Pasture ManagementEmily Herring- Pender County

Livestock AgentMarch 29, 2011

Thanks to:

Chris Teutsch, Virginia Extension Richard Melton, Anson Co Livestock Agent Eve Honeycutt, Lenior and Green Livestock

Agent Becky Spearman, Bladen County Livestock

Agent Jim Green, former NC Cooperative Extension

Forage Specialist

What is the goal?

Provide Feed Improve Animal Performance Save Money Aesthetically Pleasing Other

What are the limitations?

Number of acres Soil types Equipment available Facilities available Species to graze Time Desire

MANAGER

SOILS ANIMALS

FORAGES INFRASTRUCTURE

Establishing Forages

Plan what you will do Write down your plan Keep records – what and when did you plant,

fertilize, move animals, etc Farm can be simple or complex – no right or

wrong answer No silver bullets

Southern Forages – Develop a plan

1. Forage is a commodity – you are a forage farmer not just a livestock or horse farmer What is your philosophy?

2. Use reliable information Research based info Try small scale

Southern Forages – Develop a plan

3. Timeliness Optimum planting dates to establish are CRITICAL Fertilize Herbicide application Adjusting stocking rate Hay cutting

Southern Forages – Develop a plan

4. Use adapted species and varieties Sandy vs clay Wet vs well drained soils What is volunteering if the field already?

5. Match crop to animal needs

6. Maximize the length of the grazing season – diversity can help to have year round pastures

Southern Forages – Develop a plan

7. Soil testing and fertility

8. Use legumes if possible

9. Stored feed and hay

10. Grazing methods – continuous vs rotational

TERMINOLOGY

Legumes – roots have nodules containing bacteria capable of fixing nitrogen and increasing the fertility of the soil

Grasses – are herbaceous plants that have a parallel leaf vein, fibrous root system and have seeds on elongated sees stalks

Sedges – monocot plant that superficially resemble grasses. Usually not valued as a forage crop for animals

TERMINOLOGY

Cool season produce during the winter optimum: 65-80o F

Warm season produce during summer optimum: 85-95o F

TERMINOLOGY

Annuals Germinates, grows, reproduces and dies in one

growing season Must be planted every year

Perennial Under suitable conditions, live more than one year Can become dormant at certain times of the year

Forage Quality

As plants mature, the quality goes down Legumes are higher in quality than grasses Target grazing heights Grazing intensity or hay harvest

Primary site of “plant food” production.........

The green leaf

It is also the primary source of feed!!

Challenge....To Recognize Plant’s need

for “REST” or “protection” to replenish energy &/or Leaf area.

Growth Phases

Growth is slow at first, then rapid until near maturity, when it slows again

Keep plants in most active growth stage Graze when plants are at 6-12 inches and leave 2-4

inches of stubble after grazing Recovery time will depend on soil moisture,

temperature, leaf area remaining, and animal traffic

Growth Phase Activities

1 32AspectPhase

Yield.................... 500 2000 4000TDN..................... High High LowGrowth Rate........ Low Rapid MedLeaf Area............. Low High V.High

Necessities for Plant Growth

Sunlight Favorable Temperature Water Nutrients Carbon Dioxide Oxygen

Soil Moisture

Photosynthesis and Cooling Limited moisture causes growth to stop before

photosynthesis Slowed growth causes nitrate accumulation Limited moisture has more effect on yield than

quality (except drought)

Regrowth

Excess energy for regrowth is stored in specific organs in the plant

After cutting or grazing, the plant depends on this reserve energy

Green leaves near the soil surface (bermuda, fescue, bluegrass)

Regrowth is boosted by reserve energy in addition to continued photosynthesis from remaining leaf area

Use soil tests – free service Lack of nutrients affects yields, not quality Lime as recommended – follow reports For fertilization – follow reports

The Nitrogen rate for hybrid bermudagrass varies with soil type - 175 - 220 lb per acre

Apply 50–60 lb per acre in April and the remainder in equal increments in June and mid-July or after each cutting.

For established crops, apply P2O5 before plants begin new growth.

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Seasonal Distribution of Growth… (lb/acre/day) Warm season plants

BahiaBermudaBluestemBrowseCornCrabgrassDallisgrassGamagrassJohnsongrassMilletSorghum-SudanSoybeanSudanSwitchgrass

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Seasonal Distribution of Growth… (lb/acre/day) Cool season plants

AlfalfaBluegrassBrassicaChicoryCloversFescueOrchardgrassPrairiegrassRyegrass, annualRyegrass, perennialCereal grains

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Cool-seasonWarm-season

Seasonal Distribution of Growth… (lb/acre/day) Cool and Warm season plants

Growth Curves for Common Forages

KY BluegrassOrchardgrass

Tall FescueLadino Clover

Red CloverAlfalfa

Small GrainsRyegrass

BermudagrassSwitchgrass

Caucasian BluestemSorghum-Sudan

Pearl Millet

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Cool-Season Grasses

Warm-Season Grasses

Legumes

Cool-Season Annual Grasses

Warm-Season Annual Grasses

Adapted from Controlled Grazing of Virginia’s Pastures, Publication 418-012

Cool-Season Grasses more digestible and higher in CP longer growing season??

Warm-Season Grasses less digestible and lower in CP more drought tolerant more efficient at using water

Warm Season Grasses

Perennials Bermuda Bahiagrass Dallisgrass Native Warm Season

Eastern Gamagrass Swithgrass

Annuals Millet Sorghum Mixes

Bermudagrass Hybrid and seeded types

Grows in sandy soils Seed: April 1-May 15

Can plant Mar 15-Jun7 Broadcast 6-8lbs/ac or

Drill 5-7lbs/ac Grazing: Start at 4-6 in

and Stop at 2-3 inches

Bermudagrass Growth Pattern

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Bermudagrass

Growth from April to October

Yields range from 3 to 6 tons per acre

Nitrogen Recommendations-60-80lbs/ac at establishment & 180-220 at maintenance

Optimum pH level= 6.5

Bermudagrass Stand Loss

Mostly due to management Sometimes due to soil type, drainage, shade Hay not harvested in a timely manner

Harvest every four weeks Cut at 12” growth

Competition from overseed or weeds Cut overseeded ryegrass off at the latest; April

Competitive effect of winter annual overseed

Bermuda

Hybrid Bermudagrass Hybrids include Coastal, Tifton 44, Tifton 78, Tifton

85, Midland 99, Ozark, Goodwell Hybrids don’t make viable seed and are sprigged Adapted to somewhat poorly drained to excessively

well drained soil series

Seeded Varieties Cheyenne II Mohawk Wrangler Ranchero

Seeding

Plant seed when soil temperature is 65 degrees or higher at a 4” depth Usually late April or May

Prepare the ground as soon as possible in spring to allow the soil to settle (apply lime before preparing seedbed)

Use glyphosate (Roundup) or paraquat(Gramoxone Max) to help create a weed-free seedbed

Seeding

Plant into a well-packed, clean-tilled seedbed Broadcast seed and immediately cultipack Avoid fields with heavy competition such as

crab, goose and nut grass No-till seeding - not deeper than 1/8”

General Rule

If you sink past sole of your shoe, seedbed is too soft

Broadcast + Cultipack

Cultipack, broadcast seed, cultipack

Can give excellent results for a relatively low equipment cost

Costs

Sprigging establishment costs from NCSU budget is $250

Seeded establishment costs from Va Tech is $225-$250

Bladen Plots

Charles Gillespie’s farm in Elizabethtown Becky Spearman, NC Cooperative Extension-

Livestock Agent, Bladen County Rick Morris, NCDA Regional Agronomist is a

major part of the plots Seeded on May 24, 2007 Used a Brillion seeder Plots were 25 x 70 feet

Varieties

Cheyenne Mohawk Ranchero Frio - blend of:

50% Cheyenne 2 17% Giant 16.5% Cheyenne 12% Mohawk

Wrangler

Spearman-Gillespie Elizabethtown Bermuda Trial 2008 Hrvst 1 (1 July)

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MOHAWK RANCHERO CHEYENNE WRANGLER

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CrabgrassBermuda

Spearman-Gillespie Elizabethtown Bermuda Trial 2008 Hrvst 2 (14 August)

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CrabgrassBermuda

Note doubling of scale on Y-axis for Aug harvest

Spearman-Gillespie Bermudagrass Trial 2008 Hrvst 3 (Oct 10)

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Mohawk Ranchero Cheyenne Wrangler

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CrabgrassBermuda

Bahiagrass

Adapted to sites that may not work well for bermuda

Moderate quality Limited varieties Limited production season Plant Feb 15- Mar 15 at 15-

25lbs/ac broadcast and 10-20lbs drill

Optimum pH= 6.0 100-150 lbs N/ac

Bahiagrass Can spread to other fields Can be considered a nuisance

weed Tough on equipment and

animals teeth

Dallisgrass Bunch type grass Best adapted to moist soils Establishment is slow Broadcast seed in March or April Higher quality than bermuda

Native Warm Perennial Season Grasses

Switchgrass Eastern Gamagrass

Hard to establish Site specific Bunch grasses Heavy yields Require grazing management Limited overseeding Very efficient nitrogen users

Eastern Gamagrass

Switchgrass

Annual Forages Supply forage during summer and

winter deficit periods Advantages

fast germination and emergence rapid growth high productivity and quality provides flexibility

Disadvantages Establishment cost: $120 to $140 increased risk of stand failures hard to cure

Pearl Millet High Yield Excellent quality Higher leaf to stem ratios

than other warm season annuals

No Prussic acid Problems Requires grazing

management Hard to harvest excess Plant May 1- May 15 or Apr

20-June 30

Pearl Millet Better adapted to acid soils (pH 5.5 to 6.5) More cold sensitive than sorghums Good drought tolerance

better on sandier soils than sorghums

Grazing in 45-60 days For all animals Variety Selection

base on seed cost and availability

Crabgrass High quality Limited varieties Limited yield and

production data Hard to depend on

native establishment Plant after bare soil

temperature in the upper 2 -4 inches is consistently over 70 degrees Fahrenheit at midday

Crabgrass

Annual that acts like a perennial (reseed) Excellent forage quality -higher than

bermudagrass ‘Red River’ only variety Seeding rate 1-5 lbs/ac

Warm Season Legumes

Annual lespedeza Cowpea Sericea lespedeza Forage Soybean

Research is needed - try small acres to see how they do

Why use legumes?

Higher yields and forage quality Improved summer growth Dilution of endophyte infected tall fescue Free nitrogen

legumes >30% no additional N needed always inoculate legume seed

Annual Lespedeza

Tolerant of acidic soils July - September Drought resistant Some articles say they can

reseed, but mixed results Two species

Korean Striate or common

Sericea Lespedeza

Long-lived perennial Nonbloating Extremely drought tolerant Tolerant of acid soils Grazed rotationally Poor seedling vigor Establishment difficult

Cool Season Grasses

Perennials Fescue Matua Bromegrass

Annuals Ryegrass Small grains

Wheat Rye Oats Triticale

Tall Fescue

Endophyte issues 2/3’s, 1/3 growth Minimal variety selection

KY 31 Max Q BarOptima

Long term reliability Clay and loamy soils Excellent Quality Management Forgiving

Tall Fescue

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Fescue

Best time to plant is Oct. 1-15 Possible: March 1-15 or Oct. 15 - Nov. 15

Seeding rate – 15-25 lbs/ acre Suppress competition by close grazing or

herbicide application Good soil fertility is critical Not good in sandy soils

Ryegrass

Annual vs. Perennial Tremendous spring

growth Multiple varieties Minimal soil cover at

establishment Widely adapted

Annual Ryegrass

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Annual Ryegrass High yielding with excellent quality Regrows after cutting until June

Must be controlled if overseed crop

Consistent production Requires nitrogen fertilization Overseed bermudagrass or double crop with

summer annual

Winter Annual Grazing

Over seed into short or thin pastures Wheat, oats, rye, ryegrass, triticale Can provide grazing from November - April if

conditions are right Use caution grazing (limit graze)

Cool Season Legumes

White Clover ??? Vetch ??? Alfalfa ???

White Clover

Excellent Quality Good compliment to

perennial grass stand Relatively inexpensive Can limit management

options Well adapted varieties Poor drought tolerance

Vetch

Tolerant of acid soils Relatively high

phosphorus requirements

Close grazing can destroy regrowth

May not be palatable for horses

Alfalfa

High level of management Expensive to establish and

maintain Limited life expectancy Excellent quality Marginal adaptability Well-drained soils Can cause bloat

Alfalfa

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Putting it all together! Goal: Year-Round Grazing Potential System for NC

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Tall FescueStockpiled Stockpiled

Small Grain Bermudagrass

Year-round grazing requires management

Recommend Stocking Rates Cattle

1.5 – 2 acres per cow depends on mature size of cow

Goats 6-8 goats on an acre

Horses 1 horse per 2 acres

Sheep 5-6 sheep on an acre

Evaluate what you have

How much land per horse?> 2 acres – best scenario with

good possibility of providing substantial grazing for horse

1-2 acres – need excellent grazing management to maintain stand and keep weeds under control

<1 acre – can provide exercise and limited grazing, difficult to keep stand of grass intact

Economics

There are forage budgets available to help you determine prices

NCSU Budgets located at:http://www.ag-econ.ncsu.edu/extension/Ag_budgets.html

Print version and Excel version available

Production costs

Operating expenses for one cropping season Fixed costs for machinery and equipment Annual

All costs are incurred during a single crop

Perennial Costs separated into establishment and annual costs

Materials and services

Seed Seed Inoculants Herbicide Lime Fertilizer Custom Application costs

Other Costs

Labor $9 per hour for machinery labor $8.50 for other labor

Machinery operating Fuel, lubricants and maintenance and repairs

Machinery ownership Fixed costs include depreciation, property taxes,

insurance premiums and interest charges

Seed or sprigging costs Lime costs $0 - $45 per acre Fertilizer costs – depends on the crop and the

soil report $130 - $250 per crop

Seed cost estimates

Here are some seed costs for the recommended seeding rate in 2009 KY 31 tall fescue $65 Max Q $112 Seeded Bermuda $85 - $120 Millet $25 Ryegrass $42 Bermuda sprigs $175