Blair Brothers Grassland Management Project

2003 Report Blair Brothers Grassland Management Project
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Blair Brothers Angus of Vale, South Dakota began their second year managing an intensive grazing system with their 400-head herd. The system consists of approximately 5,000 acres of native rangeland and pasture land. Pastures range in size from 397 acres to 1,040 acres.
The duration of the grazing season was 109 days. The cattle were on the systems from May 11, 2003 through August 28, 2003. The pairs are moved very quickly during the beginning of the grazing season. This is known as "flash grazing". The technique is used to take the top off the newly growing grass. Once the pairs have made one rotation, the occupancy length in a pasture is increased. Movement of cattle to new pastures is matched to pasture size and amount of available forage.
			Range sites in the system include Claypan, Silty, Thin Upland, Overflow, and Clayey. With this diversity, managing the system is a challenge. Topography of the land is also a management concern. The landscape ranges from rolling hills to slopes greater than 30 degrees in some pastures.
Plant Communities include native and introduced grasses as well as a mix of legumes. The predominate cool season grasses are Kentucky Bluegrass, Western Wheatgrass, and Crested Wheatgrass. The most noticeable warm season grasses are Big and Little Bluestem which grow on the slopes of the pastures.
Six water tanks provide adequate water in the grazing system. Most pastures have stock dams, but Blairs prefer the cattle drink water out of tanks and not dams. The tanks provide a high quality water source; superior to that of the dam's water. Five of the tanks are made from recycled industrial equipment rubber tires. The other tank is twenty feet in diameter and is bottomless. This tank provides a watering center for three pastures.
Above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation provided a challenge during the 2003 grazing season. During late July, daytime temperatures were 100 degrees or higher for a week. The precipitation was below average as well.
Month May June July August	Normal Rainfall 2.73 inches 2.8 inches 1.91 inches 1.3 inches	2003 Rainfall 1.32 inches 2.46 inches 0.48 inches 0.47 inches
Even with adverse conditions, the pastures produced 3,000 pounds of dry matter per acre. The June rains were important in reaching this production. Crude protein spiked on May 21, 2003 at 20.59%. During the season crude protein fluctuated from 20.59% to 8.17% in July. The crude protein level at the end of the grazing season was 5.7%.
Crude Protein Table
The Blair Brothers have done an excellent job managing their system given the adverse 2003 grazing season conditions. They left a residual of grass to help with next year's grass crop. This was accomplished by moving the cattle in a timely fashion. Water availability was also important in managing this grazing system. The Blair Brothers have put forth a great deal of time and effort into developing a solid grazing management plan.