The Spring Equinox is just three weeks away, but according to the USA National Phenology Network, actual green up may be arriving early in many places and later in others in the U.S. Here’s what they say:
Spring leaf out continues to spread north, arriving several days to weeks earlier than average (the period of 1991-2020) in much of the Southeast, lower Midwest, and mid-Atlantic. Oklahoma City, OK is 9 days early, St. Louis, MO is 16 days early, and New York City is 32 days early. Much of southern California and Arizona are days to over a week late, while the coastal Northwest is days to weeks early. Phoenix, AZ is a week late. Seattle, WA is a week early.
Spring bloom has also arrived in southern states, days to weeks early in the Southeast, and days to over a week late in the Southwest. Spring bloom is 19 days early in Atlanta,GA and 8 days late in Phoenix, AZ.
When will spring arrive at your location? The National Phenology Network updates this page frequently to help you as you head into grazing season.
With that in mind, here are some articles to consider as you get ready to begin the 2023 grazing season.
Check Your Pasture T Account and Don’t Graze Short
Troy Bishopp describes two things that will prepare you for season-long grazing: knowing how much forage you have and how much you need, and ensuring that you don’t graze too short and damage a plant’s ability to regrow as summer comes on.
Here’s How Greg Judy Gets Through Mud-Season
With spring and snow melt comes the danger of pugged pastures. These techniques from seasoned grazier Greg Judy can help you prevent compaction and forage damage.
Set Up For Year Long Grazing in the Spring – In Spite of Mud Season
Graze That Cheatgrass!
Cheatgrass (and other weeds) green up earlier than other pasture forages. So take advantage of that by managing your grazing to take advantage of nutritious forage while reducing their populations in your pastures.
Get Your Fencing Ready
This is a perfect time to check out your fencing equipment and replace items that are broken or just didn’t work as well as you would have liked.
I always struggled with getting enough power to my solar-powered electric fences. Here’s how one rancher solved that very problem.
You can also download the free Grazing 101 ebook for a chapter on fencing that covers the principles, basics for set up, and training animals to respect the fence.
Just need a laugh?
Here’s my favorite electric fence video. Not only is it funny, it’s educational too! 🙂
