In this episode of Beef Buzz, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays is back talking with professional writer, author and speaker, Dale Strickler about more on grazing management. Strickler operates a consulting firm, Regenerative Wisdom, which focuses on soil, pasture, crop and drought prevention consulting.
To listen to Part One of the conversation, CLICK HERE
Strickland said grazing management is not just about growing forage, as a percentage of the crop that will not harm productivity going forward also must be harvested, or in other words, covered to meat.
“When we think about harvesting a grain crop, if you leave a bushel of grain out there, that is waste,” Strickler said. “With a grazing crop, if you leave half the crop standing up, we think that is waste, but that is so essential to replenishing the roots and maintaining photosynthesis. One of the biggest changes in mindset is to not think of yourself as a cattle rancher. Think of yourself as a harvester of sunlight.”
Strickler said a big part of his consulting business is looking at when and where sunlight is being lost.
“Once it hits the ground, you can’t get it back,” Strickler said. “You can only capture that sunlight through a photosynthesizing leaf. How do we get 365 days of photosynthesis, with 100 percent coverage of that soil, with green leaves.”
Strickler said most ranches operate on less than 25 percent of photosynthetic compacity. While most think rain hitting the soil is the limiting factor, Strickler said if sunlight is hitting the soil and not being used, sunlight is the limiting factor.
“It is how much can you take, and at what stage,” Strickler said.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR at the top of the story for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
