Forages and Pasture

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 →

Emergency Haying and Grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Acreage Available for 70 Ohio Counties

David Marrison, OSU Extension Field Specialist, Farm Management

Drought conditions continued to degrade across Ohio. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor report on September 17, 59.56% of Ohio is experiencing severe or greater drought conditions with 9.5% classified as D4 or exceptional drought conditions (Figure 1). It is important to remember that D4 conditions only occur once every 50 to 100 years. Approximately 98% of the state is experiencing at least abnormally dry conditions. One silver lining is the current seven-day forecast shows the potential for rain in many areas of Ohio next week which should help slow the progress of drought should it occur.

The drought conditions have impacted both pastures and hayfields across Ohio. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) administered under the USDA Farm Service Agency permits emergency haying and grazing on certain CRP practices in a county designated as D2 or higher on the U.S. Drought Monitor, or in a county where there is at least a 40% loss in forage production.

Continue reading Emergency Haying and Grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Acreage Available for 70 Ohio Counties →

Using Drought Stressed Soybeans for Hay or Silage

Jason Hartschuh, Dairy Management and Precision Livestock, Field Specialist

(Image Source: FARM SHOW Magazine)

Soybeans harvested as forage are high in protein and lower in fiber than grasses.

Long before soybeans were cultivated as oil seed crops, they were first domesticated and used in the United States primarily as a forage. Soybeans harvested as forage are high in protein and lower in fiber than grasses making them an excellent forage if harvested and stored properly. Soybeans harvested as a forage can have dry matter yields as high as 5 tons per acre but are often much lower when the soybeans are planted late as a rescue forage or transitioned to forage due to drought.

Soybean feed value from Hintz et.al. from the late 1980’s showed that when soybeans were harvested at R7, crude protein values across 3 different varieties ranged from 18.1-20.5%. The NDF values for the soybeans ranged from 39.5-42.2. Dry matter yield ranged from 3-3.6 tons per acre. Row spacing and seeding rate had little effect on yield or forage quality. However, harvest timing affected all factors. When harvested at Continue reading Using Drought Stressed Soybeans for Hay or Silage →

Forage Nitrate Toxicity a Major Concern as Drought Worsens

Jason Hartschuh, Dairy Management and Precision Livestock, Field Specialist

(Image Source: University of Missouri Extension)

Weather conditions across Ohio have been challenging this growing season with some areas of the state reaching a D3 drought status. Other areas of the state may not currently be under drought status but are drier than normal and at risk of quickly experiencing a flash drought. These adverse growing conditions can cause unforeseen challenges with forages. We have had multiple reports of high nitrate levels this year in early harvested summer annual forages as producers needed feed.

Plants readily take up nitrates from the soil, even under dry or cool conditions.  Once in the plant, nitrate is converted to nitrite, then ammonia, and finally into amino acids and plant protein. Any environmental stress that significantly slows down plant photosynthesis and metabolism can lead to excessive nitrate levels in the plant because the nitrate uptake from the soil will be faster than its metabolism into plant protein. Such stresses include drought, frost, extended cold weather, cloudy conditions, or hail damage. While Continue reading Forage Nitrate Toxicity a Major Concern as Drought Worsens →