Tom Trantham's Twelve Aprils grazing program has been part of three Southern Region SARE projects. Tom has influenced scores of experienced and beginning dairy farmers through presentations at conferences and magazine stories.
Although Tom Trantham was one of South Carolina’s top producing dairymen back in the 1980s, his business was struggling. He ran a typical confined feeding operation and his feed bill alone ate up 65 percent of his gross income. Then in April 1989, by chance, his cows broke out of the feeding area into a seven-acre field full of natural lush April growth. Trantham noted a two-pound average increase per cow in milk production the next day, and things have never been the same since.
With a grant from SARE in 1993, Clemson University researchers Jean Bertrand and Fred Pardue worked with Trantham to study his system in detail. Through that grant and a process of continuous improvement, 12 Aprils is now a thriving and profitable dairy. As the name of his dairy implies—12 Aprils Dairy—Trantham’s goal is to provide an April-type feed for his cows every month of the year. He achieves that by planting his 29 paddocks with a succession of crops that provide the type of growth the cows are most hungry for and that boost milk production.
Trantham is quick to note that his emphasis on year-round crops makes his system an atypical pasture-based rotational grazing system. It’s not for everyone, and the crop mix is quite specific to his farm and geographic location.
Watch the video to learn more and to see how Trantham’s system might be adapted to your region.
Other Tom Trantham Videos
Guide:
Want more information? See the related SARE grants:
- Cattle Lane Construction Alternatives That Enhance Intensive Grazing Systems (FS99-102)
- Evaluation of Low-Input, No-Till, No-Herbicide Continuous Grazing System for Dairy Cows (LS93-054)
- Multi Disciplinary Training on Pasture-Based Dairy Systems – A Sustainable Alternative for the Region (ES98-039)
- Cattle Lane Construction Alternatives That Enhance Intensive Grazing Systems (FS99-102)
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.