On Earth Day, I wrote about how and why we litter here at the ranch. We litter to prevent erosion and remain sustainable. The following photos are of some littering we did on a hillside where the yearling heifers grazed this winter.
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| April 17, 2014 |
This photo was taken about two months after the heifers moved out of the pasture. You can see the hay Tom put out with the tractor and hay feeder. You can also see how the hay was trampled into the sandy hillside by the heifers as they grazed, and if you look even closer you can see the litter (poop) the heifers added on top of the hay.
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| June 5, 2014 |
This photo of the same hillside was taken just shy of two months after the first photo. It is harder to see where the hay was placed, and it is starting to green up as it fills in with vegetation.
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| June 26, 2014 |
I took this photo just a few days ago. You definitely cannot see where the hay was, and it is getting harder to see the sand. The timely rains we have been blessed with this growing season have only accelerated the recovery of this hillside. The grass is not only green, but also tall!
The progress this hillside has made in the last four months is truly remarkable. This photo sequence really illustrates just how important littering and strategic grazing are to sustainability.
Hello! I’m Terryn – the wife, mother, food safety enthusiast, Stormy Kromer fanatic who has slightly (okay, a lot) random tendencies, dabbles in photography, and shares (maybe a little too much) here at FFB.
It’s amazing what good management and favorable weather can do. Will you spread more hay on this same spot next year or since the grass is growing it’s established and will not be an problem next year?
It is really amazing! The answer to your question is, maybe. This pasture is not on the growing season grazing plan, but if we graze it this winter, then yes we would hay it again. The additional hay would reinforce what we did this past winter by increasing organic matter and soil quality.
Oh it looks great. Popping over from Robyn’s Blog and we graze and feed cattle in our fields and it makes for nice pasture, on our rocky land later. Amazing. B
It really is amazing now much strategic grazing can benefit and improve the land. Thanks for popping over, and feel free to come visit again!