Ohio Pasture Growth by September 23, 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	16	0	115.1	56.4	78
May 27	25	1	95.1	50.6	62
June 3	20	0	115.1	38.3	54
June 10	19	3.5	120.7	34.6	50
June 17	16	6	93	30.8	47
June 24	13	0	58.8	19.7	48
July 1	21	0	58.7	21.2	52
July 8	27	0	76.7	18.9	38
July 15	28	0	27.1	4.7	36
July 22	29	0	134	14.4	35
July 29	37	0	74.4	23.9	51
Aug 5	34	0	124.4	25.8	37
Aug 12	27	0	120.2	31.5	31
Aug 19	31	0	105.9	25.1	41
Aug 26	28	0	101	15.1	27
Sept 2	30	0	73.5	17	34
Sept 9	25	0	88.5	30.6	24
Sept 16	22	0	58.2	30.1	36

Ohio Pasture Growth by September 9, 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	16	0	115.1	56.4	78
May 27	25	1	95.1	50.6	62
June 3	20	0	115.1	38.3	54
June 10	19	3.5	120.7	34.6	50
June 17	16	6	93	30.8	47
June 24	13	0	58.8	19.7	48
July 1	21	0	58.7	21.2	52
July 8	27	0	76.7	18.9	38
July 15	28	0	27.1	4.7	36
July 22	29	0	134	14.4	35
July 29	37	0	74.4	23.9	51
Aug 5	34	0	124.4	25.8	37
Aug 12	27	0	120.2	31.5	31
Aug 19	26	0	105.9	28.2	41
Aug 26	22	0	101	14.6	27
Sept 2	20	0	66.7	15.4	34

Ohio Pasture Growth by August 5, 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	16	0	115.1	56.4	78
May 27	25	1	95.1	50.6	62
June 3	20	0	115.1	38.3	54
June 10	19	3.5	120.7	34.6	50
June 17	16	6	93	30.8	47
June 24	13	0	58.8	19.7	48
July 1	21	0	58.7	21.2	52
July 8	26	0	76.7	18.4	38
July 15	25	0	22.5	4.2	36
July 22	26	0	134	14.7	35
July 29	32	0	74.4	18.1	51

Drought Management: Stick to Grazing Principles

            Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator Wayne County and Crossroads EERA

            Every Monday for the past couple of months on the OSU Extension crop team conference call I have heard Jim Noel from the National Weather Service say that across Ohio we are in a pattern of above average temperatures and below average rainfall.  These are not encouraging words for a grazier to hear.  This isn’t the type of forecast conducive to good pasture growth.  Summer pasture growth is dependent upon rainfall and pasture management.  Rainfall we can’t control.  Management though is a different story.  So what’s your plan to manage through a hot, dry summer?

            Regardless of the weather pattern, you should stick to what you know as a grazier, as a manager of pasture plants.  Those pasture management principles that you learned at a grazing school, or through a grazing council, or from an experienced grazier will serve you in good stead through this weather pattern.  Let’s review those principles and how they are applied when it is hot and dry.

            The take half, leave half principle must be followed during the summer months.  That remaining leaf area provides a photosynthetic base for plant regrowth, shades the soil to keep the soil temperature cooler, and it helps to reduce soil moisture loss.  Do not cheat on this principle during hot, dry spells.  It is critical to maintain a 4 inch grass height to get the benefits mentioned. Maintaining this leaf residue provides the grass plant the best opportunity to take advantage of those spotty rain events that are common to hot, dry years, allowing regrow much sooner than overgrazed pasture paddocks.

The second principle that must be adhered to is to provide a rest period that is sufficient to allow plants to grow back to a practical grazing height.  The height at which grazing should begin is somewhere in the 8 to 10 inch range.  Obviously the two principles work hand in hand.  In practice this means that grazing rotations slow down during hot, dry periods.  It is easy to do just the opposite. 

Grass is growing slowly.  In order to maintain a 4 inch residual I move my livestock into the next paddock a little early.  Maybe the grass is only 7 inches tall.  If I want to maintain a 4 inch residue, I’ll have to leave this paddock a little sooner than the time my livestock can normally graze in this paddock.  The grass in my next scheduled paddock is only 6 inches tall.  Maybe I should just let them graze this current paddock down a little bit lower, say 3 inches.  This pattern continues and soon I am either grazing down to a 2 inch height, which pretty much stops regrowth during 90 degree days with no rainfall, or I am trying to get my livestock to only take off an inch or two of grass growth, which is pretty tough to do.  The end result is that paddock moves are speeding up and leaving behind paddocks that are overgrazed.  The next rotation puts me in even worst shape.

What’s the answer?  Stick to what you know.  Maintain a leaf residue of about 4 inches and do not start a grazing pass unless the paddock is 8 to 10 inches tall.  Impossible!  The grass is not growing fast enough.  Yes, I know.  That means you must have a sacrifice area in order to maintain these grazing principles and protect the majority of your pasture paddocks.  The sacrifice area might be a barnyard lot or maybe it is a pasture paddock.  If it is a pasture paddock it will get overgrazed and beat into the dirt while you wait for sufficient pasture growth to resume your grazing rotation.  It means that hay will have to be fed.

While this is not a desirable situation, a worse disaster is overgrazing every paddock, ending the grazing season in July, negatively affecting next year’s grazing season, and facing an extra-long period of hay feeding beginning in late summer.  By sticking to what you know, and using a sacrifice area, you make the best of a tough situation and put yourself in the position to be able to resume grazing when rainfall starts again and temperatures cool down.  There is still the possibility of stockpiling grass for late fall and winter grazing because you have protected most of your grass plants.  Feeding some hay while in a sacrifice lot is really using hay as a management tool.  The end result will be less total hay fed in the year if grazing is able to resume later in the summer and throughout the fall.  Feeding hay in the summer in a dry lot beats feeding hay late in the fall or winter in cold and/or muddy conditions.  In some cases, depending upon hay supply, and when rainfall might resume again, reducing livestock numbers may have to be considered as well.

Finally, if the sacrifice lot must be a pasture paddock, choose one where some renovation is needed and new improved pasture varieties can be planted.  Ideally this might be a paddock where you could do some tillage after your pasture rotation begins again.  This would provide the option to plant a late summer forage option such as a cereal grain like oats, wheat or rye or a brassica like turnips.  Any of these forages could provide some fall and early winter grazing.  The paddock would then be set up for an early spring planting to return to a perennial pasture mix.

Hot, dry summers are a challenge to the grazier.  Pasture management is the only factor that can be controlled.  Stick to what you know as you make those management decisions.

Ohio Pasture Growth by July 8, 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	16	0	115.1	56.4	78
May 27	25	1	95.1	50.6	62
June 3	20	0	115.1	38.3	54
June 10	19	3.5	120.7	34.6	50
June 17	16	6	93	30.8	47
June 24	13	0	58.8	19.7	48
July 1	17	0	57.3	17.3	52

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