April was a whirlwind. The cows and heifers I sold in February and March needed breeding. Since not everyone would go with the same bull I have to set up a separate pasture for each breeding group (3). Plus, the heifers had to wait until they were 15 months of age and some cows had breeding delayed because of their recent calving. So... it was mess getting it organized. Most are done now. I only have one heifer that finishes this month. I also have one heifer I am breeding for a friend that is nearly ready to go home.
The herd will soon be at six cows, two yearling heifers, tow heifer calves, three bull calves, three bulls, and three steers. One of the bulls and all of the bull calves are for sale. The three steers will be sold for beef soon.
Typically, no sooner than the calving season settles down, the focus turns to pasture growth, rain, fertilization, rain, weed control, rain, etc, etc. I have not done a soil test this year. They usually come out the same each time; need more nitrogen. I'll use last years sample report instead. However, I was able to get 1-ton per acre of lime applied in January. That should help a lot although I should get another ton in late summer if the money holds out. We'll see.
If you have not recently limed your pastures it's something you need to look into. The ph on my soil was generally in the 5.7-6.5 range. I live on the north side of a limestone gravel road. The southeast summer winds move the dust right onto the pasture, at least some of it. But the last soil sample had a ph of 4.9 show up in more than one spot. This means that a significant portion of the fertilized will not be accessed by the grasses. Wasted money. Don't neglect your soil's ph!
Also, it seems that every year or so, a new weed appears. This is one of those years. Buttercup (Ranunculus species).
It starts like this...
and then spreads...
and then forms dense mats.
The herbicide Cimarron Max will kill it in the spring but I may have missed my best window. I have used this herbicide to take bahiagrass out of my pastures and it works great for that. It does not require a herbicide applicators license in Texas which is good. However, it will also take out clovers. It has a residual pre-emergent effect that I was told will dissipate in about 90 days. This late in spring that buttercup has probably already seeded next years crop (its an annual) so I may just wait and get it next year.
I prefer not to spray the pastures if I can help it. I allow most weeds their place unless they get to out-of-control. Mowing at the right time can reduce the level of infestation on some weeds. But buttercup looks like a real potential problem. Unfortunately cattle don't like it. Naturally; if they liked it, it would probably be toxic. Shouldn't gripe too much I guess.
A few years ago I purchased a 55 gallon boom sprayer for a tractor 3-point hitch. It ran about $1100 but I really like it. Having a small property, some of my paddocks are not suited for large commercial sprayers. Plus, my weed problem may be isolated to one small patch but still too big for a hand sprayer.
I'll post some more later on my pasture improvements for the summer. Perhaps even haying some.
Good grazing all.