Agricultural News
Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures in Pasture Recovery and Hay Feeding
Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:56:35 CDT
Although not an uncommon sight for this time year, there a many warm-season grass pastures that are dormant. What is different is the extended drought which reduced normal forage production somewhere near 70% of the usual seasonal total. All of this has been further complicated by a regional shortage of hay with most of the available hay being low quality and expensive.
The three-month forecast is for continued dry weather through October. If this is the case, it could be March before any appreciable forage can be grown for pasture. With hay feeding costs ranging from $2 to $3 per head per day, the potential cost of continued feeding a single animal through to March could be as great as $600. There are few situations where feeding hay for this length of time is profitable.
From now through at least early November, it may be necessary to restrict animals to a central feeding location to allow the forage time to grow or the pastures to recover. This allows for both short-term and long-term pasture recovery. In order to do this, it is important to
1. Move animals to the worst pasture (sacrifice area).
2. Allow the better pastures an opportunity to recover.
3. Reduce the need to renovate a large number of acres.
4. Increase nutrient supply of low fertility soils.
This situation raises the following question: What are the reasonable forage production options for the upcoming fall and spring?
Currently, the best options are those that have been successful in most years for fall, winter, and spring forage production. Depending on the location in the state, there are several choices to consider. Although these are the most reasonable options, they are also highly risky options due to the current lack of soil moisture across the state. When possible, choosing at least two of the options would increase the probability of successful fall and winter pasture production.
For bermudagrass pastures, the key point to remember is that a modest level of soil fertility is needed to increase the probability of bermudagraass regrowth occurring this fall when precipitation occurs. A modest fertility level will also support earlier recovery for bermudagrass pasture production next spring. Bermudagrass pastures that are dormant and grazed short will take some time and moisture to recover. Most bermudagrass pastures will begin to show signs of regrowth with as little as 1/3 to 1/2 inch of rain. However, additional precipitation will be necessary for adequate forage production. Most bermudagrass pastures will need at least 1 1/2 inches of precipitation to recover enough to begin grazing and 5 or 6 inches of precipitation so that forage growth can continue through until first frost. Ideally, the precipitation should be slow enough that it results in minimal runoff. The fall growth potential depends on the timing and amount of rainfall.
With many bermudagrass pastures grazed short, the opportunity to successfully sod-seed small grains or legumes (where adapted) is also an option. Most of the seeding failures of small grains and legumes occur as a result of too much warm-season grass competition. In many areas, traditional wheat pasture will offer the most reasonable option for fall forage production. However, in some instances, planting one of the other small grain crops could be an option to increase the forage production potential. For information, see OSU Fact Sheet PSS-2701 on Sod-seeding Small Grains into Bermudagrass Pasture.
In addition to wheat pasture, including either oat in a winter annual pasture mixture at 1/3 to 1/2 the weight of the blend would improve the potential to produce adequate fall forage. Including cereal rye would also improve the chance of producing winter pasture. For those who may want to consider including annual ryegrass in the mixture, be aware that it will not provide adequate fall forage most years but will produce more reliable pasture in the spring.
Historically, we usually observe a phenomenon called a "good clover year" following a dry year. This can attributed to short warm-season grass residue and timely precipitation resulting in adequate clover establishment. Where legumes have been productive in past years, a blend of white clover, arrowleaf clover, and red clover should be considered to shorten winter hay feeding. If clover has desirable establishment, at the earliest these pastures should not be grazed until late March.
In the eastern half of Oklahoma and some areas of southwestern Oklahoma, fertilizing bermudagrass and/or tall fescue pastures with 50 to 60 lbs N per acre in late August could result in available pasture by early December. With some timely rains, it may be possible to provide some fall pasture growth from bermudagrass or tall fescue that could be grazed as early as December. For management specifics on stockpiling forage, please see OSU Fact Sheet ANSI- 3035 on managing Bermudagrass Pasture to Reduce Winter Hay Feeding in Beef Cattle Operations.
With the lack of soil moisture and predictions for continued drought, what are chances that any of these options will be successful?
All of the winter annual forage grasses, including small grains and annual ryegrass, are easy to plant. Seed will germinate in any month from August to December. If seed is broadcast, dragging the pasture with a harrow or lightly disking will increase the chance of a success. Using a drill will increase the likelihood of establishing a solid stand. After establishment, applying 50 to 60 lbs of N per acre or 120 lb urea (46-0-0) per acre in February will increase the chance of providing needed forage from mid March to June. Where legumes are adapted, including white clover, red clover and arrowleaf will lessen production the forage production risks.
Regardless of the forage production option, we need moisture. Soil moisture is more or less depleted in most areas, so we will need about 5 to 6 inches to produce 1 ton of forage. This moisture will need to fall in at least two events for the perennial pasture options and probably three events for the annual pasture options. If soil P and K are adequate, applying a small amount of N to bermudagrass with take advantage of any late summer precipitation. Again, moisture is needed, but this can take advantage of a single precipitation event better than the annual forage options.
Our thanks to Daren Redfearn, Extension Forage and Pasture Management Specialist at OSU, Chris Rice, Area Extension Agronomy Specialist Southeast District at OSU, and Mark Gregory, Area Extension Agronomy Specialist Southwest District at OSU, for providing this article through the latest edition of Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Extension News.
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