Everyone Wants Grass/Hay and Lots of It!
We work with a lot of land owners across Texas. How we go about helping them grow the forage they want within a natural system can be a real challenge! One size doesn't fit all, so to speak. And, it is not an instant process at ALL.
Landowners goals, cultural practices both present and past, and use of land all influence our plan to bring/improve/balance the life in your soil. Our custom blends of liquid compost extract (LCE) are loaded with nutrients (both major and trace) and natural energies form the basic sprays that augment the soil biology, and then feeds (stimulates) that soil biology. Finally, when the soil communities, major, minor & trace mineral and energy are right, organic matter (OM)increases, and that increase is our measure of success. We would like our services to be needed less and less as forage, livestock and crop production becomes more 'nutrient dense'. This way all creatures get what they need nutritionally to express themselves to their fullest. Take a closer look at our research farm - Ross Farm, Home of Betsy Ross Grass-fed Beef.
Let's Look at Some Actual Examples of SGTX Programs in Action
Monoculture or 'Trash' Pastures?
Pastures that are managed for only one grass are called monoculture systems. There are times when this is good, but natural systems give up a lot when they give up diversity of plants. Usually these pastures are solid coastal bermuda but ocassionally we see a monoculture of native plants.
What we like to grow are 'trash pastures' where all sorts of plants jump out of the ground. And remember, one of the benefits of managed, natural systems is that so often old, dormant seeds are awaken and come on too.
We can help you grow either type of pasture or a combination. The above pastures belong to Sam and Margaret Jones - they hay the monoculture and graze like mad the 'trash' pasture. They are finishing high quality grass-fed beef.
Check Out Some Other Pasture Customers
Curly Pines Ranch is nestled among the Lost Pines of Bastrop, Texas. The Bennetts bred, raise and sell American Bashkir Curly Horses. Quality of pasture is important to Curly Pines Ranch. They came to SGTX seeking help for a non-chemical soil fertility pasture program.
Creating the 'Perfect Grazing' Bite!
When you make the decision to go with natural systems, you can get pretty creative in your grazing management. Coming out of the 2 year drought this past fall, the Johnson Grass amd KR Bluestem sprang out of the ground as if they were the main dinner course. We always say that when Johnson Grass appears it means Calcium (Ca) is locked up and nitrates are very available. When KR bluestem appears we think that indicates anerobic soil conditions with low nitrogen - compaction. Rather than haying or shredding them, we decided to use them as standing hay, knowing that once the freeze came they would both lay over. By themselves they wouldn't be worth much, but if the native winter annuals came on we could have a very good mixture.
We also had a lot of confidence that with the fall rains, our pastures would grow lots of clovers, vetch, winter grass, rescue grass and a slew of cool season weeds - all carrying out their jobs Mama Nature had given them. The cattle get both the standing, dry hay AND the green plants - creating the 'perfect bite.'
Pastures Up by Lampassas
This range land was really grazed into the ground. The drought had been severe. Could the klein grass and bermuda grass be brought back?
Some rain, good management, good soil biology, trace minerals and some nutrients turned this scared land into good grazing pasture one year later!
