A new factsheet, Maximizing Forage Quality Through Targeted Grazing of Native Warm-Season Grasses, sheds light on how strategic grazing practices can enhance pasture productivity and quality. Whether you’re managing cool-season or warm-season grass mixes, the way you graze can make a big difference in forage availability and sustainability. Here’s a quick look at the key findings.
Boosting Leaf Proportion
Grazing at shorter heights—think 12 inches for cool-season mixes or 20 inches for warm-season grasses—optimizes the leaf-to-stem ratio. This means more green, nutritious leaves for livestock, rather than tough stems. The result? Higher-quality forage, increased production, and the ability to graze more often throughout the season.
Grazing Height and Removal Rates Matter
The factsheet highlights a trade-off: grazing cool-season mixes at a taller 16 inches with a hefty 70% removal rate yields more forage mass, but much of it is dead or low-quality. Dropping to 12 inches with a 50% removal rate reduces total mass but boosts the proportion of green leaves, enhancing annual production. Warm-season grasses shine even brighter—grazed at 20 inches with a 50% removal rate, they produce nearly double the green forage and half the dead material compared to cool-season mixes. It’s clear warm-season grasses thrive under the right management.
Post-Grazing Residuals for Resilience
Leaving 50% of the forage behind as a post-grazing residual isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a game-changer. This approach supports faster regrowth and ensures pastures stay productive over the long haul, allowing for more grazing cycles without wearing out the land.
Frequent Grazing, Better Results
Shorter, controlled grazing heights paired with moderate removal rates enable more frequent grazing cycles. By respecting the plants’ regrowth needs, this method delivers quicker recovery and higher-quality forage. It’s a sustainable win for both livestock and land.
Want to dive deeper into the data and see how these strategies play out? Check out the full factsheet for tables, specifics, and actionable insights to level up your grazing game.
Link to factsheet: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-0166
Download it NWSG Fact Sheet_FINAL.
