General
General
Getting a Grazing Plan Together
Sometimes in life we find ourselves barreling forward without much of a plan. This often gives us a false sense of making progress. In reality, it is very difficult to get somewhere if you don’t know where you are going.
Drought-Proofing Your Grazing System
Do you know what the difference is between a flood and a drought? About two weeks! This has been a fairly wet fall. So, it seems a little ironic to be talking about drought when we can’t seem to get the soybeans finished up. However, it is important to remember that drought is a part of Kentucky’s agricultural landscape.
NRCS-Based Cost Share Programs
We all want to set up a grazing operation just like we see at field days and hear about at cattleman’s meetings and grazing schools, but addressing natural resource concerns while improving grazing practices can often cut into our profits.
Environmental Concerns with Grazing
With the many challenges of managing an agriculture operation, environmental concerns often fall low on the priority list. However, incorporating a few key practices can help ensure animal health, improve soil resources, and protect water quality.
Dealing with Wet Pasture Conditions
Muddy, wet pastures are a common scene in Kentucky. In order to keep soil and forage damage to a minimum, it is important to take the proper actions to protect them during these wet periods. Livestock traffic on wet pastures can cause soil compaction and can damage the roots and crowns of plants.
Minimize and Reduce Soil Compaction
Soil compaction is a common problem that many producers face but that is often overlooked. Significant soil compaction can also reduce forage yields and slow forage establishment, which, in the long run, costs money. Management practices can be used to reduce and correct this problem while improving soil conditions.
How to Limit Damage to High-Traffic Areas
High traffic area pads are a management option to reduce soil disturbances on any farm that is home to livestock. Heavy use pads are made using geotextile fabric under a 4 to 6 inch base layer of No. 3 or 4 gravel, topped by 2 to 3 inches of dense grade.
Pasture Walk: Big Spring Farm
Greg Brann, owner and operator of Big Spring Farm, held a pasture walk on October 17, 2014, at his farming operation in Adolphus, Kentucky, which is located on the Kentucky/Tennessee border. Around 120 people from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee were in attendance at this event.
Knob Lick Farms Grazing System
Bill Payne, of Stanford, Kentucky, owns and operates Knob Lick Farm. In the past, Bill ran a drylot dairy with his father but now custom raises dairy heifers. After his father retired, Bill decided to disperse the dairy and beef herd. Bill aspired to change to a business which would provide more free-time than the dairy offered.
Farm Highlight: Landis Farm
The Landis Farm, owned and operated by Jim and Baker Landis, is a 120-acre farm which raises beef cattle with a pasture based system. The Landises use a rotational grazing method, which Jim explains has allowed him to increase livestock numbers while providing better quality forage.
Farm Highlight: Shady Meadows, Gene and Marcy Dobbs
When Gene and Marcy Dobbs purchased Shady Meadows in 1971, the 65-acre farm located in Campbell County consisted of 2 large paddocks with many briars, bushes, and rocks. Their now successful cow/calf operation has 8 paddocks, which are used for both hay and grazing.
Big Spring Farm: Greg Brann
Greg Brann, owner and operator of Big Spring Farm, emphasizes overall diversity on his farm, which is located on the Kentucky/Tennessee boarder. His efforts to increase farm diversity not only apply to forages, but also to livestock. Greg rotationally grazes cattle, sheep, and goats in one large herd.
Farm Highlight: Buddy Smith
Buddy Smith owns and manages a beef cattle and hay operation on over 400 acres in Anderson County and does an exemplary job of managing his unique grazing program. A graduate of UK’s Master Grazer, Master Stocker, Master Cattleman, and Advanced Master Cattleman programs, Buddy often participates in grazing schools, field days, and other programs.
Farm Highlight: Russell Hackley
Known as a leader in agriculture, Russell C. Hackley has not only integrated a profitable beef operation, but also highly enjoys his work and involvement in the industry. He recognizes the value of high quality forage and is willing to try new things to better utilize forage.
Rotational Grazing: David Burge
This summer the Master Grazer Educational program conducted several demonstrations across KY for producers to see best management practices in place, and the benefits they possess. One of these demonstrations was implemented in Anderson County by David Burge.
Farm Highlight: Turpin Farm
The Turpin Farm, owned and operated by Billy Glenn and his son, Scott Turpin, is a 155-acre farm stocked with a herd of spring and fall calving Angus/Simmental cattle. This farm has been family owned and operated for over 100 years.
When Will There Be an Answer for Pinkeye?
Pinkeye or IBK (infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis) is a costly disease for cattle producers. The cost of treatment coupled with the fact that affected calves wean off on average 15-30 pounds lighter and bring less at the market due to corneal scarring make this disease a significant economic consideration.
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.
Forage Tip of the Month: Common vs. Certified Seed
Once you have selected a forage species and variety, it is recommended to buy a quality seed that is high in germination rate and free of weed seed. Buying certified seed guarantees that the requirements for both of these parameters have been met and should be the first purchasing option.
Overseeding Pastures in Kentucky
Overseeding of pastures is an excellent management tool that improves pasture production, forage quality, and ensures a good ground cover the following year without major pasture renovations. Overseeding consists of planting seed in a field with existing grass cover in order to fill in bare patches and thicken the stand.
Assessing Pasture: Forage Identification
When planning a grazing management plan for your pastures, it’s important to realize that pasture is the most economical and efficient way to feed your animals. When managing pasture, both the animal nutrient needs and pasture requirements should be considered.
Renovating Pastures
Multiple reasons exist for the need to reseed pastures, such as old stands that are dying out causing bare spots, to reduce number of undesirable weeds and forages, to introduce a new forage species, to control forage-related disorders, among many other causes.
Inoculating Legume Seed
Although there are many benefits of using legumes in pastures, one of the most desirable is the ability of these plants to fix atmospheric nitrogen. This can increase yields and quality while significantly reducing fertilizer costs. Nitrogen fixation is the result of the symbiotic relationship between the plant and rhizobium bacteria.
Purchasing Quality Seed
It’s time for those planning on seeding pastures or hayfields this spring to begin preparing. Whether renovating pastures, converting cropland into pasture, establishing a new species into an existing stand, or reestablishing winter feeding areas and other high traffic areas, it is important to purchase high quality seed to get the best results.
Successful Seeding
Seed is the basic building block to a forage or crop stand. Whether establishing a new stand or improving an old stand, actions can be taken to ensure that newly planted seed produces a healthy stand. Seed is one of the cheaper inputs into a grazing system, and this cost should be offset by pasture production.
When to Reseed Pastures
Multiple reasons exist for needing to reseed pasture, such as old stands that are dying out or stands that need to be improved due to poor management, disease, to fill in bare spots, or to reduce weed problems. When deciding what forage species to seed, determine future goals and plans for the pasture in question.
How to Use Variety Trial Publications
When renovating or establishing pastures, an important consideration is the selection of forage species and varieties. Forage species, as well as varieties within a species, vary significantly in yield, quality, and stand persistence, which combine to greatly impact performance and economic return to the operation.
Soil Testing
Taking soil samples during the fall of the year allows the farmer time to have the fertilizer applied well before grasses start to grow in the spring. Most pasture fields should be sampled every three to four years. If you use a field strictly for cutting hay from or for annual row crops, and nutrients get removed and not added back, you should soil test annually.
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.
Growth of Grasses and Legumes
Good grazing management will result in improved pasture yields. Understanding how plants grow allows for better management decisions as to when to move livestock under different growing conditions. This article will focus on growth occurring after grazing or mowing.
County Agricultural Investment Programs (CAIP)
In 2000, the Kentucky General Assembly passed House Bill 611 which created the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board (KADB) and the framework for what is now known as the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF). Funding for this program comes from Kentucky’s annual share of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA).
Farm Highlight: Stockpiling Fescue
This past winter the Grazing for Cash program conducted several demonstrations across KY for producers to see best management practices in place, and the benefits they possess. One of these demonstrations was implemented in Madison County by producer John Thomas.
Master Grazer Profile: Bob Hall
Scott County native Robert (Bob) Hall, Jr. is a man of many hats. He and his wife Bonnie have embarked on many ventures on their farm including sheep, hogs and tobacco. Hall was born and raised on the farm outside of Georgetown, where he currently resides and operates a stocker operation.
Multi-Species Grazing
Grazing two or more animal species in a pasture-based system can increase forage utilization and efficiency. This method can also be used to renovate pastures by controlling certain forages, weeds, and brush that one livestock species may not graze.
Timing Fertilizer and Pasture Yields
Many producers have already started planning pasture and hayfield fertilization. Pastures require nutrients to reach peak productivity. These nutrients are derived from several sources including residual nutrients in the soil, the breakdown of manure and soil organic matter, and nitrogen produced by N-fixation in legumes.
Tips for Controlling Weeds in Grass Pastures
Using good pasture management practices can help minimize weeds and unwanted plants in grass pastures and hayfields. To get the most quantity and quality from pastures, use management practices that encourage growth of a vigorous, dense stand of forage grasses and limit germination and growth of unwanted plants.
The Value of Coated Seed
Over the last 20 years there has been a growing trend for more and more alfalfa and clover seed to be coated. I am often asked “Is it worth buying coated seed?” I almost always answer yes to this question, especially in the case of alfalfa and clover seed.
Renovating High-Traffic Areas
High traffic areas, such as feeding areas, sacrifice lots, alleyways, gateways and waterers, are often bare and muddy late winter and early spring. To slow and reduce soil erosion, compaction, forage damage, and weed problems, these areas need to be renovated promptly. Reducing these muddy areas is beneficial for animal health.
Soil Test to Determine Fertilizer Applications
Fertilizer is one of the main expenses in a productive grazing system. It is important to apply fertilizer and lime in accurate amounts for best forage production and financial and environmental reasons. Performing a soil test on pastures and utilizing the results to evaluate pasture fertility is strongly advised.
