Dry Season Pasture Management

Mark Landefeld, Agricultural Extension Educator Monroe County

 

Showers crossed the state last weekend (6-17-12), but in many cases it was only enough to settle the dust for a few hours. The dry conditions in our area continue to challenge farm managers and their ability to keep forages growing and productive. 

While we can’t control rainfall, we can control our livestock and provide forage plants the opportunity to remain productive during and, maybe more importantly, after drought conditions. Overgrazing forage plants anytime reduces maximum growth potential, but in dry conditions overgrazing forage plants really takes a toll. Allowing livestock to take more than half of the plant’s leaf material quickly starts reducing root growth. Also, as excessive amounts of leaf material are removed during hot, dry conditions, soil temperatures generally increase which slows or stops growth of our cool season forage plants for extended periods of time. Overgrazing also contributes to evaporation of soil moisture due to lack of ground shading.

Ed Rayburn, WVU Extension Specialist, said “root growth determines the ability of a plant to take up nutrients and water. Root growth is determined by the plant’s leaf area actively photosynthesizing, since the roots depend on energy captured by the leaves. When energy is in short supply, it is used by plant tissue nearest to the site of photosynthesis. Therefore, roots receive energy only when more energy is produced by photosynthesis than is being used by top growth. However, under drought conditions the lack of water may reduce top growth while photosynthesis remains active. This results in the accumulation of carbohydrates at relatively low canopy heights. Forage stands that have growth retarded by drought can then have a vigorous regrowth once good rain is received.” 

The key to this process however, is to leave enough plant leaf residual. As Ed stressed, photosynthesis can continue to provide energy for roots, but only when sufficient leaf surface is present to gather sunlight. When forage plants are overgrazed, top growth must come from root reserve energy which leads to weaker plants.

Another consideration, to maintain forage plant health, is the amount of rest/regrowth the plants have had before being grazed again. Turning livestock into paddocks that have not had sufficient rest will be very stressful to forage plants. Unimproved fescue and white clover paddocks should be a minimum of 5-8 inches while orchardgrass and red clover predominant paddocks or improved varieties of fescue and clover paddocks should probably be a minimum 8-10 inches tall before allowing livestock to start grazing again. Using hayfields that have sufficiently regrown, after first cutting hay was made, or feeding hay or grain would be options to allow pasture plants enough time for adequate rest and regrowth before grazing resumes. 

Most farm managers find it hard to feed hay or concentrate feeds in the summer while there is still a little green forage left in some of their pastures, but protecting the forage plants and allowing adequate leaf material to remain after a grazing pass will help you grow more forage per acre in the long run.  

Changes should be made in a proactive manner, rather than reactive to minimize negative effects on forage and livestock production during prolonged periods of reduced precipitation. Step-in posts and electrified polywire or polytape can be used to decrease waste by reducing paddock size and also keep livestock from overgrazing. Closely monitoring livestock’s grazing and moving them in a timely manner to maintain adequate residual can pay big dividends during dry periods.

Ohio Pasture Growth by June 17, 2012

The following table shows the growth from pastures participating in the project. For information about the project see the introductory post for this 2012 and the post describing the project. The information is reported in pounds of dry matter grown per acre per day. It contains the reported results as of the posting date. Some reports may be delayed for various reasons. Previous week’s information is updated when it is received. The current table will reflect the total information available.

Weekly Pasture Growth for 2012

Week Starting	Fields sampled	Minimum	Maximum	Average	Past 7 yr Average
	(no.)	(pounds of DM per day)
Mar 25	18	5.3	126.2	57.2	na
April 1	14	6.7	92.6	36.3	73
April 8	17	5.1	102.9	39.5	55
April 15	21	3.3	156.9	42.7	72
April 22	14	5.1	99.7	44.6	82
April 29	25	3.6	188.9	57.3	79
May 6	35	0.9	134.7	62.7	86
May 13	22	7.5	129.1	54.9	94
May 20	13	0	110.5	53.7	78
May 27	22	1	95.1	49.4	62
June 3	18	0	115.1	38.3	54
June10	14	3.5	120.7	28	50

PASTURE MANAGEMENT UNDER HOT AND DRY WEATHER

Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator Wayne County and Crossroads EERA

            Pasture is an important component for many livestock enterprises.  Most of our common pasture forage species are classified as cool season species.  This includes bluegrass, orchardgrass, tall fescue, brome, timothy, white clover and alsike clover.  These forages grow best when there is adequate moisture, air temperatures in the 50 to 70 degree range and soil temperatures in the 50 to 65 degree range.  I bring this up because our current weather pattern and the extended forecast are definitely not bringing about conditions for optimum production.  In hot, dry conditions good pasture management is needed to keep cool season pastures productive.

When the weather is hot and dry it is critical that pastures not be overgrazed.  In grazing schools we talk about the “take half, leave half” principle.  In most cases, a good starting grazing height is 8 to10 inches of growth.  Remove animals from a pasture paddock when average pasture forage height is about 4 inches.  The remaining leaf area provides the “solar collector” surface that allows the photosynthetic process to keep going and to keep the plant growing.

 Studies have demonstrated that the percentage of top growth removed is correlated with root mass and growth below the surface.  When 50% of the top growth is removed the root mass and growth is only negatively impacted by a few percentage points.  However if 60% of the top growth is removed, the root mass is reduced by about 50%, significantly impacting the regrowth of the plant as well as nutrient and water absorption.  If 80% of the top growth is removed, the root system is shut down and essentially has to start growth all over.

In hot, dry weather leaving more plant cover is better.  In addition to keeping the photosynthetic process going and the root system fully functioning, that leaf cover acts like a mulch to keep the soil temperature cooler and reduce moisture loss from the soil.  This is important with cool season forage species when a few degrees difference in soil temperature could determine if the plant will go into dormancy or continue to grow.

Some pasture managers like to keep seed heads clipped off the grass plants to keep the plant in the vegetative state and produce higher quality forage.  I have often seen pastures clipped off at 2 to 3 inches in height.  During many of our typical springs with cool temperatures and good moisture the plant can handle this stress.  However, in hot, dry times it is more important to keep the plant residue so pasture managers may want to tolerate some seed heads or clip high at around 5 inches.

Hot, dry weather leads to slower pasture growth.  As grass growth slows down, the temptation is to speed up the pasture paddock rotation.  Actually just the opposite is needed.  When pasture growth slows down, pasture rotation must slow down to insure that each paddock has enough time to recover to a beginning grazing height of 8 to 10 inches.  The only way that this can be accomplished without staying too long in a paddock and overgrazing that paddock is to have multiple pasture divisions or paddocks.  To protect pastures and manage through hot, dry periods, the livestock owner needs at least 8 to 10 paddock divisions.

In order to keep cool season pastures productive the livestock manager must look ahead at pasture growth and keep an eye on extended weather forecasts.  

Ohio Pasture Growth by June 3, 2012

The following table shows the growth from pastures participating in the project. For information about the project see the introductory post for this 2012 and the post describing the project. The information is reported in pounds of dry matter grown per acre per day. It contains the reported results as of the posting date. Some reports may be delayed for various reasons. Previous week’s information is updated when it is received. The current table will reflect the total information available.

Weekly Pasture Growth for 2012

Week Starting	Fields sampled	Minimum	Maximum	Average	Past 7 yr Average
	(no.)	(pounds of DM per day)
Mar 25	18	5.3	126.2	57.2	na
April 1	14	6.7	92.6	36.3	73
April 8	17	5.1	102.9	39.5	55
April 15	21	3.3	156.9	42.7	72
April 22	14	5.1	99.7	44.6	82
April 29	25	3.6	188.9	57.3	79
May 6	34	0.9	134.7	62.3	86
May 13	21	7.5	129.1	51.8	94
May 20	12	0	94.9	44.6	78
May 27	21	1	95.1	50.4	62

Online Mortality Compost Certification

Amanda Meddles, Extension Program Coordinator for Environmental Management, Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering,

Composting livestock mortalities can be an efficient and inexpensive method of disposing of on-farm mortalities. Rendering facilities are becoming harder to come by and so  are landfills that accept mortalities.  Transportation costs are increasing as well. Composting offers a year round alternative that may be more cost effective than other disposal  methods.  Once the compost cycle is complete, the finished product can be land applied to the farm’s fields as a nutrient resource.

To start composting livestock mortalities, one must complete a certification course taught by OSU Extension. This course teaches producers how to properly compost  mortalities.  It covers topics like where to place the compost site, how large of an area is needed, how to manage a pile to compost completely and efficiently, and the  economics of composting mortalities compared to other disposal methods.

In the past, the only option for certification was to attend an in-person course that usually lasted around 2 hours. This worked well for the initial surge of participants when it was created over 15 years ago. But, now that many have become certified (over 4,400), the trainings are becoming more infrequent throughout the state. These courses are  still available but are offered on an as needed basis, so producers may need to wait a few months before one is offered in the state.

Online Course

Due to the sporadic demand for this course, we have created an online course that Ohio farmers are able take when they have time and at a pace that is right for them. The same material is covered and a short quiz is used to test their understanding of the composting process.  To enroll in the online course, participants go to  http://campus.extension.org and click on the “Agriculture & Animals” category. The course title, “Mortality Composting,” with Amanda Meddles listed as the teacher is found  towards the bottom of the page. The course fee is $17 and can be paid online at the time of enrollment.

Once enrolled, students can begin watching the lessons. There are 8  lessons that match the 8 chapters in the Mortality Composting manual. The total time needed to view all 8 lessons is 3 hours. The lessons can be view in one sitting or spread  out over several days.  Each lesson is a PowerPoint presentation with the presenter’s voice recorded over it.

Once participants have viewed all of the lessons and feel comfortable with the material, they will be required to achieve an 80% score on the 25-question, multiple choice quiz. Participants have three opportunities to pass the quiz. A 24-hour window between attempts allows for ample time to review the materials. Questions are randomly chosen from a bank of 70 questions so some variation in each quiz attempt will occur. Upon passing the quiz, a certificate will be created with the student’s name on it. This should be printed and kept for proof of successful completion.

The online mortality composting certification course is a convenient way for Ohio farmers to learn how to properly compost mortalities in an efficient, economical and sustainable way.

Central Ohio Forage for Horses

The Ohio Forage and Grassland Council will be hosting an Equine Pasture and Hay Management Workshop on Saturday July 28, 2012 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at AC Acres,  Vicki Ayotte farm, 8481 Pontius Road, Groveport , Ohio.  The farm is in the southeast corner of Franklin County; west of State Route 674, east of Rickenbacker, and south of Groveport, Ohio along the Walnut Creek.   This will workshop will be covering information on Pasture Management, Pasture Soil Fertility, Forage Species Selection, Tall Fescue Management, Horse Nutrition on Pasture, Manure Management, and a pasture walk where plants will be identified and designing a grazing paddock system will be discussed.  The day will end with a Hay Quality discussion and hay evaluation session.  Attendees are encouraged to bring a sample of their own hay for evaluation.  Bob Hendershot, retired NRCS State Grassland Conservation and now part-time ODNR-DSWR Grazing Specialist will be leading the discussion.  Bob helped develop the Forage for Horses program and has presented this material across the country.

This workshop will provide tips to make better use of your horse pasture.  Improving the productivity of your pastures can reduce the amount of hay needed.  A well managed pasture can provide a large portion of a horse’s forage requirement mid-April through mid-November.   Horses grazing well managed paddocks will spread their manure over the pasture instead of in loafing areas or in their stalls.  Healthy grass and legume plants are more productive if given the opportunity to regrow in-between grazing events. You can improve forage growth by dividing the pasture into smaller paddocks and rotate the animals among the separate paddocks.   Managing the forage is an important concept to understand to protect the environment, soil, water, plants and animals. 

Weeds compete with forage plants for moisture, sunlight and nutrients.  Grazing management can keep most weeds out.  Horse owners need to be aware of toxic plants and their control measures.  A pasture that is continuously grazed, over grazed, or has inadequate soil fertility can make weed problems even worse.   Selecting the right forage species for the use and the soil type can help in providing a healthy pasture.  Horse grazing areas should be long and narrow rectangles because horses tend to graze in a linear fashion different than cattle.  The location of animal watering facilities is also a concern in designing a grazing system.  This information and more will be discussed register early to secure a place for the Central Ohio Forage for Horses Workshop.

Producers need to register by July 20, 2012 by contacting OFGC at bobhendershot2011@gmail or 740-477-1114.  A registration fee of $65 per farm will include materials, a 400 page Forage for Horses  notebook, Pasture Stick, refreshments and lunch on Saturday July 28, 2012. A pdf registration form can be found at this link.