{"id":592,"date":"2025-04-10T08:29:48","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T08:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/?p=592"},"modified":"2025-04-10T08:29:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T08:29:48","slug":"bulls-on-alfalfa-at-bonavaree-preparing-for-the-dry-stretch-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/index.php\/2025\/04\/10\/bulls-on-alfalfa-at-bonavaree-preparing-for-the-dry-stretch-ahead\/","title":{"rendered":"Bulls on Alfalfa at Bonavaree: Preparing for the Dry Stretch Ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the fall winds down here at Bonavaree Ranch, we\u2019re closely watching both the soil profile and the long-range forecasts. It\u2019s been a dry run since mid-September, and while we\u2019ve managed grazing pressure well through the back end of the breeding season, the writing\u2019s on the wall\u2014it\u2019s going to be a lean moisture year unless something dramatic changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now, our bulls are on the alfalfa paddocks. It\u2019s a calculated move. The stands are still providing solid late-season forage, especially compared to the native pastures, which have already shut down for winter. But we\u2019re watching the bulls like hawks\u2014not just for condition, but for signs of bloat, foot issues, or early stress as the plants start to lignify and slow growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Alfalfa for Bulls?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We like to run our bulls on alfalfa (lucerne) this time of year for a few key reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>High Protein Feed:<\/strong> Post-breeding, the bulls benefit from quality nutrition to recover and maintain muscle mass heading into winter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Controlled Grazing:<\/strong> Our rotational system gives us the ability to regulate access and prevent overeating or health risks like bloat.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Utilization Efficiency:<\/strong> Mature bulls can clean up older, stemmier forage that our weaned calves or younger stock wouldn\u2019t touch.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re also experimenting this year with some low-moisture haylage supplementation during the afternoon graze to help regulate rumen activity and prevent any digestive disruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Preparing for the Dry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though the bulls are in good condition, we\u2019re planning ahead for a worst-case scenario. The subsoil is bone dry, and the frost line is dropping earlier than expected. The alfalfa roots are still tapping what\u2019s left, but once that\u2019s gone, we\u2019ll be looking at a long feed-out period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So here\u2019s our current strategy for the next 60 days:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Monitor Paddock Recovery Closely:<\/strong> We\u2019ve marked our new alfalfa stands to rest completely until mid-January. Those newer paddocks have deeper moisture reserves and will bounce back faster with any January or February rain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cull and Consolidate:<\/strong> We\u2019ve already culled non-performing bulls and identified another handful for sale. No room for passengers if we have to start feeding full rations early.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hay Allocation:<\/strong> We\u2019ve baled more than usual this year, focusing on smaller, more manageable square bales to simplify feed-out for small groups. We\u2019ve earmarked enough to carry breeding bulls through 90 days of feeding, if it comes to that.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Water Security:<\/strong> Every trough has been checked, flushed, and winterized. We\u2019ve also installed solar pumps on two backup wells that haven\u2019t been tapped in years. If there\u2019s one thing that fails in a dry year, it\u2019s usually water before feed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eyes Forward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We know we\u2019re not the only ones dealing with dry conditions\u2014ranchers across the region are facing similar decisions. What\u2019s worked for us at Bonavaree is <strong>proactive planning<\/strong>, <strong>flexible stocking<\/strong>, and <strong>putting our best stock on our best feed.<\/strong> The bulls on alfalfa is just one piece of that puzzle, but it gives us the ability to keep condition up now so we don\u2019t play catch-up in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If we do get a good front in late December or January, we\u2019ll adjust. But until then, we\u2019re managing with the assumption that this winter will be another tight one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For those in our area, we\u2019ll be hosting a winter planning walkthrough on Wednesday, December 18 at Bonavaree Ranch, starting at 12:30 p.m. It\u2019s a good chance to see our system firsthand and swap ideas about prepping for dry conditions without compromising herd quality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the fall winds down here at Bonavaree Ranch, we\u2019re closely watching both the soil profile and the long-range forecasts. It\u2019s been a dry run since mid-September, and while we\u2019ve managed grazing pressure well through the back end of the breeding season, the writing\u2019s on the wall\u2014it\u2019s going to be a lean moisture year unless something dramatic changes. Right now, our bulls are on the alfalfa paddocks. It\u2019s a calculated move. The stands are still providing solid late-season forage, especially compared to the native pastures, which have already shut down for winter. But we\u2019re watching the bulls like hawks\u2014not just for condition, but for signs of bloat, foot issues, or early stress as the plants start to lignify and slow growth. Why Alfalfa for Bulls? We like to run our bulls on alfalfa (lucerne) this time of year for a few key reasons: We\u2019re also experimenting this year with some low-moisture haylage supplementation during the afternoon graze to help regulate rumen activity and prevent any digestive disruption. Preparing for the Dry Even though the bulls are in good condition, we\u2019re planning ahead for a worst-case scenario. The subsoil is bone dry, and the frost line is dropping earlier than expected. The alfalfa roots are still tapping what\u2019s left, but once that\u2019s gone, we\u2019ll be looking at a long feed-out period. So here\u2019s our current strategy for the next 60 days: Eyes Forward We know we\u2019re not the only ones dealing with dry conditions\u2014ranchers across the region are facing similar decisions. What\u2019s worked for us at Bonavaree is proactive planning, flexible stocking, and putting our best stock on our best feed. The bulls on alfalfa is just one piece of that puzzle, but it gives us the ability to keep condition up now so we don\u2019t play catch-up in February. If we do get a good front in late December or January, we\u2019ll adjust. But until then, we\u2019re managing with the assumption that this winter will be another tight one. For those in our area, we\u2019ll be hosting a winter planning walkthrough on Wednesday, December 18 at Bonavaree Ranch, starting at 12:30 p.m. It\u2019s a good chance to see our system firsthand and swap ideas about prepping for dry conditions without compromising herd quality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DSC_0028-scaled-e1699929333102.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=592"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":594,"href":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592\/revisions\/594"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rainboots.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}