– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension

Two years of drought have stressed pastures.

After two years of droughty conditions, pastures in the region have taken a hard toll and are showing distress in the form of uneven growth with patches of bare ground in-between. If these patches are left alone, they will either be filled in with opportunistic weeds or become muddy holes this winter. Bare ground is bad news for topsoil preservation as it will have a propensity to erode.

So, what is to be done before winter about uneven pasture coverage? What can be done this spring?

We want to try to cover the soil with something before the weather turns. We want to reduce animal hoof traffic in these damaged spaces if we expect them to recover.

Even though it is the middle of October, there are still opportunities to Continue reading Beefing Up Pastures After Drought →

– Dr. Chris Teutsch, UK Research and Education Center, Princeton, KY

Figure 1. Recent research at the USDA Food Animal Production Unit located in Lexington, KY, found that compounds in red clover can reverse vasoconstriction caused by the toxins in endophyte tall fescue.

Every spring since I have been in Kentucky, I have written an article about getting ready for the next drought and every year we have had good rain. So, this spring I decided NOT to write an article on drought because I was beginning to feel like the boy that cried wolf. I think I jinxed us! In many parts of Kentucky two distinct dry periods, one in early summer and one in late summer combined with overgrazing significantly reduced summer and fall pasture growth and decreased pasture vigor. The good news is that pastures that were well managed prior to the drought seem to be recovering well. The bad news is that not all pastures were managed well prior to the drought. The objective of this article is to provide some practical suggestions for resuscitating pastures that may have been abused last summer.

Rest pastures this fall and next spring. The saying is that “time heals all wounds” and this includes pastures. However, the deeper the wound, the longer it is going to take and some of our pastures have pretty deep wounds that may need a little salve. At this point it important to Continue reading Someone Call 911: Resuscitating Drought Stressed Pastures!!! →

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, OSU Extension

Green does not mean ready to graze!

As spring begins, we may be ready to turn our herds out to graze, but there are things to consider before making the move.

It’s still dry. Across most of the southern and eastern part of the state, soil moisture is still at a premium. Winter brought some much needed recharging of ponds and streams; however, with the ground being frozen, a large portion of the precipitation ran off into surface water sources.

With limited soil moisture, the greatest concern currently is how to manage what little regrowth that is greening up across the region. Nearly 30% of Ohio is abnormally dry as I write this in late March, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Balancing act
What happens if we turn out to pasture without additional soil moisture? How Continue reading To graze or not to graze? →

– Victor Shelton, Retired NRCS Agronomist/Grazing Specialist

Very short, green early grass may catch the eye, but it’s just a teaser. The true feast comes later-and it’s worth the wait for better production and health.

Some pastures that were grazed too tightly last fall may appear greener than those with adequate residual. However, this “greener” appearance can often be misleading. In many cases, it signals that the plants are struggling to survive, pushing out new growth as a last-ditch effort to recover.  If this is the case, these pastures urgently need recovery time. Overgrazing in the fall leaves plants facing several challenges, including depleted energy reserves and weakened root systems, which hinders their spring recovery. There is a lot of this in areas that were droughty.

When pastures are grazed too closely in the fall, especially before plants have gone dormant, essential plant material—particularly photosynthesizing leaves—are removed. These leaves were vital for energy production through photosynthesis. Without them, plants can’t replenish energy reserves for dormancy, leaving them with minimal resources to survive the winter. As a result, they Continue reading Practice patience before turning out! →