BY LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent

ATTICA, Ind. — In the past, pastures have often been considered agricultural wasteland with little money-making potential. But thanks to Americans’ growing demand for the leaner and healthier meat produced by grass-fed cattle, this attitude is slowly changing.

Dan DeSutter and Rich Hollinger, owners of Hoosier Grassfed Beef in Fountain County, Ind., recently showed about 40 fellow farmers how they use rotational grazing and irrigation to produce meat that sells for a premium. The partners specialize in finishing cattle without grain, and have capacity to rotate 300 steers and heifers around 23 paddocks of converted crop land.

“When we started out, corn was selling for $1.60, $1.70, sometimes $1.80, and (grass-fed beef) looked like a good opportunity. Time will tell if we made the right decision, but I think things will eventually reach equilibrium,” explained DeSutter.

“We have a long-term outlook here, and that is to build a healthy pasture.”

DeSutter bought 226 acres southeast of Attica two years ago, and planted a mix of alfalfa, white clover, perennial ryegrass, orchard grass and improved fescue on the former cornfields. Learning how to manage the grass and finding a balance between gains per acre and daily gain per animal remains a work in progress.

Digging trenches for the waterlines and purchasing the irrigation system was undoubtedly a lot of work and a sizeable investment.
But judging by the look of the pastures – greener than most golf courses, despite an unusually dry May – DeSutter and Hollinger are well on their way to mastering the art of rotational grazing.

“With rotational grazing, you get more forage, less weeds and better overall quality. The key is to give the grass time to regrow,” advised Susannah Hinds, grazing land specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Indiana.

And you don’t have to start with 23 paddocks like DeSutter and Hollinger. “Any amount of rotation you’re able to do in your operation will lead to a better forage result. Most people who start subdividing just keep going,” she said.

Hinds said keeping the grass from going to seed is one of the big challenges with rotational grazing.

“The worst thing you can do is start from scratch early in the spring – then the grass will get ahead of you. If you’re thinking about doing this, start in the fall,” she explained.

Currently, DeSutter and Hollinger rotate their cattle every two days, but this will likely change as they acquire more animals. According to DeSutter, operations with higher stocking rates and frequent rotations are more efficient.

“The theory is that you get a more even distribution of manure that way, and that helps kick-start the biological activity,” he said. Some operators move their cattle as often as twice per day. “It looks crazy at first, but when you go back 30 days later, (the grass) looks amazing.”

The irrigation system used by Hoosier Grassfed Beef was invented by a dairy farmer in New Zealand and has only been on the U.S. market for two years. It consists of separate polyethylene pods that are evenly spaced on lines and designed to be moved by an ATV or small tractor on a regular basis, usually every 24 hours. On DeSutter’s and Hollinger’s farm, it pumps out 650 gallons of water
per minute from a nearby creek.

“It’s like a soft rain. You get less total evaporation and it’s not pounding the ground at all,” said Trickl-Eez Company President John Nye, who sold the K-Line irrigation system to the farm. “And if you have a lot of small sprinklers, they do a more uniform job than a few big sprinklers.”

Another advantage of the sprinklers is that they work as a cooling system for the cattle on hot summer days, since the pastures lack shade, explained DeSutter.

“The fields looked great,” said John Medjeski of Brownsburg, Ind., who runs a cow-calf operation in Fountain County. “I was surprised to see the irrigation. It’s rare to see such a large irrigated area just for cattle.”

Neil McVay, a teacher and recreational farmer near Kingman, Ind., was also impressed with DeSutter’s and Hollinger’s operation.

“I’ve read about (irrigated pastures), and I think they do everything the experts say you should do. On paper it sounds good, and I think it’s a very sensible thing to do,” he said. “I’m not big enough for that, but I’m really sold on rotational grazing.”

Hinds confirmed that interest in grass-fed beef is surging. “A lot of folks have been watching others doing it, and now it’s come to a point when they’re interested in trying it themselves,” she said, adding those who decide to convert their operation may be eligible to receive incentive payments through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

The pasture walk was hosted by NRCS and the Soil and Water Conservation District in Fountain, Montgomery and Tippecanoe counties.

This farm news was published in the June 13, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.