“NRCS helped us get a lot done
and helped us by cost sharing.
They have a lot of great ideas too.”
With the use of brush
management, stored manure and
rotational grazing, Jeff and Janet
can make two cuts of hay per
season and their cows can graze
late into the fall by grazing the
third cutting. In fact, they do not
actually start feeding hay until
around late December, which has
extended their grazing season by
four to six weeks.
easy work of feeding cattle during the winter
months when they are no longer able to graze in
the fields. The feeding facility has two levels; one
where the hay bales sit, and one where the cattle
stay. The levels keep the food above the ground
where the cattle walk and do their “business” so
it can stay clean. Additionally, the facility has a
spot for calves to bed where they will have an
equal opportunity to eat hay away
from the adult cows. The feeding
facility also helps the Allens
get more out of their hay bales,
because they are kept clean and
dry, so little to no hay is wasted.
“We were feeding seven round
bales per cow, and now we feed
about five bales per cow in the
winter,” said Jeff. “The facility is
now saving us nearly two bales
per cow and gives me more to
sell. We use the hay money to buy
fertilizer in the spring, so it just
works itself out.
10 West Virginia Farm Bureau News
The Allens have also welcomed
a WVU graduate student who
comes to collect soil and manure
samples to study and determine
which field is best served from
the manure. Jeff then can have
his fertilizer custom mixed based on that research,
and spread it in his fields to ensure the most ideal
conditions and most optimal use of his land and
resources are met.
“We put a lot of money into the ground, but it
pays us back” said Jeff. We have repeat customers
and new buyers who seem to be very satisfied.