Extending the Grazing Season

• Select fields for stockpiling fescue for fall and winter grazing. Apply nitrogen in early to mid-August and remember to mow or graze forage to three to four inches of height prior to nitrogen application.
• Plan ahead for any fall seedings. Plan details such as soil testing, no till or conventional till, fertilizing requirements and removing animals from the field to allow time for establishment.
• Follow up with any soil test results to decide on fertilizer needed for the fall. To take a soil test, contact your local county extension agent.

Small cereal grains, such as wheat, rye, oats, and barley, are multipurpose crops that can be used for grazing, silage, or hay production. Grazing pure stands of small grains is an effective way to extend the grazing season into the late fall and early winter, and then again in February/March for early spring grazing. Small grains are commonly planted in Kentucky as part of the crop rotation with corn and soybeans. They also serve as a cover crop to reduce soil erosion and utilize previous nitrogen applications.

Sunny fall days make it hard to think about the approaching winter months and the less than ideal feeding conditions that come with the rain, cold and snow of Kentucky winters. Some producers can prolong the grazing season by utilizing stockpiled forages or winter annuals they planted in the fall. However, most producers at some point will have to feed a form of stored forage during the winter months and special consideration should be given to protect pastures while delivering winter feed.

The use of cover crops prevents soil erosion, increases soil organic matter and microbial activity, improves soil water retention, recycles nutrients and decreases soil compaction. Cover crops also provide an excellent way to extend the grazing season.

The amount of pasture acres has decreased in Kentucky the last several years while the amount of row crop acres has increased. With this increase in row crop acres, grazing cover crops in cropping rotations has generated some interest. People feel that grazing cover crops is the final step in making a cover crop program reach its full potential. Producers who are in the crop business as well as beef cattle industry say that grazing cover crops helps significantly save on feeding costs. Research has shown cover crops help improve the soil health at the same time.

Grazing remaining residue following corn harvest is one way to extend the grazing season and lower feed costs. Winter feed costs are the largest expense and grazing corn residues offers a way to significantly reduce those costs. According to the Iowa State University Beef Cattle Center, for every acre of corn residues grazed, approximately a ½ ton of hay will be saved. Grazing crop residues will not impact crop yield the following year. Also, adequate residue is left on the field to reduce soil erosion.

Many options exist to provide quality grazing during seasons when many common forages have gone dormant. Some non-traditional forages can provide high quality grazing throughout the early fall, late winter, early spring, or hot summer months. Grazing standing corn or corn residue can be a valuable method to extend the grazing season and reduce stored feed needs without the expenses of harvesting and feeding equipment. Corn is mainly produced in Kentucky by livestock producers for grain or silage but this warm-season annual grass can be successfully grazed in summer, fall, or winter. 

We are close to the point where some livestock farmers would start to apply nitrogen to tall fescue pastures to boost production levels and stockpile for fall and winter grazing. Since there are many factors that will impact the profitability of this practice, the question at hand is: Under what set of conditions will applying nitrogen to pastures pay this year?

This past winter the Master Grazer Educational program conducted several stockpiling demonstrations across KY for producers to see the benefits of extending the grazing season using stockpiled fescue. One of these demonstrations was implemented in Oldham County by producer Dr. Maynard Stetton. He has completed the Master Grazer and Master Cattleman program’s and has been implementing stockpiling fescue on his farm for several years, and was eager to see the impact adding nitrogen could have. His operation consists of a registered Angus cow/calf herd.