Extending the Grazing Season
Extending the Grazing Season
Important Reminders for September
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.
Stockpiled Fescue Demo Completed in '14-'15 Results
The Master Grazer program conducted several stockpiling tall fescue research demonstrations across the state last year. The five different counties (Madison, Meade, Oldham, Pulaski, and Warren) completed stockpiling fescue research demonstrations between November 2014 and January 2015.
Grazing Small Grains
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.
Winter Feeding to Protect Pasture
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.
Using Cover Crops for Grazing Cattle
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.
Grazing Cover Crops
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.
Grazing Corn Residues
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.
Grazing Corn
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.
Late Summer Nitrogen Application: Will It Pay in 2015?
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. Under what set of conditions will applying nitrogen to pastures pay this year?
Stockpiling Fescue
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.
Grazing Alfalfa in Fall and Winter
Alfalfa is one of the most productive forage legumes grown in Kentucky. Traditionally, cutting it for hay has been the preferred method of harvest, but by following simple management practices it makes an excellent quality pasture.
Fall Pasture Management Affects Spring Growth
The UK Forage publication ID-143: Rotational Grazing provides a good overview of the goals of grazing management. “Good grazing management achieves the right balance between standing availability of forage, forage utilization, and animal performance...”
Harvesting Drought-Stressed Soybeans for Hay
With much of the country affected by the drought conditions this summer, many grain producers are facing the problem of low grain yields while many livestock producers are experiencing hay shortages and may be seeking alternatives for winter feed.
Identify Fields for Stockpiling
With the rising cost and limited availability of hay over the past few years, Kentucky cattle farmers have been looking for ways to extend the grazing season and reduce the need to feed hay during the fall/winter months. Stockpiling forage is one way to meet both of these objectives.
Grazing Green Corn
Several options exist to provide quality grazing during seasons when many common forages have gone dormant or are less productive. Non-traditional forages can provide high quality grazing throughout the hot summer months and into the fall. Corn is mainly used in Kentucky for grain or silage.
Managing Warm-Season Annuals
Warm-season annuals, such as sudangrass, sorghum/sudangrass hybrids, and millets, are useful forages for summer grazing because they flourish when cool season grasses experience “summer slump.” When deciding which of these forages might fit into your grazing system, recognizing the different traits and common uses of each is important.
Producing Quality Hay
Hay is the most commonly stored forage on most Kentucky farms. Since hay is widely utilized, understanding the factors that affect the quality of hay is important, as well as how to produce high quality hay. The ultimate test of hay quality is animal performance.
Starting the Grazing Season Off Right
Turning livestock onto pastures as soon as forages begin to green up in the spring can be tempting. Research has shown that most cool-season grasses produce two-thirds of their season long yield during the spring of the year. Growth of these grasses slows as temperatures rise above 75°F.
Cattle Management Practices when Grazing Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a versatile crop that can be planted in pure or mixed stands with cool-season grasses (i.e. orchardgrass/tall fescue) for grazing or harvesting as stored forage. These fields can be harvested for hay when excess pasture exists and re-enter the grazing rotation when the growth of other forages slow.
Stockpiling Tall Fescue
Every day spent grazing can mean money saved. Using stockpiled forages is a great way to extend the grazing season and reduce the use of stored feed in the fall and winter months. Stockpiling is allowing vegetative growth to accumulate to be used at a later time.
Grazing Stockpiled Forages
The use of stockpiled forages can extend the grazing season and reduce the amount of stored feed needed to feed livestock through the fall and winter months. Stockpiling forages, or allowing forage growth to accumulate for use at a later time, can help extend the grazing season.
Dragging and Clipping Pastures
Feeding costs are the greatest expense for livestock producers. Grazing is the cheapest source of feed. Dragging and mowing pastures are two methods that are often used to attempt to increase forage production and soil fertility. Although these practices are useful agronomically, they may not be practical economically.
Fall and Winter Grazing
Many options exist to provide livestock with high quality forages for grazing throughout the fall and early winter months. In Kentucky, these options include utilizing perennial cool-season pasture as well as a variety of small grains and brassicas.
Tips for Stockpiling Fescue
Select the field that you are going to use for stockpiling fescue. Selecting the field or area to be allocated for stockpiling fescue in early August allows one to adjust grazing rotations or management as needed ahead of time.
