Forages

The Impact of Heat Stress and Fescue Toxicosis on Beef Cattle Reproduction

– Tyler Purvis, Les Anderson, Darrh Bullock, Kevin Laurent, Jeff Lehmkuhler, and Katie VanValin, University of Kentucky Animal and Food Sciences

Heifer experiencing heat stress resulting from fescue toxicosis.

Heat stress is a common problem facing beef-cattle producers throughout the United States, and in 2003 was estimated to cost the U.S. beef industry $369 million dollars annually. Heat stress occurs when an animal is creating and absorbing more heat than they can dissipate, which increases core temperature and physiological stress. Common symptoms of heat stress include increased respiration rates, panting, or standing in water such as ponds or puddles. Heat stress results in negative impacts on growth, health, and reproduction. Cattle can have reduced conception rates, growth rates, and milk production during the summer. During severe heat stress, conception rates can fall to 10%-20% or lower compared to 40%-60% conception rates observed in cooler months.

The severity of heat stress is impacted by both temperature and humidity. The temperature humidity index (THI), which combines temperature and humidity into one value, is used to evaluate the risk of heat stress. THI levels are classified as: normal (<75), alert (75-78), danger (79-83), and emergency (>84), according to the University of Nebraska Lincoln Beef Cattle Temperature Humidity Chart (Figure 1). This means that . . .

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Cover Crop ‘Forage’ an Option for Prevented Planting Acres

– Stan Smith, PA, Fairfield County OSU Extension

Cover crops aren’t only good for soil health but may also be feed.

1973, 1981, 2007, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2022 . . . we each recall one or more years in our past when an extraordinarily wet Ohio spring prevented us from planting corn and soybeans in a timely fashion, if at all. Many around Ohio are now adding 2025 to the list.

According to USDA’s June 9 Crop Progress Report only 89% of Ohio’s corn had been planted. At the same time soybean planting progress stood at 84% complete. Today, as we sit here on June 11, we know a few things for certain Continue reading Cover Crop ‘Forage’ an Option for Prevented Planting Acres →

OSU Extension Offering Hay Testing Program

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle and Livestock Marketing Field Specialist, OSU Extension

You can’t manage what you don’t measure, including forage quality!

“Make hay while the sun shines.” How many times have you heard that said throughout the years? We’ve had some sunshine this spring/summer, but making first cutting “dry” hay has really been challenging for most farmers this year. Getting two or more days in a row without rain has been rare in the spring of 2025.

In response to these challenges OSU Extension is offering a forage testing program with the goal of providing timely education regarding forage quality and winter supplementation and if enough samples are submitted, creating an eBarn’s county hay quality summary. Reach out to your local Extension office to Continue reading OSU Extension Offering Hay Testing Program →

Controlling Buttercup – A Persistent Challenge

– Victor Shelton, Retired NRCS Agronomist/Grazing Specialist

From a distance buttercup and cressleaf groundsel can appear similar.

This spring, I’ve received multiple inquiries about a yellow-flowered plant appearing in pastures and fields—seemingly more problematic than usual.  That plant is buttercup (Ranunculus sp., not to be confused with Cressleaf Groundsel, Packera glabella; syn. Senecio glabellus), and while its bright yellow flowers might seem pretty to some, it’s definitely unwelcome in pastures and hay fields, especially if you’ve recently seeded hay fields or are trying to establish new forages.

Despite its seemingly sudden appearance, buttercup’s growth is due to a buildup of its seed bank, often accumulated over time.  This buildup can happen through hay equipment contamination or, more commonly, from bringing in hay containing buttercup seeds and spreading manure from that hay.  These seeds can lie dormant for years—typically 3 to 5, but sometimes Continue reading Controlling Buttercup – A Persistent Challenge →

Forage Resiliency Webinars are posted on YouTube

If you missed attending, we recorded them for you!

In response to challenging weather conditions over the past year, the OSU Integrated Forage Team offered a webinar series in the Spring of 2025 to address the needs of forage growers across Ohio. The webinar series consisted of three 60-minute webinars and focused on Weather Damage Evaluation, Options for Spring Planting, and Emergency Forages.

In case you missed one or would like a review, the playlist for these webinars may be found at https://go.osu.edu/forageresiliencywebinars

Poison Hemlock, and those weeds with yellow bloom!

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

If you didn’t control hemlock last fall, NOW is a good time!

Warm temperatures and steady rainfall have accelerated the maturity of grass, legume, and weedy species in the landscape and on-farm so far this spring. Two main species of concern that have been actively growing quickly around the county include poison hemlock and cressleaf groundsel.

Poison hemlock is a biennial weed that does not flower in the first year of growth but flowers in the second year. It blooms on stalks 6-10 feet tall. All parts of the plant are toxic to all classes of livestock if consumed and it is prevalent along roadsides, ditches, and crop field borders. The earlier you can address poison hemlock with mowing and/or herbicide application, the better your control methods will be.

Poison hemlock is Continue reading Poison Hemlock, and those weeds with yellow bloom! →

Using Baleage to manage your hay quality

– Jason Hartschuh, OSU Extension Field Specialist, Dairy management and Precision livestock

Baleage can help manage a challenging harvest. Photo: Gelley, 2023 SE Ohio Hay Day

Baleage can be an excellent tool to manage challenging harvest weather windows or as a storage tool when barn space is not available. The ideal condition for Baleage is to bale the hay between 40 to 65% moisture and wrap it within 2 hours of baling. This process uses anaerobic conditions and the acids produced in fermentation to preserve hay. Baleage fermentation is slower than in haylage, often taking 6 weeks. When forage is baled between 25 to 40% moisture, it will not ferment properly, and Baleage at these moisture levels should be considered as temporary storage. During such situations, preservation is primarily a function of maintaining anaerobic, oxygen-limiting conditions. Mold is more likely at this moisture; higher bale densities and more wraps of plastic are required to better seal out oxygen. If using a tube wrapper, bale uniformity is critical so that there is not an oxygen pocket trapped between bales. Baleage at this moisture level will not maintain quality for long-term storage, and thus, it needs to be fed as soon as possible. Baleage can be utilized as a plan or as a Continue reading Using Baleage to manage your hay quality →

Forage Maturity Across Ohio

– Jason Hartschuh, Extension Field Specialist, Dairy Management and Precision Livestock, Ohio State University Extension

Maturity is progressing rapidly.

While the year started with slower growing degree accumulation the warm weather over the last couple of weeks, has rapidly progressed forage maturity. Harvesting forages at the proper time for the livestock you are feeding is critical to farm profitability. Poor quality forages must be supplemented to maintain livestock. In the southern part of the state, some forage grasses are in head while in the northern part of the state, barnyard grass is in head. Most are still in the vegetative stage but will be in head within a week, even though they do not look tall enough to be in head.

Winter annual cereal grains for forages may also be more mature than they look from the field edge. In the southern half of the state, heads are starting to emerge, while in the northern part, the flag leaf of cereal rye has emerged. Scouting these forages is critical, as . . .

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Effectively Using Summer Annual Grasses

– Jennifer Tucker, Ph.D., University of Georgia, Department of Animal and Dairy Science

Summer annuals can help extend the grazing season.

Finally, as I write this in mid-April, Mother Nature has given up her hold on Winter, and Spring has arrived in Georgia! Looking out onto our green cool-season grasses and seeing our livestock happily grazing provides the welcome realization that we have once again survived the cold of winter and have truly moved onto greener pastures. However, it’s never too early to be focused on the next potential forage stressor in our region – the dog days of summer. In Georgia we are no stranger to the long, hot, intense days of summer and the impacts we see on forage availability throughout the grazing season. We are fortunate that much of our state has some very hardy, prolific, perennial forage options, but even in the most extreme droughts bermudagrass and bahiagrass can have difficulty surviving for the long haul. In order to protect our perennial forages for long-term stand life, there are times that we should evaluate alternative forage options to allow our permanent stands to rest and recover. The first key to drought management is preparedness and being prepared means having the right tools ready when needed. Planting summer annual forage grasses is yet another tool in our toolbox to help extend the grazing season and provide forage during environmental stressors.

Why Use Summer Annual Forage Grasses?
When looking for a short-term temporary pasture alternative, summer annuals prove to . . .

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OSU’s Forage Quality Analysis Service

– Emma Matcham, OSU Extension Integrated Forage Systems Specialist

Forage testing packages beginning at $22.50

The Forage Quality Analysis Service at the Sustainable Agroecosystems Lab has updated their forage testing packages. They utilize near-infrared scanning technology to assess forage nutritive value, which provides consistent, fast results. This lab is run by Dr. Marília Chiavegato on Ohio State’s Columbus campus. The new package options include . . .

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