How To Grow Cool Season Pastures
Posted by Unknown in Cattle and Livestock, Grass, Grazing, Pasture, Silage and Forage on Sunday 27 January 2013
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| Well managed cool-season pasture in southern Iowa. NRCS offer. Photo by Lynn Betts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. (1999) |
By John Howle
A
cool-season pasture can dramatically reduce your need for stored feed
and extend your grazing season through the winter months. The key to
having winter grazing is stockpiling or saving forage for winter,
picking hearty cool-season forage to plant, and practicing rotational
grazing. With adequate rainfall, you’ll be set for success this winter.
David
Wright has 65 cows in his dairy operation in Alexandria, Ala., and his
cattle graze throughout the winter, eliminating his need for stored hay.
“I
can have high-quality winter forage through my ryegrass from November
until May,” Wright says. “The only time I’ve had to feed hay is during
drought years.”
In
the 1990s, dairy farming across the U.S. changed, with large commercial
dairies replacing small family-owned-and-operated dairies. Wright
realized that competing with commercial operations was possible by
downsizing his herd and feeding only grass to his cows.
“Our
cows were healthier and happier, the milk was higher quality, the
tractors were in the fields less, and my wife, Leianne, and I had more
time to spend with our children,” he says.
Wright’s
operation centers on dairy cows, but the principles he’s learned can be
applied to winter grazing for any type of livestock. His search for the
best forage-management practices has led him overseas to places like
New Zealand, Africa and Ireland.
“When
you look closely and walk through the fields in other countries where
rotational grazing is truly effective and stored-feed expenses are high,
you see the importance of making grazing available through the winter,”
Wright says.
He
adds that by establishing winter pastures, rotating grazing and
stockpiling forage, winter hay can be virtually eliminated from
livestock diets, as long as fertilizer and rainfall amounts are
adequate.
Stock Up on Forage
Stockpiling
fescue can extend the grazing season up to 60 days, according to Gary
Bates, PhD, forage specialist with the University of Tennessee.
“Fescue
stockpiling is simple,” Bates says. “About the first of September,
either graze or clip the pastures to remove all the mature forage. Then
apply 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre after the fall rains begin. Then
allow the fescue to grow as long as possible without grazing, even up to
a killing frost.”
Bates recommends rotationally grazing fescue when possible so that less of the forage is trampled and wasted by the cattle.
“Tall
fescue that is stockpiled for winter forage can be grazed down to 2
inches since the plant is dormant and not trying to grow,” Bates says.
“It will lose some quality over the winter, but research has shown that
the protein content will remain at 10 percent, even into February.”
The only time stockpiling fescue doesn’t work is during periods of limited rainfall.
“Stockpiled
fescue makes substantial growth during autumn, and the waxy layer on
its leaves makes it resistant to frost damage and weathering,” says
Auburn University professor emeritus and retired extension agronomist
Don Ball. “In addition, tall-fescue forage accumulates a high
concentration of soluble carbohydrates in the fall and maintains its
quality through the winter.”
Ball
says that producers should closely examine the relationship between
stockpiled fescue and other cool-season forages versus hay-production
costs.
“Many
cattle producers in the South, for instance, are feeding hay for 120
days or more,” he says. “However, some producers have developed
approaches, such as stockpiling and planting additional cool-season
forages, that allow them to feed little or no hay in some years.”
Some
fescue carry endophyte fungus, which can affect the health of your
livestock. Look for endophyte-free fescue to avoid fescue toxicosis in
cattle as well as birth defects and premature labor in pregnant mares.
Seed Your Pastures
Once warm-season forage goes dormant, seeding cool-season, annual forage in the pastures can extend the grazing season.
“Ryegrass
is normally broadcast or drilled into dormant sods of warm-season
species,” Ball says. “Small grains and ryegrass, often with an annual
clover, are planted on a prepared seedbed.”
Cool-season
clovers provide winter forage and reduce your fertilizer bill. Red
clover—nicknamed cow clover—is a hearty variety that germinates well and
is adapted for growth in the eastern half of the U.S. White clover
varieties also provide hearty growth and produce nitrogen in the nodules
of the root system, delivering nutrients back to the soil.
Clover
can be planted on a prepared seedbed, drilled or even frost-seeded.
Frost-seeding, the least labor-intensive method, requires no equipment
other than a hand sower. Simply sow the clover on top of the grazed
forage or seedbed, and the frosting and heaving of the soil in cold
weather will create the seed-to-soil contact necessary for germination.
Some producers frost-seed and allow the livestock to trample the seed
into the ground via hoof traffic.
Cool-season
grasses, such as ryegrass, wheat and oats, germinate well and provide
plenty of winter grazing. Before purchasing seeds, check with your local
extension office or university agronomist to find out which cool-season
grasses and clovers grow best in your area. Also, check with fellow
hobby farmers in your area to see what species have performed well for
them in seasons past.
Fertilize the Pastures
As
with any planted forage, fertilizer is a major component of success.
With the proper amount of rainfall (i.e., average for your area), the
nitrogen—whether in commercial or organic form—will help the grass grow
fast and green. A soil test is the only way to accurately determine how
much fertilizer to apply. Once the soil report comes back, the soil
analysis will show your soil’s pH, so you can determine if the pasture
needs lime and fertilizer and in what amounts.
On
a typical bag of commercial fertilizer, you’ll see three numbers
indicating the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. For
instance, ammonium nitrate will have the numbers 34-0-0 on the bag,
which means there are 34 pounds of nitrogen for every 100 pounds of
fertilizer. A bag of 13-13-13 has 13 percent each of nitrogen,
phosphorous and potassium.
For
Wright’s winter pastures, consisting mostly of Marshall ryegrass, he
applies cow manure from his dairy barn at a rate of approximately 60
pounds per acre. In August, he lightly disks his fields, then broadcasts
ryegrass seeds in mid-September. As the seeds are broadcast, he uses a
cultipacker, an implement that packs the seed into the soil on a
prepared seedbed as it’s pulled behind a tractor. The cultipacker also
helps firm the soil and prevent erosion in the event of large amounts of
rainfall.
If
you plan to use an organic fertilizer, such as cattle, poultry or
rabbit manure, it’s important to get an analysis of its content to know
just how much fertilizer you’re actually getting. Most land-grant
universities will analyze manure for its nutrient levels. Although
typically lower in nutrient quality than commercial fertilizer, due to
its high organic content, organic fertilizer builds the soil while
commercial fertilizer does not.
“Fertilizer
will be the biggest expense in creating plentiful winter forage for
livestock,” Bates says. “However, it’s cheaper to grow the forage than
it is to produce the hay and feed it.”
Cutting,
raking and baling hay is a big expense, not to mention the issue of
storage. Although you may not be able to entirely eliminate feeding hay,
the amount fed can be greatly reduced when the forage is growing live.
Implement Rotational Grazing
Wright
rotationally grazes 5-acre paddocks. He says the only feed he
supplements with the ryegrass pasture is grain with added minerals.
“The
grain I use has magnesium and calcium,” he explains. “The magnesium
guards against grass tetany, and the calcium prevents milk fever.”
According to Wright, his rotational grazing is keeping nutrients on the farm.
“When
you cut hay, you are removing nutrients from the field in the hay,” he
says. “When the cows graze the grass, they are getting the nutrients
they need as well as returning many of those nutrients back to the soil
in their droppings.”
It’s
important not to graze the forage to less than 2 inches when using
rotational grazing. If livestock are allowed to graze too long, weeds
will be given a greater opportunity to sprout, the forage will become
excessively trampled, and the plants’ root systems and overall quality
will be stressed.
Spring into Action
Bates recommends evaluating the forage quality in spring to determine the forage needed in the winter.
“When
the forage is about 8 inches tall, walk over the stand to estimate what
percent of the ground is covered with leaves, and if there is 70
percent or better coverage, just add clover,” he says. “If there’s 40 to
70 percent, you can drill more tall fescue in the fall once it has been
grazed low and the ground moisture is higher.”
If the stand is less than 40 percent, Bates recommends killing it and replanting.
The onset of cold weather doesn’t mean you have to stop grazing livestock and put them on hay.
There
are plenty of cool-season forage options for extending your grazing
season well into the cold months of the year. Your livestock and your
wallet will reap the benefits.
About
the Author: John Howle is a freelance writer, hobby farmer, English
teacher, and singer/songwriter from Heflin, Ala. He and his wife and
three children share the rich farming heritage handed down to them by
their ancestors.
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2011 issue of Hobby Farms.
