Opinions please...

[Cascade Meadows Farm - Kirk]

Apr 28, 2015 19:12:25 GMT -5 zephyrhillsusan said:

Cascade Meadows Farm - Kirk, do yours actually eat the hi-mag mineral?  Mine wouldn't touch it.  I have to mix it one part to two parts of the regular mineral to even get them to eat it.

Ours gobble down the both the Hi-mag Purina Wind and Rain, and the All Season Purina Wind and Rain...

Sometimes I mix them because the Hi-mag is a little too low on phosphorus and the all-season is a little too low on magnesium.


I'd recommend doing a soil test every few years, so you know what's in your soil.... Is your soil already high in phosphorus or high in magnesium? My soil is very low in both because of the 70 inches of winter rain we get every year that washes the minerals out. I end up having to lime and fertilize regularly to replace those minerals in the pastures. If you're low in magnesium, you can lime the pastures with dolomite lime which has a lot of calcium and magnesium. If your soil is high in magnesium, the cows might not want a lot of extra magnesium.

[Pinevalleydexters]

The block I use is a range block for beef cattle, it has copper, selenium, fit E etc in it you feed with forage. I buy them at at Fleet Farm. In the summer after the girls are bred we put out molassas tubs, they love them. Wish I could find smaller ones for beef cattle the ones we buy weigh about two hundred pounds.

[wvdexters]

Fran, We had the same problem with the loose mineral in the beginning. I got a little sweet feed, ours don't usually get it so it was quite a treat. I gave each one a handful in their own pan with just a pinch of mineral. Upped the mineral just a bit every day or so until they got used to the taste. Now they love it, and eat it themselves out of the feeder.

[zephyrhillsusan]

Thanks, Cascade Meadows Farm - Kirk.  We had soil tests done last year; I'd have to look up the results, but we need lime.  Some pastures need more than others, because two were grazed before we ever bought this place and fenced in more pastures.  I put us on the list at the co-op to have the truck come spread lime for us back in October, and I have finally given up in disgust.  I just bought a spreader we can use on our tractor, so we can do it ourselves.  No more waiting on the co-op!  Now I have to research regular lime vs. dolomite lime vs. solu-cal and compare it to what our soil needs.

[Cascade Meadows Farm - Kirk]

Apr 30, 2015 14:39:46 GMT -5 zephyrhillsusan said:

Thanks, Cascade Meadows Farm - Kirk.  We had soil tests done last year; I'd have to look up the results, but we need lime.  Some pastures need more than others, because two were grazed before we ever bought this place and fenced in more pastures.  I put us on the list at the co-op to have the truck come spread lime for us back in October, and I have finally given up in disgust.  I just bought a spreader we can use on our tractor, so we can do it ourselves.  No more waiting on the co-op!  Now I have to research regular lime vs. dolomite lime vs. solu-cal and compare it to what our soil needs.

I used to stress out about getting huge lime trucks here when I needed it, after grass was grazed, but before mud season... I spread my own lime now and it's a lot less stressful. It usually costs quite bit more per ton to do the liming yourself, because you'll likely be buying the more expensive bagged lime, perhaps 1 ton at a time, instead of buying massive amounts bulk lime. But the HUGE advantage is that you can do it a little at a time, when and where it makes sense for you.

[zephyrhillsusan]

Thanks, Kirk. Not to mention, with our steep hills, I'm very sure (because the county extension agent thought so) that the truck wouldn't even go certain places.