Getting Started with Animals on Pasture

Steve Muntz, Firefly Farm Mount Sterling, KY

Why Animals?Quality of life, enjoyment of animals

Compliment other existing enterprises

Why Animals?

Generate additional income from the farmUnder utilized

land

Why Pasture?•Most sustainable way of raising (particularly ruminant) livestock. You are a “grass farmer”

•Health and marketing benefits from pasture raised animals

•Different species can compliment each other on pasture and reduce costs and/or increase utilization

Considerations in Starting Animals on Pasture

Goals

Resources – Capital, Land, People, Time

What do you like?

Markets

Existing pasture

Pasture Availability by Month

J F M A M J J A S O N D

WarmSeason

Cool Season

Zone B that includes Little Rock, AR

Pasture Quality Factors•Type of forage – annual/perennial,

•Type of forage- Grass/legume/forb

• Stage of growth-Vegetative, transitional, reproductive

Range of Palatable Species

Narrowest range – grasses, clovers, some forbs

Broader range including most of the same species that cows like as well as a greater range of forbs

Broadest range with a first preference for brushy species but very adaptable to grasses, clovers and a variety of forbs

Management Time/Ability

Breeding Animals or Grow out?

Water access for pastures

Fences

Shade and shelter

Additional Hay and feed needs

Animal Transport

Animal Health and Handling

Compatibility with other species

Predators

Predator Control

Suggestions• Get Help – other farmers, extension, field days, SSAWG, etc.

• Get Your Hands Dirty

• Start Small unless you are really convinced that you are ready to jump in with the big guns!

What’s Next?

Let’s get into it a little more with a game of Animal Farmville. This is sort of like Farmville on Facebook but a couple of steps closer to reality.

Animal Farmville Object of the game: To establish a 2-D pasture-

based livestock farm and walk through the first three years of development. In the process we hope to learn some of the important considerations involved in starting such a farm and in successful management.

Players: One person serves as the “farm consultant” and two people or groups of people will be the “farmers”. The consultant is actually sort of a combination of game moderator and referee (who can make up rules as he goes), real estate agent, banker, order buyer, regulator and feed dealer. We will also need a few “farm hands”.

Animal FarmvilleGame Set-up Each farmer starts with a 50 acre farm with

landscape established by the consultant. Each farmer will be given a little time to do some

initial farm planning and can decide to raise up to three species of animals during the course of the game.

Each farmer begins the game with 12 credits and gains or loses credits based on game actions.

Each turn is three months long based on a season of the year (Spring, summer, fall, winter)

The game begins in the fall

Animal Farmville Playing the Game – during each turn farmers can

choose to do three things from the following list as long as the conditions on the farm allow them to do so.

Outflow choices

•build fence, corral or waterline (-$1)• purchase equipment or chicken pen (-$1)• purchase barn (-$2)• pasture work (-$1)• purchase feed or hay (-$1)• purchase animals (-$1)• develop market (-$1)• develop product (-$1)

Inflow choices

• help neighbor (+$1)• go to SSAWG (+$1)• go to field day (+$1)• market animals (+$3)• direct market animals (+$4)• direct market products (+$5)• planning (+$1)

Animal FarmvillePlaying the GameIn addition to these activities, farmer may also breed

animals, remove breeding animals, rotate animals or train animals to electric fence during any turn.

In between turns, the consultant will comment on the moves and suggest strategies for upcoming moves. The consultant may also play a “Farm Factor” card which may influence the farm(s) in one or more ways. As this is a rather free flowing game, the consultant will also consider other expert opinions available to him.

Ending the GameThe game ends at the end of three years