#32 Will Total Grazing Lower Body Condition of My Livestock

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Hey, hello! 

Welcome back to another episode of Fat Cows, Fat Wallet. 

I am Jim Elizondo from Real Wealth Ranching where our goal is to maximize your profitability while you improve your land the fastest.

I am very glad you are here because today’s episode is very insightful.

But before we start, I want to invite you to my brand-new masterclass called "3 Low-Cost Steps to Increase your Productivity Big Time".

And let me tell you, the scale of your operation or your livestock species doesn’t matter much because these steps are low-cost and will improve your productivity by following natural processes.

 These low-cost steps work with small or large scale, with cattle or sheep or goats. And they work everywhere!

It is going to be a very interesting class and I hope I see you there. We will have a live Q&A session at the end.

To save your spot just go to www.rwranching.com/masterclass.

You have two options to attend, one on Tuesday, July 12 at 6 pm Central Standard Time and another one on Wednesday, July 13th at 12 pm Central Standard Time.

So go ahead and save your spot for this free live masterclass,  "3 Low-Cost Steps to Increase your Productivity Big Time" by going to www.rwranching.com/masterclass.

Okay, let’s start.

We need to be aware that to gain maximum profitability and to improve the land the fastest we need high to very high stocking rates. No other factor determines profitability and land regeneration as high stocking rates.

Many folks think that a high harvest efficiency graze will lower their livestock body condition and as we know, body condition is so important! 

Did you know that body condition or the amount of fat in the body of your livestock determines reconception, immune system, and health?

As my grandpa would say, show me a fat cow and she will be a beautiful cow! We can say the same about all livestock!

In nature, animals are usually healthy and in good body condition or they would fall prey to disease or predators.

This, I have observed throughout my life in different environments in nature and in livestock operations. It is how nature works.

If you know of someone that can benefit from this, please share with them as I really would like this to be widely known as it is one of the most important aspects of Real Wealth Ranching.

Now, back to the original question and title of this podcast - Will total grazing lower the body condition of my livestock?

The straightforward answer is NO! But, to achieve this at high to very high stocking rates we need to do certain things.

Please remember that stocking rates, more than any other factor like daily gains, weaning weights, and even fertility determine ranch or farm profitability.

It is important to always remember this as all that I will talk about today is under this scenario: high to very high stocking rates.

Having your livestock in good body condition year-round is like living in a dream. Everything becomes easier and productivity increases, mortality, sickness and external parasites problems are greatly reduced and all of this contributes to an easier life and harmony between your economic needs and your land and livestock. It will also save you from grief and leave more time to be with family enjoying life.

There is no sense to talk about other grazing methods which do not accomplish a very high stocking rate while avoiding overgrazing.

What is overgrazing? It is returning to re-graze a plant before it has fully recovered and not, as most people believe, a severe or high harvest efficiency grazing. The key word to understand this is time: the time that passes between the first grazing and the re-grazing. This also means that livestock should not have access to a paddock in the green season for more than 3 days after grazing or they would consume the tender regrowth and that is overgrazing.

All those programs that urge you to destock when dry times arrive may not be the best for your environment. Of course, there may be times, like a very extended drought where it will be sensible to de-stock, but it is so much better to have a large portion of your farm or ranch as stockpiled forage. And the total grazing program allows this thanks to high-efficiency grazing.

The things you need to remember to maintain good body condition in your livestock at high to very high stocking rates under the total grazing program are:

1. Fat cows, fat cows, fat cows!

This means that if the genetics you have now is not yet the best in genetically determined nutritional adaptation, then you need to cater to them. This means that your stocking rate may not be the highest until your land improves and/or your genetics are better adapted through the selection and infusion of adapted genes.

We need to use our common sense, having a very high stocking rate and thin cows will not make money!

So, harvest as much as your genetics allow per grazing while, at the same time, you start to improve your livestock's genetically determined adaptation. 

Do not forget this! This is the part where beginners most commonly fail as they concentrate on the grass and soil building and forget about their livestock body condition. We need to remember that while land improvement will increase our capital, livestock productivity is our cash flow, and cash flow trumps over capital gains.

2. Routine.

Ruminants depend on rumen microorganisms to feed them. These microorganisms require a stable diet and routine so that they can digest the food with a higher efficiency which translates into fat cows!

We all know that livestock performs much better with a stable routine, and this is the reason why.

3. As the quality/energy content of green forages fluctuates during the day it is much better to give your livestock 4 breaks per day instead of one, and once a day is much better than once every two days or once every week.

This maintains their plane of nutrition the same and their performance will improve. But do not forget the value of a stable routine. We do 4 times per-day breaks to enhance harvest efficiency AND to improve our livestock body condition.

4. Observe gut fill and manure daily so you can act in case there is a fiber deficiency or a protein deficiency which will need to be corrected. 

If you have taken my total grazing online course, you know that a lack of fiber in the diet will create scours and a lack of protein in the diet will cause constipation. Both conditions will promote weight loss and what do we want? Fat livestock!

By fat, I mean good body condition not obese, okay?

5. Make sure there are no mineral element excesses in the water or diet as an element excess will cause many other mineral elements to be unavailable and not absorbed into your livestock bodies.

Monitor your mineral program with blood samples in a good laboratory.

6.- Have your livestock give birth when there is an abundance of green forage.

Sounds so common sense but it seems that common sense is the least common of the senses! There are so many advantages to have your livestock give birth in the green season that they eclipse any advantage to have them give birth any other season of the year.

I explain all the above in the total grazing online course and if you go to my Facebook page or YouTube channel: Real Wealth Ranching, you can see pictures and videos of cattle in good body condition at high to very high stocking rates doing total grazing in the green season AND in the brown season.

Conclusion, high to very high stocking rates determines good profitability. Good body condition is absolutely necessary for maximum profitability as good body condition is essential for real-life fertility and optimum health.