Pasture mowing isn’t all about looking good. There are some very real benefits attached to the mowing of your pasture, as any forage specialist will tell you.

Dan Undersander, a forage specialist at the University of Wisconsin, explains that there are two main reasons why a farmer should mow his/her pasture.

According to Undersander, regular pasture mowing reduces weeds in the pasture. By cutting weeds a little ahead of flowering of the weeds, the weeds are not allowed to spread seeds. Regular mowing also prevents the roots from gaining reserves, which in turn causes the weeds to thin out and eventually disappear.

The other reason for pasture mowing is to help the livestock. Grass needs to be cut as it is producing seed heads. Grass stems, when they dry out, become hard and have a tendency to poke the livestock as they are eating. This, in turn, reduces the amount of grass the livestock will eat.

Locations in cooler climates only grow out once per year, a stalk and head once and not multiple times. In warmer climates, this process is repeated throughout the summer. A good pasture mowing company will understand the effects the climate has on your pasture, and a good pasture mowing company will understand how important it is to mow at the proper height. Many grass species store their energy reserves in the last few inches of the plant, so mowing too short will kill off those reserves and limit their growth.

All of this adds up to one conclusion: whether the farmer mows the pasture himself, or hires a pasture mowing company to do it for him, a knowledge of the area, the types of grasses, and the proper length of mowing are all crucial in insuring that the pasture will continue to have healthy yields of beneficial pasture grass for your livestock.

How to find good commercial mowers in your area? Ask around with local farmers. They will know. They are in business to know. You can also ask around at the local Grange, or at farming supply stores. Again, go to the source for valuable information. People who make their living in farming will have recommendations galore for any farmer asking about reliable commercial grass cutting companies. Mowing services are numerous; good mowing services are in short supply.

And, while interviewing the owners of mowing services, ask about their equipment and their prices. There are only a few reliable commercial tractor mowers on the market. A good mowing company will use one of those tractor mowers. And a good company does not necessarily have the lowest prices. Competitive, yes, but lowest? . . . do not equate reliable with lowest price . . . that is a mistake which could come back to haunt any farmer looking to cut expenses.

In the Fort Worth area, Keith’s Tractor Mowing Services is the company to call for all of your acreage mowing services. One acre or 500 acres, no job is too big for Keith’s Tractor Mowing Services.