By spraying
instead of mowing,
hip Cleveland
Cleveland can
likes the cattle
stockpile more
business. It’s in
pasture for winter.
his ancestry, in his
It’s just one of
blood and part of
the ways he sees
his everyday family
spraying improve
life. He farms with
productivity.
his wife, Kayla,
“Weeds die and
and they’re serious
grass takes their
about it.
place,” he says. “I see
And while he
more pasture.
devotes a lot of time
“We extend
to an off-farm career,
the grazing season,
Chip Cleveland says pasture weed control gives him all-important options.
he’s gone way past
especially in dry
the bovine hobby
years, because of
stage with a herd of 400 commercial
he uses his own sprayer to apply
weed control. When everything is lush,
cows. Then there’s his side business of
the herbicide.
we don’t care. But when the screws get
straightening out hundreds of stocker
tight, you want that.”
Weed control
calves every year for order buyers.
Forage marketing options
Cleveland Land & Cattle Co., LLC,
After years of using Grazon® P+D
Prattville, Ala., is a business with
herbicide, Cleveland in recent years
Keeping weeds under control also
employees that has to generate cash. And
switched to GrazonNext® herbicide,
gives him extra options in how he markets
the basis of that business, the lawyerapplied at the labeled rate of 2 pints
forage from the farm, Cleveland says.
cattleman says, is grass.
per acre. (Equivalent rate of new
“We can cut for hay any field we
“As a cattle producer, I grow grass,” he
GrazonNext HL herbicide is 1.5 pints
want. I can, therefore, fertilize and sell
says. “We made a commitment to grow
per acre.) He buys from Central Alabama
bermudagrass hay. It allows me to market
grass. I figured I’d better do so if I wanted
Farmers Co-Op and United Agri Products, more desired, more in-demand hay.
to stay in business.”
both located in Selma, Ala.
“When we build pens, we build them
GrazonNext delivered excellent
with options to cut cattle this way or that
Grasses
control of bitterweed (bitter sneezeweed),
way. We always want options,” he says.
Cleveland’s permanent pastures are a
thistles, horsenettle, morningglory
The same is true for his pastures.
mix of bermudagrass, bahiagrass, fescue
and others.
A significant marketing option for
and orchardgrass. He also sows 350 to
At that rate, the herbicide also
Cleveland is his stocker business.
400 acres of winter pasture — ryegrass and provides soil residual activity to control
In a business arrangement with order
wheat, sometimes oats and clover — for
weeds that germinate for weeks after
buyers, Cleveland takes delivery — but
cows and smaller stocker calves.
spraying — a worthy investment,
not ownership — of truckloads of heifer
When that plays out in May, he
Cleveland says. He starts spraying
and/or steer calves. He holds them from
begins fertilization of the summer grasses.
weeds in March and continues as needed
45 to 120 days while their health status
Cattle use those until September, and if
to October.
improves, and they learn to eat from a
fortuitous rains come, he’ll take three hay
“I spray something every year — not the bunk. Normal in-weights were about
cuttings. Then the cycle begins again.
same pastures every year, but something,”
600 pounds, but with tighter markets now,
Cleveland fertilizes his summer and
he says. “I refuse to let a weed soak up my
in-weights can now be down to 450.
winter pastures as needed. That means
fertilizer and nutrients. It irks me to think
Calves graze in traps and are fed freeregularly. “Fertilizer is one of the harsh
I spent money for a pigweed to grow.
choice hay and commodity feeds such as
realities of farming,” he says. “We can’t
“If I follow the logic of being a forage
soy hull pellets, corn gluten and wheat
avoid it.”
farmer, I have to spray.”
midds that Cleveland has delivered.
When liquid nitrogen (N) presents
Cleveland will mow some pastures
“With the stockers, we’re paid on a
the best N option in the spring, he often
to help manage smutgrass and other
per-head-per-day basis. It’s another option,
includes a weed herbicide with it in a
undesirables, but, otherwise, he prefers to
and it helps cash flow. With the cow/calf
custom application.
keep the mower parked. Mowing requires
operation, we only get paid once a year.
At other times, he relies on dry
a bigger tractor, costs more than spraying
“It’s about options, options, options,”
fertilizer and, if weeds are a problem,
and cuts off grass, he says.
he says. “And grass.”
C
The cattle business
is grass business.
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