especially on a year when there is a drought and little moisture stimulating grass growth. There are many challenges that are faced when finding pasture to lease, such as water access, fence security, surrounding animals, and quality of forage. These are all very important factors to animal health and successful livestock care. I learned about different mineral supplements and how to use minerals that will benefit all of your livestock. On this farm, it is important to prevent use of any minerals that contain copper to protect the sheep that graze along side of cattle. I also got to visit a cattle auction in Riverton. I learned about how a livestock auction is conducted and what to look for when purchasing cattle.
I think that grazing cattle and sheep together could be contributing to a copper deficiency in their cows. Separating these two species could help improve the health of cattle by allowing for copper supplementation, and prevent copper toxicity in sheep. We have had reoccurring issues with cows eating our step-in posts. Some say it is a learned behavior from other cows in the herd; I wonder if this is true or if it is caused by nutritional issues that are becoming increasingly prominent in the herd.
I want to learn about the benefits of leasing pasture on a business standpoint, how does leasing pasture compare to purchasing land to graze for several years in the future? Which nutritional deficiencies are the most critical to overall livestock health. Since we have seen signs of copper deficiency in their cows, how do we plan to correct that without causing problems to sheep?
This past week, I learned a bit more about the management side of this operation, specifically about accounting and finances. This information will be useful in the future when running my own business, or just managing my personal finances. Learning about leasing pasture has taught me a lot about the many things to look for in finding land for livestock grazing. Going with my hosts to meet the owners of land up for lease has taught me a lot about approaching business transactions and resolving conflict or organizational challenges in a calm manner. These lessons will benefit me in any future jobs and in relationships.
| Submitted by: Teagan Halsey Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team |
