How To Grow Healthy Pasture Grass For Your Grazing Cattle

Cattle that can gain healthy weight and be free of illness are cows that ultimately bring a higher price tag come an auction or selling time. What grasses you feed your cattle largely determine just how healthy they are in many ways. Healthy cows have a higher success rate when calving, gain better weight as they age, and are more resistant to common ailments. Learn the best way to grow healthy pasture grass that your grazing cattle can thrive on.

Add tall fescue

Tall fescue is a common grazing grass that many people use to feed their cattle with. The most common variety of tall fescue is Kentucky 31. There are many benefits to tall fescue for grazing and planting, including:

• drought tolerance
• resistance to heavy traffic
• quick growing
• hardy appeal
• easy planting

With the many benefits comes a basic concern over the fungus, endophyte, that is commonly found in mature or older pastures containing tall fescue. This fungus can reduce cattle weight and cause illness in cows even as it helps the grass itself thrive. When planting tall fescue in your pastures, make sure to only choose endophyte-free varieties, or brands that are endophyte friendly. Doing so can help your cattle gain weight more effectively.

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Add additional plant material

While you want the majority of your pasture to be fescue grass, you can add other types of plants to your pasture to help make your pasture even more beneficial to your cattle. Red clover and wheat grass are hardy all season, and a small percentage of can make a large difference in your cow's healthy diet. Wheat grass in particular is healthy for your cow, and helps produce quality meat once the animal has been processed for selling.  If you have dairy or milk-producing cows, red clover is a fine grazing choice as it is known to increase a cow's milk production when they consume it.

You want your cows to be healthy so they will gain proper weight and produce quality meat. Healthy cows are bovine that have access to the best types of pasture grasses. In planting endophyte-free tall fescue, red clover, and wheat grass in your fields, your cows can gain the weight they need to. While it may seem like a large task to plant your pasture with healthier grasses, doing so creates healthier cows, which means larger profit for you in the end.