additional forage in livestock and dairy operations - schwab
TRANSCRIPT
Cover Crops Additional Forage in Livestock
and Dairy Operations.
Denise Schwab,ISU Extension Beef Field Specialist
Cover Crop Grazing IssuesCover Crop Grazing Issues
Establishment
Animal performance
Variety selection
Yield
Cost
Cover Crop Grazing IssuesEstablishmentEstablishment
• Plan to prevent herbicide injury• Seeding method for good establishment
• Consider seed size and low rate• Add filler to bulk up to 15 – 20 lbs/acre
• Aerial - Double the seeding rate• Application cost $15-20/ac
• Seeding timing for adequate growth• Every 2 wks after AUG 1 cuts yield by half• Last chance to plant ~ SEP 15
Photo: May 7, 2003
Aerial Seeded vs. Drilled
Straate/Link FarmSoybeans harvested Sept. 11
Rye ~ 16 inches on May 4Treated May 4 with herbicide
Rye ~ 16 incheson May 4
Photo May 7
Rye ~ 24 incheson May 7
Rye 2 bu/ac Aerial Aug. 30 Oats 3 bu/ac Drilled 2 bu/ac rye Sept. 11
For cover For forage
Johanningmeier FarmCorn silage harvested Sept. 9
Rye ~ 24 inches, near boot stage May 7
Winter Rye Cover Crop, Janesville, WI Photo: April 1, 2004
Planted Oct. 10, 2003 Planted Sept. 20, 2003
University of WisconsinUniversity of Wisconsin
University of WisconsinUniversity of Wisconsin
Effect of Fall Planting Date on Rye Forage Yield in Spring
1) Mid-Sept. planting provides good cover and fall forage for grazing.2) Sept. planted Rye tends to mature slightly earlier the next spring.
3) Little difference in overall spring yield as long as Rye is planted by early Oct.
University of WisconsinUniversity of Wisconsin
• Moisture content• Brassica species are about 90% water• Cereal grains are about 60-65% moisture at boot
stage• Corn stalks are about 8-10% moisture
• C:N ratio• Carbon = fiber = digestibility• Brassica species C:N ratio of 25:1• Cereal grains C:N ratio of 40:1• Corn stalks C:N ratio 60:1
• Grazing timing
Cover Crop Grazing IssuesGrazing PerformanceGrazing Performance
Cover Crop Grazing IssuesVariety SelectionVariety Selection
Depends on your objectives, timing, resources
•Cold tolerance
•Residue management
•Forage yield
ARS-USDA, Mandan
Cold Tolerance
Residue Management
Oats• Germinate in soil temps as low as 38’• 5-8 days to emerge• Rapid growth, good for short growing window• Drill 30-60 lbs/a at ½ to 1 ½” depth, can
broadcast or aerial seed• Tolerates poorly drained to excessively drains
soils and low fertility soils• Low drought or heat tolerance• Winter kills• High quality fall, early winter grazing
• Little grazing before winter - earlier planting dates improve grazing
• Some of the earliest spring grazing
• Grazing off seedstems in the spring will greatly reduce further seed production
• A good stand can produce 3 to 4 ½ tons of hay or silage
• Quality/yield trade-off
• Do NOT let it get ahead of you
Winter Cereals – Rye, Wheat, Triticale
Forage Turnips • Germinate in soil temps as low as 45’
• 4-10 days to emerge
• Rapid growth, good for short growing window
• Drill 1-3 lbs/a at 1/4 to ½” depth, can broadcast or aerial seed
• Tolerates somewhat poorly drained soils and heat
• Low shade or drought tolerance
• Responsive to fertilizer, especially N
• Usually winter kills
• High protein fall, early winter grazing, requires additional dry matter in the diet
Tillage Radish• Germinate in soil temps as low as 45’
• 3-5 days to emerge
• Rapid growth, good for short growing window
• Drill 5-10 lbs/a at 1/4 to 3/4” depth, can broadcast or aerial seed
• Tolerates somewhat poorly drained soils• Good heat and drought tolerance• Responsive to fertilizer, especially N
• Usually winter kills
• Not preferred for grazing, requires acclimation• Do not allow seed formation
Annual and Perennial Ryegrass
•not the same as cereal rye! •cool season grasses ‑•relatively rapid emergence •high nutritive quality
Perennial Ryegrass
•Varieties imported from Australia and New Zealand often winterkill •More promising perennial ryegrasses coming out of Europe have better winter survival
• Very weather dependent
• Varies with seeding method
• Varies with harvest method
• Quantity/Quality tradeoff
• Fertilize for optimum forage growth
• Fertility impact on following crop
Cover Crop Grazing IssuesYieldYield
Practical Farmers of Iowa Data Fall seeded cover crop, spring forage yields
• Winter Rye 575 lb DM/A 765 lb DM/A
1,138 lb DM/A 2,958 lb DM/A2,055 lb DM/A
• Winter Triticale 2,375 lb DM/A 1,535 lb DM/A
Forage Yield Variable & Based on Weather
% TDN
% Protein
Quantity/Quality tradeoff
Moisture Protein* Digestibility* Yield of when cut, in dry matter of dry matte DM TDN
Stage % % % tons / A T/AVegetative 82 85‑ 24 80 0.6 0.5Boot 82 20 22‑ 76 1.0 0.7Heading 82 15 18‑ 66 1.4 0.9Milk 78 15 62 2.1 1.3Early dough 71 13 56 2.9 1.6Late dough 60 11 53 3.2 1.7
*Summarized from several Iowa studies
Nutritive Values for Oat Forage
How Many Acres Will I Need?
General Rule of Thumb:
Plant in late-July or early August = ½ acre/cow/month
Plant in mid-August to early September = 1 acre/cow/month
Plant after early September = 1.5 – 2 acres/cow/month
• Seed & planting
• Harvest method
• Termination
• Yield suppression?
• Pest problems?
Tom Kasper, USDA-ARSTom Kasper, USDA-ARS
Cover Crop Grazing IssuesCostCost
Cost – Wide Range $9-90/acAerial Seeding Rate, lb/ac
Seed Cost/Ac Drilled Seeding Rate, lb/ac
Seed Cost/Ac
Oats 90-120 lbs $62-83 (Forage )$25-34 (cover)
60-80 lb $41-55(Forage )$17-23 (cover)
Cereal rye, triticale, wheat
83-150 lb $26-47 (rye)$32-57 (triticale)
55-100 lb $17-32 (rye)$21-38 (triticale)
Turnips Not recommended
3-7 lb $9-20
Oats/radish 54-72 lb oats3-7 lb radish
$15-20 (oats) + $9-21 (radish)
36-48 lb oats3-6 lb radish
$10-14 (oats) + $9-18 (radish)
Oats/crimson clover
54-48 lb oats9-14 lbs clover
$13-15 (oats) + $21-33 (clover)
24-32 lb oats6-9 lb clover
$7-9 (oats) +$14-21 (clover)
Aerial Application $15-20/ac Custom Drill $11-20/ac
Iowa Learning Farm Cover Crop Cost Calculatorhttp://www.extension.iastate.edu/ilf/content/cover-crops-0
1) Delayed planting
2) Surface residue
• Slower soil warm-up
• Planter issues
• N suppression / immobilization
1) Allelopathy from winter small grains on corn production
2) Reduced soil moisture for the following crop
3) Residue can delay soils drying during a wet spring
4) Most of these issues become worse with increasing biomass
Tom Kasper, USDA-ARSTom Kasper, USDA-ARS
Yield Suppression?
• Soybean yields no change.• Corn silage yields no
change.• Corn grain yields on
average 4 to 6 bu/ac lower following rye, no change with oats. If rye killed 14 d before corn planting and at less than 8” tall risk greatly reduced.
Kaspar unpublishedKaspar unpublished
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 Cover Crop Dry Weight, lbs/ac
Yie
ld d
iffe
ren
ce,
bu
/ac
wit
h C
C v
s. n
o C
CCorn Yield Difference vs. Rye Cover Crop Dry Weight
Practices to Reduce the Risk of Corn Yield Drag Following Rye Cover Crops• Kill rye cover crops 14 days before corn planting or
use spring oat which winter kills• Kill rye cover crops before they reach 1000
lbs/acre in the spring; about 6 to 8 in tall• Increase corn population/stand - ???• Apply some N and P fertilizer at planting• Use strip till or residue clearing attachments
Pest Problems?Weed Potential
Volunteer from dormant seeds
• Buckwheat Hairy vetch Mustards
Potential if allowed to flower
• Annual ryegrass Buckwheat
• Hairy vetch Mustards Oilseed radishDifficult to terminate crops
• Annual ryegrass Cereal rye
• Clovers Hairy vetch
Insect pests? i.e. Armyworm with winter rye Ergot
Rotational Crop Restrictions
Difference between forage crop and cover planting
– Forage crops are meant to be fed and will leave the field
– Cover planting – plant material does not leave the field either harvested or grazed
If the biomass produced is removed from the field it is considered a “crop” on pesticide labels
ReviewReviewCover Crop Grazing Issues
Establishment
Animal performance
Variety selection
Yield
Cost
ResourcesMidwest Cover Crop Council
http://mccc.msu.edu/index.htm
Iowa Beef Centerwww.iowabeefcenter.org
Iowa Learning Farmshttp://www.extension.iastate.edu/ilf/content/cover-crops-0
Practical Farmers of Iowahttp://www.practicalfarmers.org/programs/Field-Crops_cover.php
Managing Cover Crops Profitablyhttp://mccc.msu.edu/publications.html
Midwest Cover Crops Field Guide ($5) https://ag.purdue.edu/agry/dtc/Pages/CCFG.aspx
Thank YouAre there any questions?
Denise SchwabBenton County Extension Office, Vinton
Phone 319-472-4739 Cell 319-721-9624
email: [email protected] www.iowabeefcenter.org