Page 16 - MWC 2-2-2023s

FROM SPECIAL OPS The Midwest Cattleman · February 2, 2023 · P16
continued from page 15

he explained. “In June, I seed said. “I usually cut the ways come back,” he
pearl millet, graze it once or warm-season grass fields for noted.
twice, spray again after some hay once in early July, be- In the spring,
regrowth, and then broadcast fore heading, and then graze Locke likes to flash
seed the novel endophyte tall them in late September or graze, beginning
fescue in early September. I October.” He also has a field with his few re-
don’t graze it in the fall, flash- of eastern gamagrass, which maining Kentucky
graze once in the spring, then was established in 2007. “I 31 pastures. “I want
it’s usually in full produc- strip graze the gamagrass the cows to get a bite
tion.” with a back fence, and by the and keep moving,”
Locke stockpiles some of time I get across the 14-acre he said. “Hopeful-
his fescue each year, applying field, the first strip is ready to ly, we can prevent
about 60 pounds of nitrogen graze again. That stuff really some of those seed-
per acre in mid-August. grows fast,” he exclaimed. heads from develop-
Another recent feature on ing, which are really
Warm-season success the R&J Ranch is milo (sor- toxic.”
Novel endophyte tall fescue ghum), which Locke now
isn’t the only thing that cur- plants each year on a desig- His pride and joy
rently comprises his farm’s nated 8-acre field. After head- Although Locke
forage base. Any good battle ing and grain development, can easily be clas-
planner knows you need Op- it’s strip-grazed and feeds sified as an early
tions B and C. After all, the 50 cow-calf pairs for nearly adopter of technol-
toxic fescue issue is one thing, 60 days. It’s during this time ogy and operator of
but there are still the Big D’s that the fall-stockpiled fescue a high-end grazing
to contend with — dormancy is growing. system, his pride
and drought. That’s where and joy remains an Locke uses a variety of cool- and warm-season forage
warm-season grasses come Lespedeza love Allis-Chalmers Ro- grasses and legumes to keep his cattle on pasture for as
into play. Legumes are also on the to-Baler. “It’s worth long as possible and with minimal supplementation.
Photo by Hay and Forage Grower
Locke uses the same tall ranch’s roll call. Locke frost its weight in gold,”
fescue establishment ap- seeds lespedeza every spring, Locke asserted. to lie down during periods of
proach for seeding perenni- although not every paddock He then continued to ex- ice or the occasional Missouri
al warm-season pastures of is frost seeded every year. He plain why the vintage ma- snowstorm.
bluestems and indiangrass, is especially partial to Leg- chine still holds value beyond Locke has a lot of life stories
but he doesn’t seed until De- end lespedeza, a warm-sea- an antique farm equipment and experiences that he can-
cember. The seed is mixed son annual and prolific seed show. “When we get rain in not expound upon with any
with fertilizer, broadcasted producer. Locke has some set July, there’s usually a tre- detail. That’s just the way it
on the field, then rolled with survey sites that he photo- mendous amount of lespe- is for an Air Force Special Ops
a cultipacker to enhance graphs each spring and fall to deza in August. I will bale Command combat controller.
seed-to-soil contact. The determine legume status and with the Roto-Baler, leave Ironically, the polar opposite
native warm-season grass whether a particular paddock the bales in the same field, is true regarding his experi-
doesn’t germinate until the needs targeting for the next and use these fields for bale ences as a beef producer and
next spring. He currently has year’s lespedeza frost seeding. grazing in the winter after pasture manager. Few peo-
about 60 acres of perennial He explained that he rarely the stockpiled fescue has ac- ple are willing to share more
warm-season grasses in pro- needs to frost seed clover, as cumulated around the bales. than Locke when it comes to
duction. white, ladino, and red clover There are generally only one his farm operation and de-
“Plateau herbicide rev- seem to be ever present. “If or two cows around a single cision making. Through the
olutionized establishing you graze clovers right and bale, causing very little dam- years, he has benefited from
warm-season grasses,” Locke don’t overgraze, they will al- age to the pasture. It’s amaz- others’ knowledge, and he is
ing to watch cows grazing more than willing to recip-
these fields. Some of them go rocate. Locke has been a fea-
right to the lespedeza bales tured speaker at numerous
while others much prefer the grazing meetings and hosted
stockpiled fescue,” noted the many educational events on
observant cattleman. his farm.
Locke also has a stan- The Missouri farmer attri-
dard-sized round baler. The butes much of his farm suc-
winter of 2022 to 2023 will cess to education, training,
be the first one that he tries and experience — the same
bale grazing the larger bales. things that served him well
Because Locke artificially in his military career. How-
breeds his cows and heifers ever, Locke readily admits
with a timed synchroniza- that there’s always more to
tion protocol, he needs some learn and try. And when he
stored hay to feed when he does uncover something new,
brings his herd up to a small you’ll probably find it in his
pasture next to his corral and holy grail book.
working facilities. He also
To monitor forage availability in each paddock, Locke uses a front-mounted sensor on unrolls hay when needed so Hay and Forage Grower
his UTV, which works in concert with his PaddockTrac software. The “holy grail book” young calves have a dry place
is opened to a current grazing wedge graph. Photo by Hay and Forage Grower