Pasture Production and Management Guide

In pasture production, the rate of growth of forages in a pasture is directly related to how well the pasture has been managed, not only in recent grazing periods, but also during the previous winter and back through the prior grazing season.

Pastures that were managed poorly during the prior year will not respond as quickly and will not produce the optimum quantity of forage during the current year. All other factors being equal, the better a pasture is managed the more forage it will produce, up to the capability of the soils and the site conditions.

In addition to better pasture production, the soil, water, and wildlife resources will be greatly enhanced by a managed grazing system. A greater percentage of rainfall will infiltrate into the soil instead of leaving the pasture as runoff.

Any runoff that does occur will be cleaner, carrying little, if any, sediment. Soil erosion will be greatly reduced and you may have a net building of the soil. Habitat for wildlife, especially song birds, will be enhanced through diversification of cover type, height, and stage of maturity.

The management strategies discussed below can be tailored to your pasture situation, relating directly to the forages that are currently growing and to those desired in the future, and considering the kind and class of livestock utilizing the pastures.

Procedure for Pasture Production

Identify and Manage Sensitive Areas

Many pastures are used for grazing because there are severe environmental limitations precluding the use of the area for cropland. Some of these limitations include wetness, droughtiness, steep slope, stoniness, and south/southwest slope exposure.

The following sensitive areas are commonly found and delineated:

Wooded areas, including savannas;

Native prairie remnants;

Steep slopes;

Shallow or thin soils;

Organic soils;

Springs or seeps;

Riparian areas;

Wetlands, ponds, lakes;

Streams, rivers;

Areas that commonly flood;

Conservation structures;

Areas with threatened or endangered species;

Areas with archeological significance.

Subdividing Pastures

The most important step to take in improving the yield of pastures is to subdivide the pasture into several paddocks. This has the effect of allowing for a rest period for the forages on the majority of the pasture, while improving the efficiency of harvest for the area being grazed.

Two common methods of subdividing pastures are “strip grazing”, and “set paddocks”.

When to terminate grazing

Grazing below a specified residual stubble height (4 inches for tall cool season grasses, and 2 inches for short cool season grasses) will remove active growing points, which will cause the grasses to regrow from buds on the roots.

This requires an extra 7-10days of growing time and weakens the root by drawing upon stored food reserves for this regrowth.

Management Prior to a Killing Frost

Allowing the forages to regrow some prior to a killing frost is an extremely important pasture management strategy.

New buds, which will be next years’ grass shoot, are developed during the fall of the year.

Pastures that are allowed to rest for 30 days prior to a killing frost will emerge from dry season dormancy 7-10 days earlier in the rainy. This represents a significant extension of the grazing season.

Read Also : 8 Steps to Successful Perennial Pasture Establishment

Sacrificial Paddock Use and Management

A sacrificial paddock is a portion of one of the paddocks that will intentionally be utilized for a holding area while the remainder of the paddocks rest. This takes place when soil conditions are very wet, very dry, or when the forage production has diminished and no paddock is ready to graze.

Sacrificial paddocks should be selected with care. Sensitive areas should not be used for sacrificial paddocks, nor should areas that are prone to erosion, areas that would be very difficult to rejuvenate, or areas that are difficult to get to with feed equipment. In addition, water for the livestock needs to be available.

Managing Forage Balance

The most difficult aspect of managing grazing systems is dealing with the variable rate of forage growth.

To even out the forage balance on a monthly basis, the following strategies are often used:

Using a rotational grazing system will reduce the depth of the midsummers lump, and it will delay the onset of the slump in forage production.

Utilize warm season grasses to fill in the slump that normally occurs in midsummer for cool season forage based systems.

Use an annually seeded crop as forage during the summer.

Hay fields that have been harvested for the first crop can be used for grazing instead of taking a second crop.

Some of the paddocks can be harvested as hay in the spring during the time of rapid forage growth.

Read Also : Impact of Agricultural Wastes on Human and Environment