Page 4 - MWC 2-23-2023s

The Midwest Cattleman · February 23, 2023 · P4

ning through photos of the fluenced greatly by two trips I read university publica-
last grazing season. There's to New Zealand. We were not tions about frost-seeding or
one photo in particular that tourists; we were there to see the importance of legumes
caught my attention and I the grass business. Although in pastures where there is
scrolled back... It's a photo our itinerary did include one no mention of annual lespe-
of seedling Legend lespede- rugby game, we were there deza. There are a number of
za, covered with the morn- primarily to look at grass. university guide sheets on
ing dew, growing - starting And not only grass but lots the subject but in my opin-
to fill in the gaps between and lots of clover as well as ion, they are all out of date
the clumps of grass. If that other forages. - some are 20 years or more
looks good to you, just think We visited farms and for- out of date.
what it looks like to a hun- age research centers from I have talked to more than
gry cow with a new calf. In one end of that long, slender one producer who had such a
We are one day closer to our grazing system cattle eat country to the other - from productive stand of Legend
Spring! everything, but if they could one spot where you can al- lespedeza in their pasture
Once we've had one good talk, they would definitely most see the equator to an- that they were worried about
winter storm, that becomes say, “You can have the grass other where ‘Antarctica Asso- their fescue stand being
my motto for getting through – what we really want is that ciates’ in orange suits load-up smothered out. They were
each day in January and clover and lespedeza.” Keep to make the short trip over to afraid it would not survive
February. It’s not the win- in mind that those are the that cold continent. – all without a single case of
ter temperatures or even the real sources of significant They don't do corn and bloat. In my opinion, when
ice and snow that make me protein, vitamins and ener- bean research there; they you add lespedeza to a heavy
ready for Spring as much as gy. If you don’t have them, do grass and clover research clover stand, you are also de-
it is the lack of color in the you’re missing out! The and lots of it. You could say creasing the chance of bloat.
landscape. I’m just ready to grass is just there to push it it’s their ‘bread and butter’. I like a variety of clovers, les-
see something ‘green’ again – along through the digestive Grass is the ‘bread’ per- pedezas for a full season of
bring it on! system. haps, but clover is the real grazing. When the summer
For some who had very One of the first articles ‘butter’ - the real energy in heat slows down most clovers,
little moisture last year, that I remember writing for their grazing systems. It annual lespedeza is just get-
they have to go back sev- this publication was "If you're seemed really odd to us, but ting started. It doesn’t grow
eral months to recall much in the cattle business, you're the New Zealand graziers we everywhere. If there is not
that was very green. I re- in the grass business". I'm met were not satisfied – they already some type of common
cently found myself scan- sure my perspective was in- were not happy - they didn’t lespedeza already growing in
have enough clover in their your area, there is probably a
pastures unless they are reason for that. Very little is
having to occasionally treat grown north or west of Tope-
for bloat. They want ‘per- ka, or south of Ardmore, but
formance’ and that grazing it goes well over into eastern
performance comes from the Virginia and the Carolinas
legumes in the mix! and south into the Florida
There are several univer- panhandle.
sities here in the states that We hope you see some
do some outstanding work on green grass soon and that
forages, particularly clovers, you have a terrific grazing
but nothing like the empha- season!
sis they have 'down under'. I KwC
am often disappointed when