Keeping Cows on Pasture in the Winter
By Carl Fredericks, researcher
Many dairy farmers are now practicing managed grazing on their farms. Most of the time, these farmers take their cows off of pasture in the winter and feed them in the barn. However, some of these farmers 'outwinter' their cattle on pasture when the ground is frozen. Cow manure and urine are thereby spread directly back onto the pasture. The following summer the grass is rested. This allows the manure to break down and the pasture's grass roots are stimulated to grow.
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute's Dr. Walter Goldstein, and I teamed up with three farms in the Dane-Green Graziers Network (Bert and Trish Paris, Bill and Roz Gausman, Dan and Ruth Vosberg) to explore how keeping cows on pasture over the winter impacted soil nutrient levels, grass composition, grass yield, and grass root health and productivity.
The MFAI research found that overwintering and resting the pastures caused increased grass root production on two farms where there were less roots and more root disease, but had only a small effect on the third farm where there were a lot of roots and they were healthy.
Why are grass roots important? Strong, healthy rooting improves the ability of the grasses to get the water and nutrients they need, and thereby allows them to yield better under dry conditions. Improved grass is better for cows and soils, and that's better for the farmer.
We are looking for funding to expand this research project. A link to the full report for this research can be found below. This is just one of many research projects at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute that are designed to answer important questions for sustainable agriculture practitioners.