Grazing management has benefited forage production, and increased biodiversity
While Circle H Farms has adopted several practices over the years that all contribute to a productive and sustainable beef operation in northwest Ontario, the second-generation family farm also knows there is more to learn and improvements to be made.
Changes to their rotational grazing system over the years, for example, has significantly improved the carrying capacity of their farm, near Rainy River, says Shawn Hyatt, who along with wife Tracy and brother and sister-in-law Gord and Pat own and operate the cow-calf and backgrounding operation.
And while they have increased forage production, at the same time their management has also served to maintain and improve habitat for a wide range of wildlife species.
Their commitment to developing a sustainable farming operation, while benefiting the environment, earned Circle H Farms recognition as recipient of The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) for 2024, presented by Beef Farmers of Ontario.
"We are proud of our achievements over the years, but there are also some new things I would like to try," says Shawn Hyatt. "We are always interested in learning and trying new production practices to find out what works as well as what doesn't work."
Shawn and Tracy and Gord and Pat are the second generation on the farm located near the south end of Lake of the Woods. The Rainy River area is in a corner of Ontario that also borders Manitoba and Minnesota. It's about a three-hour trip to the west to reach Winnipeg, MB, and two-and-a-half-hour drive north to Kenora, ON.
Farming nearby is Shawn and Tracy's daughter Kerry and her husband Brodie Gross who own KB Ranch. Along with raising their own cattle and direct marketing of beef, they help out on Circle H Farms as needed.
Circle H Farms runs a 275 head cow-calf herd, along with 50-bred heifers with about 130 head of calves retained for backgrounding. Their land base covers about 2,500 acres that includes hay land, and mostly native grassland pasture, along with bush and wetlands. They rent about 1,000 acres of land as well. Their only annual cropping is to produce combinations of barley and peas or oats and peas, to be put up as baled greenfeed for winter-feeding.
The Hyatts have always considered the environment in their farming operation. "It is better to work with the environment and do what we can to encourage wildlife," says Tracy. "It benefits our livestock operation, and it benefits the land. We enjoy seeing all types of wildlife, which has never been a conflict with our farm. Rather than fight it we work with nature. It is better for everything."
The Hyatts have developed a system where the cattle are always out on pasture. There is a winter-feeding period, but thanks to stockpiled forage and bale grazing it is all done on pasture.
"The cattle are never brought into a home yard for winter feeding, they are always out pasture," says Shawn. "As we bale hay and greenfeed we place the bales on any pastures that may need the extra nutrients. We move to different areas every year. Depending on the year cattle could be out on pasture until the late October or even up to mid-November and then we move them to the winter-feeding sites."
"With bale grazing we can keep nutrients on the fields in areas where it will do the most good," says Kerry. "We don't need to apply in-organic fertilizer. We can even feed in the bush areas, which provides shelter for cattle as needed, but also helps control brush and increase forage production."
One practice introduced in recent years that benefits wildlife as well as forage production is to delay haying so certain species of birds can complete their nesting cycle. Species at risk such as the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlarks are two songbirds benefiting from this practice.
"We can take early cuts of hay in some areas and then in others we let the hay grow until the birds are done nesting," says Kerry. "Waiting that extra two or three weeks to bale certain fields still allows us to produce good quality hay for beef cattle, and it is also good to see there are definitely more Bobolinks on the farm as well."
And Shawn explains that baling mature forages that have gone to seed, also benefits pasture rejuvenation. "As we use this more mature hay for bale grazing, forage species such as timothy, reed canary and alsike clover shed their seeds on the pasture. The hoof action of the cows works the seeds into the soil, and it becomes an effective way to rejuvenate pastures without tilling the soil and reseeding. It is a win for the birds and the environment, and it benefits our pastures as well."
The Circle H cowherd begins calving in late April on the winter-feeding pastures. They are supplied hay, but also are in pastures with stockpiled forage. By late May and early June, the cow-calf pairs are moving out onto new grass growth and into the rotational grazing program for the summer and fall.
"We have been rotational grazing since 2002," says Shawn," but it has been an ongoing learning experience, with fine-tuning and adjustments every year. The biggest pasture we have may be about 150 acres with the majority being considerably smaller. We have permanent fencing on the perimeters but what has really helped has been the use of portable electric fencing and now we are using portable solar powered fencing in some areas. That's really helped us to increase grazing efficiency. Depending on the size of the pasture we are moving cattle every two or three days and overall, I'd say our carrying capacity has double over the years."
"Our production practices have helped to improve forage production and at the same time improve soil quality," says Tracy. "That was pretty evident a couple years ago during a drought. We usually have good moisture in this area, but that year it was an extremely dry growing season. But our soil quality was good, soil organic matter had increased, and with good ground cover, the soil was able to retain enough moisture to keep the grass growing that season. This management system really paid off."
The Hyatts are also using several portable solar powered water systems, which can be moved into areas to pump water out of ponds and streams into a water trough for the cattle. Having water available helps with livestock distribution and the system helps to protect the environment.
Cow-calf pairs will remain on rotational grazing until late October, with calves weaned about mid-November. Most years the heavier calves will be sorted off and sold at a nearby auction, while lighter steers and heifers will be backgrounded for the winter and then put on pasture the following season. Some of these grass cattle will be finished by KB Ranches and then processed for direct meat sales in the local area.
""We have learned a lot over the years which has helped to increase the biodiversity on the farm, and make for a sustainable farming operation," says Shawn. "But there are a lot of different things people are doing, and several things we would like to try. We are planning to try some forage blends this coming year. And I know swath grazing is used in many parts of the country, and growing corn for grazing, is another possibility. We have a system that is working, but we feel it is important to try different things. It may help save a gallon of fuel, or improve production, and benefit the environment at the same time."
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