Page 18 - MWC 09-9-2021s

The Midwest Cattleman · September 9, 2021 · P18
Year-Round Grazing

Equals Efficiency for

Corman Charolais

by Linda Eck
Good genetics and year- man laughingly noting that
round grazing equals effi- his degree was in agricultural
ciency for Corman Charolais, engineering. He’s now retired
where a dedicated Dan Cor- after nearly 44 years of bal-
man focuses on utilizing for- ancing a career in commer- managed to incorporate four “Friendly endophyte fescue
age to keep the family’s Cha- cial banking with his life as a different varieties of novel has allowed me to see great
rolais herd in top performance Charolais breeder. endophyte fescue. While it improvement in the produc-
condition. Forages Got His Attention has taken some time and per- tion of our cows,” said Cor-
Over the last several years, sistence, his steady practices man, noting improvements in
the now retired Corman, and “When I was at the Univer- have allowed him to replace reproduction, heat tolerance
his wife, Connie, have devel- sity of Missouri, forage class most of the farm’s KY-31 fes- and no problems losing feet
with Dr. Ken Larson was one
oped a sophisticated intensive of my favorites,” he noted, ad- cue. and tails.
grazing program on the farm mitting that not much of his “On some pasture land I In addition to upgrading
in Howell County, Missouri. rent from my mom, I’m not the farm’s fescue, warm sea-
“Fencing and watering sys- post-college experience has sure I can eliminate the old son Bermuda grass has been
been focused on engineering.
tems allow us to run around But, inspired by his MU fescue,” said Corman realiz- established for hot summer
40 head of mature cows,” said studies, learning about forag- ing additional challenges of grazing and haying. Twen-
Corman, explaining the 35 renovating a field. “It’s pret- ty-two acres of Wrangler Ber-
paddocks that span over 150 es has been top priority. Cor- ty rocky ground and with the muda was established about
man has attended both the
acres of grassland. “We are risk of erosion, I may not be 20 years ago for grazing when
close to being in the situation basic and advanced grazing able to renovate that.” fescue is struggling during
schools put on by the Univer-
of increasing the cow herd to Instead, Corman has es- hot weather. Another 30 acres
60 head with the forages I’ve sity of Missouri Extension in tablished a lot of red clover of Midland 99, a hybrid Ber-
conjunction with Natural Re-
established.” Retaining 16 into the old stand to “dilute” muda is used for hay.
heifers for replacements this sources Conservation Service the problems associated with “Beginning August 1, we
and is a regular at attend-
year, the Corman’s are well grazing fescue laden with the graze Bermuda pretty exten-
on their way to meeting that ing the Southwest Missouri toxic endophyte fungus. sively, then we fertilize the
Spring Forage Conference
goal. fescue with 40-50 pounds of
held each year in late Febru- A Long and Successful Nitrogen for winter stock-
It All Started with ary. Journey piling,” he added. “Because
Charley Litton “I’m continually learning Jesup with MaxQ endo- of that, the last two winters
Corman’s first memories of about forages,” said Corman. phyte was the variety Corman we’ve been able to strip graze
Charolais cattle come from a “You never have it all mas- started with - about 18 to 20 the stockpiled fescue, with ex-
trip he took with his dad and tered but I’m trying.” years ago. As he has continued
mom, C.R. and Joanna Cor- The intensive grazing pro- the process,
man, to Chillicothe, Mo. in gram used by the Cormans he’s used Bar
1958. As a five-year-old look- has been developed over time Optima with
ing on as his dad purchased a along with an extensive reno- E-34 friend-
Charolais bull from Charley vation of the farm to forages ly endophyte,
Litton, he was introduced to that can provide grazing year- Estancia with
a new breed that was quickly round. Moving away from the Arc Shield
taking the livestock industry “old days” when southern Mis- and most re-
by storm. souri cattlemen relied heav- cently Lace-
That bull was “one of the ily on fescue, orchard grass field with
first (Charolais) in Howell and lespedeza, Corman has MaxQII.
County, if not all of south-
ern Missouri,” said Corman.
Growing up he watched as
his dad filled the pastures of
the family farm near Pomona
with genetics stemming from
the fledgling Litton Charolais
program. After graduating
from the University of Mis-
souri in 1975, he found his
own start from within that
herd.
“I’ve lived in Pomona all
my life, except for those four
years at Mizzou,” said Cor-