Forages and Pasture

Lucky Clovers

Christine Gelley, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Noble County
(Previously published online with: Ag Proud: Progressive Cattle, February 20, 2025)

(Image Source: Agricom: Pastures for Profit – New Zealand)

At A Glance:
For centuries the clover has been symbolic in cultures and religions in areas where clovers thrive. Whether found with leaves of three, four, or more- a field of clover is beneficial in many ways beyond folklore.

Clover Symbolism
March is the humble clover’s time to shine. Symbolic of luck, the celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day, the welcoming of spring, 4-H enrollment time, clovers are featured prominently in our culture this time of year and they become prominent in pastures too.

Much of the agricultural community will recognize a four-leaf clover as the iconic national symbol of 4-H, a youth development program delivered by Cooperative Extension services from Continue reading Lucky Clovers →

Frost Seeding Clover: A Recipe for Success

Chris D. Teutsch, S. Ray Smith, and Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky

Figure 1. Clover and other legumes are an important part of sustainable grassland ecosystems. They form a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria in which nitrogen from the air into a plant available form, improve nutritive value, and help to alleviate tall fescue toxicosis. (Photo by Chris Teutsch)

Legumes are an essential part of a strong and healthy grassland ecosystems (Figure 1). They form a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria in which the bacteria fix nitrogen from the air into a plant available form and share it with the legume. Clover also increases forage quality and quantity and helps to manage tall fescue toxicosis. In the past, the positive impact of clover on tall fescue toxicosis has always been thought to simply be a dilution effect, but new research from the USDA’s Forage Animal Production Unit in Lexington shows that compounds found in red clover can reverse vasoconstriction that is caused by the ergot alkaloids in toxic tall fescue. The primary compound found in red clover is a vasodilator called Biochanin A.

Clover stands in pastures thin overtime due to various factors and require reseeding every three to four years. There are several techniques for reintroducing clover into pastures including no-till seeding, minimum tillage, and frost seeding. Of these techniques, frost seeding requires the least amount of equipment and is the simplest to implement. Frost seeding is accomplished Continue reading Frost Seeding Clover: A Recipe for Success →

Warm-Season Grasses Play Drought Defense

Amber Friedrichsen, Managing Editor, Hay and Forage Grower
(Previously published in Hay & Forage Grower: December 3, 2024)

(Image Source: Eastern Alliance for Production Kathadins)

Reflecting on another drought year may put a fire under some farmers’ seats to be more proactive about forage availability next season. Adding warm-season grasses into hay and grazing systems might be one answer to cushion short forage supplies, as long as the right species are seeded in the right places.

According to Dirk Philipp with the University of Arkansas, much of the current pastureland in his state was originally prairie or forest. Even though the forage base in Arkansas has largely shifted to bermudagrass, dallisgrass, and bahiagrass, there are opportunities to replicate the drought resistance that naturally existed in these systems presettlement by seeding annual and native grasses.

“Prairie and forest restoration may Continue reading Warm-Season Grasses Play Drought Defense →

All About Grazing – Is the Grass Dead or Dormant?

Christine Gelley, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Noble County

Prolonged drought in much of the state has led to many conversations about how bad the observed condition of pasture actually is and if it will bounce back when precipitation comes.

Back in July and August, I answered those questions with the response of “Right now, the grass is dormant. It is saving resources to rebound when moisture comes.” Now in October and November, I am less confident that the brown and crusty grass we see is dormant. Some of it is dead and some of it is dormant. Only time will tell.

The most prevalent types of pasture plants that we use in Ohio are cool-season forages. It is normal for these cool-season forages to enter a dormancy period to survive through the warmest and driest part of summer to come out productive in the fall. When Continue reading All About Grazing – Is the Grass Dead or Dormant? →

Don’t Guess Hay Quality — Test It!

Tom Bechman, Midwest Crops Editor
(Previously published in Wisconsin Agriculturalist: October 16, 2024)

(Image Source: Hay and Forage Grower)

Pulling forage samples is not an option in Nick Minton’s eyes. It is essential.

“It is where everything begins for feeding livestock,” says Minton, a Purdue animal scientist and director of the Indiana Bull Evaluation Program, based at the Feldun-Purdue Ag Center near Bedford, Ind.

“If you don’t test forages, you don’t have any guidelines for building your ration,” he explains. “You could feed for a month and then judge performance based on if [your livestock] were maintaining body condition or getting thin, but that is backward, in my judgment.

“Forages are a big part of the ration for beef bulls in our testing program, and I want to feed a balanced ration from the beginning. That means I must test feed ingredients for nutrient content, including forages.”

How to sample hay
Achieving a reliable forage test starts with sampling correctly, Minton says. Here are his five basic steps for preparing and evaluating accurate samples: Continue reading Don’t Guess Hay Quality — Test It! →

Management of Sheep and Goats Through Drought

David Brown, Livestock Field Specialist, University of Missouri Extension
(Previously published online with the University of Missouri Extension: June, 2024)

The extended period of drought has led to feed and water shortages for livestock. Sheep and goats may have difficulty meeting their nutritional needs, which can lead to weight loss as body reserves are depleted. During this period, most of the animals are predisposed to diseases and some die, leading to great economic loss for producers. It is therefore important to prepare animals for strategies that will help them cope and maintain body condition.

During the drought period, the demand for forage and/or water can be greater than the supply. The producer is then faced with a decision to either increase the supply of forage by purchasing hay or other feedstuffs, or to reduce forage demand by reducing the number of animals that depend on the forage. This is a tough decision to make.

Management strategies consideration during drought

Selling — There has been discussion for producers to Continue reading Management of Sheep and Goats Through Drought →

Drought to Frost: Feeding Safe Forages

Jason Hartschuh, Dairy Management and Precision Livestock, Field Specialist
Kyle Verhoff, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Defiance County

This year is presenting many challenges when it comes to forage toxicity and ensuring that we have safe feed for our livestock. Drought conditions have led to an active discussion on forage toxicity and the potential for frost in the future presents an additional concern. These environmental conditions increase the risk of prussic acid poisoning, nitrate poisoning, and increased bloat in multiple methods of feeding forages. Recent rainfall has finally allowed for rapid forage growth but unfortunately in some species, this rapid growth poses a risk to your livestock during future frost events.

What is prussic acid toxicity?
Prussic acid toxicity is the accumulation of prussic acid (i.e. hydrogen cyanide) in forage plant tissue. Prussic acid is the product of a reaction between two naturally occurring plant molecules, cyanogenic glycosides and degrading enzymes. Plant cell walls usually separate the two, but a frost event freezes the water in a plant cell, rupturing the cell wall and allowing the formation of prussic acid. Continue reading Drought to Frost: Feeding Safe Forages →

More Rain Doesn’t Fix Drought Pastures

Mindy Ward, Editor, Missouri Ruralist
(Previously published online with FarmProgress, Missouri Ruralist: July 16, 2024)

(Image Source: Drovers via Bryce Baldridge)

Although this article is geared towards the drought conditions experienced in Missouri this past summer, Mindy Ward provides our Eastern readers with 4 key tips on how to manage your drought stressed pastures after finally receiving some much needed fall moisture.

Here are four things to do to boost plant roots and future growth of fatigued grasses and forbs.

Recent heavy rains may provide relief to Missouri’s two-year drought, but Carson Roberts says one good rain won’t undo the damage to mismanaged pastures.

“Remember, it is not about how much rain you get,” the University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist says. “It’s about how much rain you can keep and access.” Continue reading More Rain Doesn’t Fix Drought Pastures →