Vetiver Emergency Ration for Skinny Cows

Between the end of the dry summer and autumn there is usually a scarcity of forage. Our cows have become a bit too skinny and had to break into our emergency ration of vetiver grass that we've been growing over the summer.
#permaculture
#regenerativeagriculture
#spain
#dehesa
#andalusia
#andalucia
#valledelospedroches

[@thisorthat7626]

I had no idea that cows didn't graze grass to the ground on the first pass. Thank you for explaining what is going on so we can learn!

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

You can even achieve faster regrowth by just letting them take the tip off. The more leaf is left, the faster it grows to full height.

[@dickgrimshaw]

Very interesting video on feeding and managing vetiver grass as forage in a dry hot climate, I hope you can expand its use and develop some sound management practices for using vetiver as forage. I should be grateful if you could post some of your ideas on The Vetiver Network Facebook page as I know a lot of our members would find it useful. Have you considered using vetiver hedgerows instead of swales for water conservation - might work in the open more areas of the farm where there are no trees to shade the vetiver out. Success would much depend on the impact of cattle on the hedges. Your holistic grazing system would probably allow the vetiver enough time to recover between grazing schedules. As the vetiver gets older the clumps become bigger and experience in Nigeria shows that the cattle graze down to about 20 cm after which the stubble becomes unpalatable. Perhaps you could do a small experiment.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Actually we did that experiment and I believe it show in the video. The stubbles of 20cm were not touched by anyone anymore.
The problem with vetiver in our situation is that it makes it a bit hard to have cold and warm season grasses in the same place. That's what we are trying to accomplish. There are some patches where Cynodon dactylon comes back (bermuda grass) and when it goes dormant in autumn the cold season grasses take over. The process reverses in late spring. We want to add Panicum maximum so that we have a grass that grows tall.
Vetiver is great but doesn't blend in like the other grasses. We don't want to do cut-and-carry but let the animals harvest it themselves.
But yes, for hedges and other more specialized uses Vetiver is great. We started with it to grow mulching material on site :-)

[@patrickmukora3184]

@@ProjectGranjaCaimito vetiver grass will grow in a mix with other grasses, try out varieties of other upright forage grasses that will grow in your climate.

[@kroegermarkus1170]

CZcams hat mir das erste der Videos empfolen - und jetzt habe ich mir in einem Rutsch alle angesehen. Ich bin ganz begeistert! Wunderbar wie ihr RegAg, HM und Permakultur in einem Superdesign zur Anwendung bringt und alles prächtig gedeiht. Bestimmt folgen den Rindern demnächst noch Hühner, ganz im Joel Salatin Style. ;) Ich hab euch natürlich abonniert. :) Mehr bitte!

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Ja, stimmt. Hühner werden bald folgen.

[@romeoalpha8704]

Thanks for the video

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Our pleasure!

[@Anrami-ql3pd]

Enhorabuena por los videos. Gracias a tí podemos "tener la experiencia" de una granja con perspectiva regeneraciónista. Para un tío de ciudad, estar regando el vetiver unos meses para que sirva para comida 1 día de 7-8 vacas, da una idea de los recursos naturales que se necesitan para obtener carne. Entiendo que al desarrollar raices, el vetiver se recuperará pero no creo que tarde menos de 2-3 meses, y 50 m2 serán la comida de 1 día para 7-8 vacas. Me ha sorprendido ciertamente.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Si. La vaca tipicamente come 10% de su proprio peso al dia. Digamos la vaca pesa 500 kg estamos hablando de 50 kg de hierbas. No es poco. Y cuando ves una vaca con el estomago gordo sabes que dentro tiene muchos kilos de hierba en fermentación.
Pero la produccion de la hierba no es tan dificil tampoco. El truco es la rotacion diaria o mas frecuente para que las plantas pueden crecer. No hacer la rotacion resultara en menos hierbas cada ano.

[@rubenduro1241]

Interesante, podría ser una alternativa para el final del verano, también seria interesante, analizar la planta para ver su aportación nutritiva a las vacas y así poder ajustar la cantidad, al estado reproductivo de las vacas

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Si. Son buenas ideas. Sabemos que en otras partes del mundo se usa esa planta para alimentar animales. Típicamente se corta y se lleva las hojas a animales en establos.

[@indonesiancattleman367]

Looking good. Currently I am looking for a grass that can grow in sandy area with high salinity. And ofcourse, a grass with good palatability. Maybe this is one of good option

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Just keep in mind that this is not self seeding. It needs to be planted manually and will grow bigger while staying in the same place.

[@jemmapurcell941]

Love your videos!!
How cold does it get there in winter?

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

We've had -10C (14F) during the night for a few days and the water on the surface of the ponds kept frozen.

[@patrickmukora3184]

To get really rapid multiplication of vetiver grass, plant it in areas where you have high clay content and can manure it heavily.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Interesting. There is clay underneath.

[@patrickmukora3184]

@@ProjectGranjaCaimito clay underneath will actually help retain moisture for the vetiver and as long as you manure heavily the nutrient load will allow for rapid multiplication

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

@@patrickmukora3184 Good to know. There is clay underneath

[@maetze89]

Ich bin auch ganz begeistert von euren beiträgen. Welche eichenarten wachsen bei euch denn rund herum? Korkeiche und steineiche?

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Quercus ilex (Steineiche) und ein paar andere, aber keine Korkeichen.

[@nicolassilveira2570]

donde compraste la planta vetiver?

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

vetiverspain.org