After another dry summer, an Anola beef farmer is seeking new solutions.

“Typically, we’re too wet in this area,” says Jonathon Bouw of Bouw Farms, “and that’s why we’ve got basically all of our acres, accept for 200, in perennial pastures and hay land.”

Bouw says they typically have enough grazing for their 200 cow-calf operation with 200 stalkers to graze from June 1st until December 1st.

“This year, we’ll probably be out of grass in October unless we get a bunch more rain here.”

Bouw describes the year as challenging after estimating their feed crop is down by 25% and says they will have to change their strategies going forward. “We’re hoping to grow some more annual crops next year and try to use the water that we do get a little more effectively.”

Among those crops, Bouw mentions winter triticale, and then hybrid fall rye which they intend to plant with some hairy vetch and sweet clover for silage. In addition, Bouw says they will be growing a multi-crop of corn, sunflowers, fava beans, soybeans, and some cereals.

Bouw figures they will grow it as a season-long cover and possibly graze some of it in August.

“We’ll sort of see how the year goes, but we would swath it and graze it as a swathe graze crop in the wintertime,” explains Bouw. “It depends on the year, we might have to start feeding grass in October or feeding swaths or other things.”