Where the Green Grass Grows
McCrea Family Farms focuses on grazing land like a mama cow eyes her newborn calf.
With about 4,500 acres split equally between pasture and row crops, plus caring for stocker cattle nearly year-round, there’s plenty to distract Andrew McCrea, his dad, M.L., and Andrew’s 16-year-old son, Luke, from pasture management. But scrambling for feed would be a bigger attention-grabber.
“For us, grass is critical year-round,” Andrew says. “We prioritize our pastures, from planning to budgeting to grazing management.”
Primarily Missouri-sourced 400- to 500-pound calves arrive at the fifth-generation operation near Maysville periodically throughout the year and spend their time on about a dozen bluegrass and fescue pastures stretching across the rolling hills and timbered draws of northwestern Missouri. After about five months, as calves reach 900 pounds, the McCreas weigh and sort calves into load lots.
“Many of our Angus-cross calves meet premium-program standards,” Andrew explains. “Customers know the quality they’re buying.”
Hitting those marks starts with forages.
“Emphasizing our pastures like we do helps ensure we have the quantity and quality of forage for the gains we need to stay on schedule,” Andrew says. That includes stockpiling ample winter forage.
Investments that pay
Andrew is an award-winning broadcaster, author and sought-after public speaker with a busy travel and production schedule for Farm Journal’s American Countryside radio program. He says a planned approach to pasture management helps with time management.
Weed control — along with brush control as needed — fertility and sound grazing management help keep pastures consistent. The McCreas control ragweed and thistles through a biennial spray program. Most pastures get treated every other year. Taking care to not overstock also helps keep weeds at bay.
“It seems counterintuitive because we get paid on the cattle we sell,” Andrew says. “But sometimes cutting back on numbers to keep pastures strong is what pays long term.”
The McCreas have relied on Range & Pasture products from Corteva Agriscience and its legacy companies for more than 30 years. Today, they count on DuraCor® herbicide for broadleaf weeds and Remedy® or Remedy® Ultra herbicide when woody plants pop up. Recently, UltiGraz℠ Pasture Weed & Feed has helped them control weeds in areas unreachable with their boom sprayer and apply fertilizer in the same pass.
“I think a lot of producers don’t invest in pasture weed control, because it’s not as easy to pencil out like with row crops,” Andrew says. “But, especially in a stocker operation, if we don’t have the grass, we don’t have the pounds to sell.”
Keep reading about McCrea Family Farms’ approach to pasture management at Corteva.US/McCreaSpring.
™ ® ℠ Trademarks and service marks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies. Under normal field conditions, DuraCor® is nonvolatile. DuraCor has no grazing or haying restrictions for any class of livestock, including lactating dairy cows, horses (including lactating mares) and meat animals prior to slaughter. Label precautions apply to forage treated with DuraCor and to manure and urine from animals that have consumed treated forage. Consult the label for full details. DuraCor is not registered for sale or use in all states. UltiGraz℠ with fertilizer is available for use with specific herbicides in the states of AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, KS, KY, LA, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NV, OK, OR, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV and WY. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. State restrictions on the sale and use of Remedy® and Remedy® Ultra apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions. ©2024 Corteva. TSK-018992 BR (04/24) CARPRANG051
