Christine Gelley, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Noble County
With the
drought conditions we have experienced this summer, many livestock producers and haymakers are concerned about the winter to come and how to stretch resources to next spring when the supply of stored forages will be low. Other than doing the rain dance and hoping for yield salvation on third cutting hay, what else can we do to boost forage availability now and through to the spring?
We can practice good management tactics. Those ones that we should be doing every year, but become more critical during times of stress, like now. We can restrict animals from overgrazing areas that we will need later this fall. We can consider reducing the size of the herd while prices are decent at the sale barn and have fewer mouths to feed through the winter. We can start shopping for supplemental winter feed now, because as supply dwindles and the months turn cold, demand will increase and so will costs.
There is limited time left to plant emergency annual forage crops, but it is an option. If we get some rain and a delayed frost, there may be a chance to push seeding beyond the recommended planting windows for annual forages in hopes of having forage available to graze or harvest yet this fall. In a normal year, this risk is probably not economically feasible. However, in a year where losing money on a forage planting, but having forage to eat is a better alternative than having none at all, it may still be worth it to try. It depends on how much you are willing to risk. Regardless, if you are going to take the risk, now is the time.
There is also the option to start beefing up your current pastures and hayfields with an August forage planting of perennial cool-season forages (image with planting recommendations included above, referenced from Athens County OSU Extension). Newly seeded forages will not provide more feed in 2024, but they should provide assistance with recovery from 2024 stress in the 2025 growing season.
*Here is some advice for fall management of recently seeded forages, whether annual or perennial:
- Late-Summer/Fall Seeded Perennial Forage Mixes-
- These forages should not be harvested, clipped, or grazed until the following year (spring). It is usually best to do the first harvest mechanically. Do not graze these plantings until soils are firm.
- Annual Small Grains-
- Harvest/Graze before the early heading stage. Grazing can begin at 6 inches. Leave 3-inch stubble if expecting regrowth. Do not graze when the plants are frozen if you are expecting spring regrowth.
- Annual Brassicas-
- Begin grazing these forages about 80 days after seeding through 150-180 days after seeding or as it lasts. These forages are ideal for strip grazing. You can rotationally graze if 6-inch stubble remains. Provide adequate fiber to animals at all times to prevent digestive upset.
- Annual Warm-Season Grasses-
- Harvest/Graze before seed heads form. Grazing can begin at 18 inches for most types. Leave 8-inch stubble for most types. Do not graze if expecting a freeze. Wait a week after a freezing event to graze again to avoid issues with prussic acid and/or nitrate poisoning.
Here is some guidance for managing established perennial forages:
- Cool-Season Forage Mixes-
- If stockpiling pasture for fall/winter grazing, stop grazing now. Fertilize with a maintenance amount of nitrogen early September. Begin grazing in the fall when sufficient growth has occurred. Leave at least 3-inch residual after grazing.
- Warm-Season Forage Mixes-
- Stop grazing by early-September leaving 8-inches of stubble. Apply maintenance fertilizer as needed after the last grazing event. Allow theses forages to rest and regrow until May.
*This advice does not apply to horses. Do not graze horses on any of the forages listed under “recently seeded forages”. For additional recommendations on fall grazing for horses, or to address scenarios not described in this article, reach out to your OSU Extension Educator.