Managing Barenbrug Irrigated Pastures For Success

As the world’s leading grazing forage genetics provider Barenbrug has a cool season pasture mix for your irrigated pasture needs. Grazing irrigated pasture is becoming more common in the western United States and Canada, and producers are turning to Barenbrug for their irrigated pasture needs. Barenbrug’s genetically superior grass provides outstanding productivity, rapid gains, high milk per ton, and a forage alternative for irrigated crop ground that reduces water needs and improves soil health while providing excellent grazing opportunities. As industry leading livestock producers and farmers develop irrigated pasture programs, they are looking to Barenbrug’s world leading forage genetics for their irrigated pasture forage solutions.

Grazing irrigated pasture is an important method of providing forage for livestock in areas of low and unpredictable rain

When it comes to developing an irrigated pasture grazing program you seed what you get. Good grazing starts with great grass….if managed correctly your irrigated pasture will only be planted once and it will never be better than the forage genetics you utilize so plant the best, plant Barenbrug!

Table of Contents

3. 3.

4. 5. 6. 7. 7. 8. 9. 10. 10. 11.

Soil Health & Nutrition Management

Soil Food Web

Fertilizer Management Minimizing Fertilizer Cost

Timing the First & Last Nitrogen Fertilization Plant Tissue Testing

Legumes to Provide Nitrogen Naturally Pasture Health Monitoring

Irrigation Management

What is Evapotranspiration (ET)?

Irrigation Scheduling

Forage Growth and Annual Yield Expectation by Precipitation Amount

Seasonal Irrigation Efficiency & Grass Growth Pattern

Irrigating During Drought

Keys to Limited & Supplemental Irrigation Considerations for Different Types of Irrigation Systems

Irrigation Optimization Weed Management

typical of most of the western United States and Canada, where producers are increasingly looking for more productive ways to manage their challenging production environments. Producers are finding that utilizing Barenbrug irrigated pasture allows them to control when and how much moisture is applied minimizing the impact of unpredictable seasonal rain and drought. Being able to apply the correct amount of moisture exactly when it is needed is an enormous advantage for irrigated pasture providing greatly increased productivity.

This Irrigated Cool Season Pasture Management Guide is designed to provide key insights into how to utilize and manage perennial Barenbrug grass in an irrigated pasture setting to help your operation gain maximum value from Barenbrug forage genetics. Barenbrug’s objective is to help you successfully achieve your goals while using Barenbrug genetics.

Why are Weeds Showing Up in My Pasture & What to Do About It?

Root Causes if Weed Issues & Potential Solutions Grazing Management Grazing Management Systems

The Most Common Grazing Mistakes What is Overgrazing? Time Controlled Grazing How do Cows Graze? Why is Mouthful Grazing Important? Importance of Leaving Adequate Residual Grass Why Residual Grass Height is Critical Key Grazing Management Principles Livestock Salt & Mineral Supplementation How Much Forage do I Need?

Calculating Forage Dry Matter Availability Grazing Key Success Factors for Long-Term Pasture Health and Grazing Performance

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Soil Health & Nutrition Management

Healthy pasture and healthy soil are interdependent, to have one you MUST have the other. Soil health and nutrient availability is key to maintaining a healthy, productive, and persistent pasture. To accomplish this a pasture must be provided the right conditions that support healthy soil and the complex biological and mineral relationships found in productive soil.

What is the Soil Food Web and Why is it Key to a Healthy Pasture?

Key Point:

Building and maintaining healthy soil is the absolute greatest thing that can be done to maintain and improve pasture health and productivity! The best way to accomplish this is by implementing a wellmanaged rotational grazing program.

The key to maintaining a health and persistence pasture is to provide conditions supportive to the Soil Food Web. The Soil Food Web is the interconnected relationships between plant, soil microbes and other soil organisms that are essential for healthy and productive pasture. The Soil Food Web is supported by plants that secrete sugars and other material called exudates through their roots to feed beneficial microbes living around roots (an area called the rhizosphere), which in turn feed other creatures (e.g., earthworms etc.) that help make nutrients available to plants and maintain soil structure that is critical to increase water infiltration, soil water holding capacity, and to maintain adequate soil oxygen levels and soil structure.

Key Things to do to Develop and Maintain a Healthy Functioning Soil Food Web (and therefore a healthy pasture):

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Maintain at least the minimum soil moisture necessary to support soil microbial population. With irrigation this is much easier, however, keeping the soil covered with adequate canopy will help this process by minimizing evaporation and keeping soil temperature optimal for soil microbes. Keep the energy stores in grass high – this enables grass to release sugars through its roots to feed beneficial soil microbes, a natural process that happens when grass is healthy. An effective way to help maintain high energy levels in grass is not to graze a pasture before the grass is at least 8 inches tall and, in the 4th, or 5th leaf stage AND, always leave at least 4 inches of residual/ stubble grass after grazing. Allowing some grass to be trampled into the ground through grazing is essential for a healthy pasture. This occurs naturally when the grass height at the start of grazing is high enough (8+ inches). This is important because certain components of the soil food web, especially mycorrhizal fungi and earthworms benefit from grass being trampled into the ground. This creates greater soil biological diversity and supports the soil bioturbation process which helps to maintain soil structure, and mitigate compaction. Follow the 6 principles of Regenerative Agriculture including minimizing herbicide, pesticide, and fertilizer applications whenever possible to avoid damaging soil microbes.

Practice rotational grazing, which helps to ensure grass is grazed in a way that keeps grass healthy and able to support a functional soil food web. Rotational grazing systems such as Adaptive Multi-pasture Grazing (AMG), Management-intensive Grazing (MiG), Regenerative Grazing etc. are examples of grazing systems that help maintain pasture soil health. The key to successful rotational grazing is to provide grass adequate time to fully recover between grazing. If done right grazing will only be initiated when grass is the correct height (8+ inches) and adequate residual (at least 4 inches) will be left after grazing which are keys to maintaining a healthy functioning Soil Food Web.

Source: Soil Food Web School and USDA-NRCS

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Fertilizer Management

Soil fertility has a direct effect on forage quality and yield, and therefore animal health and productivity. Unless the highest level of grazing management is utilized and a high percentage the pasture forage is legumes, an annual fertilization program will

General Fertilization Recommendations:

• Determine soil fertility and subsequent fertilization needs from a current soil and/or plant tissue test.

• If the functional biology in the soil is low, then replacing the nutrients exported/removed by animals or hay is a critical consideration.

• Incorporating legumes within a pasture can minimize the amount of N fertilization needed.

• Applying Compost or other biologically active amendments (such as humic acid, fluvic acid, compost extracts, compost tea, vermicompost etc.) at fertilization can increase fertilization effectiveness and improve soil food web activity.

• Effectiveness can be improved by matching fertilization rate to irrigation rate and applying a carbon source (e.g. humic acid) with the fertilizer.

• Fertigation & applying dry fertilizer with a no-till drill, or injecting liquid manure are methods being used to minimize loss from run-off and volatilization.

Typical Removal Rates

be needed to maintain productivity. Even with exceptional grazing management and utilizing legumes, fertilizing to the removal rate, or having a highly effective functional soil is key maintaining pasture productivity.

Key Point:

• Fertilization rate should not exceed the removal rate and the needs of soil based on current soil test. Matching fertilization to nutrient removal rate from hay, beef, or milk etc. with consideration of soil type is vital to maintain productivity over the longterm while avoiding nutrient leaching.

• Maintaining a healthy functioning soil food web both increases fertilization effectiveness and minimize its need, and in some situations can eliminate fertilizer needs over-time.

Lbs./Ton Hay Lbs. per 500lbs. Live Weight per acre Grazed

N 40-60 lbs. 16 lbs.

P elemental; (P205) 6 (15) 5 (10)

K elemental; (K2O) 40-50 (50) 1 (1.5)

Nitrogen Considerations & Recommendations:

• All grasses need nitrogen (N) on a continual basis to support maximum productivity.

• Legumes are a money saving source of nitrogen, especially in summer, and should be used whenever possible.

• For example, Barenbrug’s Alice white clover can provide as much as 150 units of N/acre/year.

• Even when legumes are incorporated into a pasture, supplemental N, as much as 150 – 200 units/lbs. N/ acre/year may be needed depending on soil health.

• Proper levels of phosphorus and calcium are important to the effectiveness of nitrogen.

• For maximum productivity plan to have as much as 150 – 200 units of available N/acre annually depending on soil test.

Key Point:

To avoid expense and potentially contributing to nutrient runoff we highly recommend fertilizing according to soil test, upon consultation with a qualified agronomist.

• If applying fertilizer, we recommend applying 50% the nitrogen in the spring as soon as the soil temperature is 45 - 50 degrees or warmer. Apply the remainder of N in 2 or 3 equal applications throughout the growing season but no later than mid-September. Applying N to close to winter will keep grass vegetative into winter making it more vulnerable to winter kill.

• To avoid volatilization dry N can be applied with no-till dril, or liquid N can be applied by fertigation.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Minimizing Fertilizer Cost

Minimizing or even eliminating fertilizer expense is an important consideration for many operations. There are several management practices to decrease the need for fertilization including:

Focus on soil health – as soil health improves so does nutrient availability, especially phosphorus as well as nitrogen.

Practice Rotational Grazing – applying the principles of rotational grazing will help keep grass healthy and support soil health.

Incorporate Legumes – legumes can fix nitrogen from the air providing as much as 150 units of N credits. However, legumes don’t typically fix nitrogen when there is readily available nitrogen supplied by fertilization. Also note, legumes don’t make nitrogen freely available to other plants unless the legume has been grazed, which highlights the importance of good grazing management.

Fertilize according to a plant tissue test. Tissue tests indicate what the plant is lacking and how available (or unavailable) nutrients are in the soil.

Conduct soil testing and use the results to optimize fertilization. Note: Standard soil tests don’t typically account for soil microbial provided nutrient availability, and so could over recommend fertilizer rates in healthy microbially active soil. Typically, as Soil Organic Matter (SOM) increases so does nutrient availability which lowers the need for fertilization. Accounting for this will help to minimize fertilizer costs, and avoid nutrient runoff etc. Plant tissue sampling is a good tool to test for this and optimize fertilization. Many soil health experts recommend that anytime a fertilizer (or herbicide) is applied to also apply a humate (carbon source) such as humic acid, Fulvic acid, vermicompost or vermicompost extract etc. Adding humates increases the efficacy of fertilizer and can reduce fertilization costs by as much as 30%. Humates are microbial foods that help kick-start the biological system to function better. However, use these products sparingly to avoid “overheating” the soil biology which can create a yield drag. When fertilizing with a 10-10-10 NPK fertilizer it is recommended to add either: 1.) 10 oz/ac Fulvic acid or vermicompost extract as foliar spray application, or 2.) 3-5 lbs./ac humate or vermicompost in furrow. Nutrients can become locked-up because of soil type, lack of soil biological activity, and mineral interactions. Often N-P-K is applied when what is really needed is better biologically functioning soils and a balancing of trace minerals. For example, adding Calcium (Ca) e.g., Gypsum to high Magnesium (Mg) soils can make other nutrients (N-P-K) more available. Additionally, trace minerals such as Boron, Zinc and Copper have shown to be effective towards increasing fertilizer efficiency. Seaweed extracts or Sea minerals, products from deposits from ancient seabed’s (e.g., azomite), and volcanic sources of trace minerals (rock dust) provide a broad spectrum of trace minerals that can be effective toward balancing nutrients under certain soil conditions.

Nitrogen (N) Recommendations (lbs./acre) for Irrigated Grass and Grass-Legume Mixtures

University of Idaho Extension CIS 392, Shewmaker, Ellsworth and Jensen

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Timing the First & Last Nitrogen Fertilization

The proper timing of nitrogen fertilization is dependent upon your management objectives and ability to apply grazing management to correspond with the timing of nitrogen fertilization. For example, if an operations objective is to maximum forage yield (total tonnage) timing the first N fertilizing to take place in early spring, before the start of grazing can “wake-up” grass by helping it break dormancy earlier which will maximize season long forage production. However, if the objective is to provide the highest quality grass per grazing event within a rotational grazing program, it is recommended to apply the first application of N after the pastures have been “flash grazed” once, which will help to avoid early seed head production which dramatically lowers forage quality. Remember in high production environments Barenbrug recommends split applications of N across several seasons, one in the spring, another in early summer and a final application late summer or early fall. The final fertilization should occur early enough in the fall (or late summer) as to not encourage grass to grow after winter weather has settled in. Grass attempting to grow during winter is very stressful on a plant and is a major contributor to winter kill. Ensure that the last fertilization is at least 6 – 8 weeks ahead of the average date of first hard frost.

Phosphorus & Potassium Recommendations:

• Take a soil sample every 2 or 3 years then apply recommended levels in the fall

• Phosphorus is critical to support root development

• Potassium is critical for the overall health of grass

Phosphorus (P) Fertilizer Recommendations (lbs./acre)

Based on Soil test (0-12 inches)

Source: University of Idaho Extension CIS 392, Shewmaker, Ellsworth and Jensen

Potassium (K) Fertilizer Recommendations (lbs./acre)

Based on Soil test (0-12 inches)

Source: University of Idaho Extension CIS 392, Shewmaker, Ellsworth and Jensen

Micro-Nutrient Recommendations:

• Overall health and persistence of forages is highly related to balanced fertility, including micro-nutrients

• Overtime the constant removal of nutrients through grazing and haying can leave soil depleted of micro-nutrients such as copper, zinc, manganese, boron etc.

• Replacing micro-nutrients will improve stand longevity and pasture productivity.

• We recommend applying micro-nutrients based on soil testing.

Soil pH Influences Nutrient Availability

With some soil types, nutrients may be present but unavailable because they are tied-up due to interactions with other minerals and soil pH. When analyzing a soil test, it is critical to recognize the importance of both nutrient levels and soil pH.

Availability of Elements 4.5 5.5 6.5

Key Point:

N, S, K

Mo

P

Ca, Mg Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Al 7.5

• High pH alkaline soils tend to tieup P, Iron (Fe), Mn, Cu, Zn, Al

• Low pH acidic soils can tie-up N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Mo

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Plant

Tissue Testing

• Tissue sampling (or forage testing) is a good supplement to soil testing providing valuable information on how nutrients are being utilized by plants in a pasture

• Plant tissue samples can help optimize fertilization by providing an indicator of plant fertilization needs as opposed to soil tests which may or may not indicate plant needs and nutrient availability.

• Consult your agronomist or testing lab for recommended sampling procedure

• In most cases 25 plants should be selected at random and cut off just above ground level

• Samples should be air dried before sending to a qualified lab for analysis

• As a point of reference grass clipped just before heading stage should contain around:

Incorporating & Maintaining Legumes to Provide Nitrogen Naturally

It’s no secret that nitrogen helps grass grow. However, fertilizing can be expense and not always cost effective. Luckily, by adding legumes to a pasture most if not all the Nitrogen needed to maintain a healthy and productive pasture can be supplied without costly fertilization. A good target is to keep around 30% - 40% of the forage production from legumes, which will provide as much as 100 – 150 nitrogen credits. Maintaining that level of legumes can be difficult, however, there are some proven methods to make it possible. The key is to provide a longer recovery period of 60 – 75 days on roughly one-third of the pasture acres each year during late summer/early fall to allow the legumes re-seed themselves. In most areas August and especially September are key months for legumes to set seed. A winter grazing program that utilizes stockpiled forages fits nicely into this system.

Nutrient Abbreviation Unit Target

Nitrogen N % 2.0 – 2.57

Phosphorus P % 0.21 – 0.25

Potassium K % 1.5 – 2.39

Sulfur S % 0.18 – 0.20

Calcium Ca % 0.46

Magnesium Mg % 0.24

Sodium Na % 0.16

Copper Cu mg/kg 6.0

Zinc Zn mg/kg 16.0

Manganese Mn mg/kg 47.0

Iron Fe mg/kg 60.0

Boron B mg/kg 4.0

Molybdenum Mo mg/kg 0.5

Cobalt Co mg/kg <0.1

Nitrate N mg/kg 62.8

Ammonium N mg/kg 686.0

Crude Protein Ratio % 16.1

Key Point:

• As soil biological health improves fertilization needs usually decreases. Minimizing and even weaning off fertilizer should be a goal to be achieved over time, however this needs to be a gradual weaning off process, so yields aren’t negatively impacted. Implementing the principles of Regenerative Agricultural is a suggested starting point. See the section on Soil Health in the additional resource section for further resources.

• Adding a carbon source (humates, humic acid, fluvic acid, vermicompost, biologically active compost, compost tea, biochar etc.) at the time of fertilizing is an excellent way to increase the efficiency of fertilizer, decrease fertilizer needs, and feed beneficial soil microbes.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Pasture Health Monitoring

Monitoring pasture health is a good way to track progress and assesses current conditions. However, to accomplish this a baseline must be established. There are various soil tests that can be ran and various pasture health assessments that can be conducted. We recommend that at a minimum the following assessments be done on a regular basis:

Field Observations & Tests:

• Livestock Performance. Assessing the general health and grazing performance of the livestock provides a good overarching benchmark.

• Pasture Visual Assessment. Evaluating the general health of each pasture gives a broad indication of the current status of pasture health. Does the grass appear healthy and vigorous? Is the grass dark green? Are the planted grass species present? Is the grass performing as expected? Are there any visual signs of nutrient deficiency or plant stress? How much bare ground and weed pressure is there? Are there any signs of disturbance (erosion, patchy spots, areas of low plant population etc.)?

• Water Infiltration Rate. Tracking Infiltration rate over time provides an indication of how functional your water cycle, how much water is actually getting into the ground, soil microbial health and overall soil health. Generally speaking, the quicker soil absorbs water the healthier the soil and the better functioning the soil foodweb. For information on how to conduct a water infiltration test see Recommended Additional Resources.

• Earthworm Count. An abundance of earthworm (> 25 per sq ft. or > one million/ac) is a very good indication of overall soil health.

• Presence of Dung Beetles. The presence of dung beetles is an excellent indication of a high functioning soil food web and a healthy pasture ecosystem.

• Testing Brix levels. Brix is a measurement of the amount of sugar in the sap of a plant which is an indication of the overall health of the plant. The higher the Brix the healthier the plant. An excellent Brix test is above 13. For information on how to conduct a Brix test see: Recommended Additional Resources.

Lab Tests:

• Soil Tests:

• Soil Organic Matter (SOM). Most standard soil tests will provide a measurement of SOM. SOM is a very good benchmark that provides a general indication of the state and direction of your soil health.

• Nutrient and Mineral Levels. Nutrient levels in soil are an indication of how much you have available in your soil “bank account” to support pasture health.

• pH & CEC. Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) is a good indicator of the general condition of soil and its ability to support pasture health.

• Plant Tissue Analysis. Tissue analysis (forage tests) provides valuable information concerning how available (or unavailable) nutrients are for the plant flow and how effectively nutrients are being utilized.

• For information on how to collect a soil and plant tissue sample for lab analysis contact the lab which will analyze your samples.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Irrigation Management

Full Irrigation Rate for Barenbrug Grass (for the full growing season):

Barenbrug Product Full Season Requirement

Master Series Products: (DairyMaster Pro, BeefMaster Pro, StockMaster Pro) 30-40 inches (2.75-3.3 acre ft.)

Range Shield Products: (Barricaide, Renegaide) 20-28 inches (1.67-2.5 acre ft.)

Evapotranspiration (ET)

• Tool to help determine irrigation requirements.

• The amount of ET is a function of air temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and amount of bare soil

ET Values for Cool Season Grass

ET (inches daily plant water use)

• Matching irrigation scheduling to Evapotranspiration, (ET equals the daily pasture water use in inches), is a value tool to help determine irrigation needs. Keep in mind that more irrigation than ET is required to account for irrigation system inefficiency losses. Inches

0.2 0.15

0.1

0.05

0.25 0 1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct

Source: Pasture and Grazing Management in the Northwest, Ch 6 Principles of Pasture Irrigation

ET Adjustments:

The provided ET values are for Parma, ID (southwest Idaho), elevation 2,300 ft. It is important to adjust these ET values in relationship to your geographical location & elevation relative to southern Idaho latitude & 2,300 ft. elevation:

Decrease ET if your location is: 1. Further North, or 2. Higher Elevation Increase ET if your location is: 1. Further South, or 2. Lower Elevation

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

What is Evapotranspiration (ET)?

ET can be viewed as the opposite of measuring precipitation. Instead of measuring the amount of rainfall your pasture receives, ET estimates the amount of water lost from a pasture to evaporation from the soil and transpiration thorough the plant.

To provide consistent measurements, ET weather stations are usually sited on a well-watered grass of the same species with a consistent canopy, so these ET measurements show only differences in weather among sites. An ET Weather Station uses a mathematical equation to measure the estimated ET using data for solar radiation, relative humidity, air temperature, and wind speed. A convenient advantage for irrigated pasture managers is that using ET values for irrigating pasture does not require a crop coefficient since ET values are collected using grass as the model plant.

Evapotranspiration values are collected from weather stations operating in most agricultural regions of the western states where there is a heavy reliance on irrigation. In most cases ET values can be obtained daily through a state’s Extension Service or Department of Water Resources website. Additionally, there are many data subscription services that publish ET values. If your state doesn’t provide this service or if there isn’t an ET weather station near your location NASA has partnered with a group of organizations to provide calculated ET values provided from satellite data for western states of the U.S. and can be accessed at OpenET.org.

Irrigation Scheduling

• Spring & fall: may require 1 or more inches of water per week, or 0.2 - 0.35 inches of water per day accounting for ET needs AND water loss.

• Summer: may require 2 or more inches of water per week, or 0.4 – 0.45 inches of water per day accounting for both ET needs AND water loss.

• Irrigation efficiency is highly variable. Depending on evaporation, wind drift, runoff, deep percolation, and the type of irrigation system, application efficiency can range between 60 – 95%.

• Both growth and yield decrease when average AW (Available Water is the difference between Field Capacity and Permanent Wilting Point) in the root zone is below 50% (i.e., half of the available water in the root zone has been used). Plan to keep 75% AW in the root zone (2-3 ft.).

• The appropriate irrigation rate & frequency is highly dependent upon soil moisture holding capacity, evaporation rate, level of productivity, the time of year etc.

• Using deep irrigation twice a year (e.g., early spring and late summer/early fall) by using longer irrigation sets to fill the entire root zone provides a deep soil water profile to create a “water bank” and ensure optimum growth of both grass and legumes.

• In high saline soils or in situations in which effluent water is utilized, a deep fall irrigation with “clean water” can be very helpful to “flush” salts through the root zone.

Key Point:

Historic ET data is available for any location in the US based on zip code from rainmaster.com. It is very important to understand that ET is NOT the amount of water that should be applied to fully irrigate a pasture, but an estimate of the grasses water use. Other factors such as an irrigation system’s application uniformity, an irrigation systems inefficiency, irrigation water’s salinity, as well as the soil’s water-holding capacity, rooting depth, and development stage of the grass must be considered to determine how much total water should be apply as irrigation. Most experts recommend delivering irrigation at a rate of ET+25% to account for changing climate conditions and irrigation inefficiencies.

Key Point:

• Because of inefficiencies in irrigation systems, it is necessary to apply more water than ET alone suggests.

• Irrigation should occur before 50% of Available Water in the root zone (2 – 3 ft.) is used.

• Start irrigation early enough to cover the field by the time the 1st area needs to be irrigated again.

• Goal is to maintain soil moisture at 30-50% of Field Capacity or 50% Available Water in the root zone (2-3 ft. deep).

• Through most of the year it is advised to use light frequent irrigations to allow grasses to easily extract water from soil.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Forage Growth and Annual Yield Expectation by Precipitation Amount

Precipitation (rain+irrigation) inch/year Expected Forage Growth lbs./Inch Precipitation Expected Forage Yield lbs./acre/year

< 10 inches 50 – 100 lb./inch precip. 500 – 1,000 lbs.

10 – 15 100 – 150 1,000 – 2,250 15 – 20 150 – 250 2,250 – 5,000 20 – 25 250 – 300 5,000 – 7,500 25 – 30 300 – 350 7,500 – 10,500 30 – 35 350 – 400 10,500 – 14,000 35 – 40 400 -450 14,000 – 18,000 >40 Variable, may decline Variable, may decline

Source: Jim

Gerrish

Irrigation Key Success Factors:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Follow Irrigation Best Management Practices – check nozzles, calibrate flow rates, test well pumping rate (GPM), service & maintain pumps etc. ahead of the peak irrigation season.

Know your soil type and its water holding capacity. Capitalize on modern irrigation technology when - newer center pivot control panels can be equipped to utilize ET, weather forecasts, GPS technology to provide variable rate irrigation (VRI), and remote monitoring which greatly improves irrigation efficiency and pasture productivity.

Soil sample for moisture content in early spring to the maximum depth of the root zone (usually 2 – 3 ft.) to determine current Available Water & to plan how much water will be needed to fill the root zone to Field Capacity. Irrigate early spring to fill root zone and to build water storage in the root zone:

• Decrease pivot speed or increase set times to a point of just prior to slight runoff to maximize depth per irrigation to produce healthy deep roots able to take advantage of soil water holding capacity. A good strategy is to run the pivot or set for a cycle, let the water soak in, and then run again after 24 hours to fill the profile.

• Water stored in the root zone can be used by grass when irrigation is halted for grazing or haying or when water application isn’t able to meet ET.

Know your irrigation system – spacing, pressure, nozzle size, hours of a set etc. determine how much water can be applied.

Run pivot as slowly as possible without causing surface runoff to minimize evaporation from foliage surface, and to put more applied water on the soil, to move more water deeper into the soil profile.

Start irrigating pasture as quickly as possible after cattle have been rotated after grazing which will shorten the recovery time and increase annual productivity. Keeping water in the root zone is the key to pasture productivity.

Key Point:

• Fill root zone before seasonal peak water usage since it may be impossible to fill the root zone moisture during peak demand. Remember roots do NOT grow in dry soil, to support root growth soil must be moist.

• With most types of soil, especially heavy clay soils, cattle should be rotated before irrigation takes place to avoid damaging pasture through pugging. However, when grazing sandy or rocky soils, soils that have a high-water infiltration rate or are less prone to pugging, irrigating over the top of cattle is possible and will speed up recovery time between grazing events.

• Avoid sprinkler packages that deliver water with high kinetic energy which can wash away topsoil and seal the ground because of their large drops that have high impact. Nozzles that deliver water like raindrops are preferred. Talk to your sprinkler irrigation company for more information

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Irrigation Key Success Factors (cont.):

It is good practice to regularly probe the soil to the root zone depth (2 – 3 ft on well-established stands; 1 – 1.5 ft on new stands) to evaluate moisture level. Several methods can be used to monitor soil moisture:

• The easiest, and simplest method is to use a soil moisture or ball probe. Ball probes are simple and quick to use and are effective to test for moisture at the 2 – 3+ foot rootzone depth. See additional resources

• Hand squeeze method is useful but limited to testing surface moisture not the more critical rootzone moisture.

• Firmly squeezing a handful of soil collected from a soil probe. It should barely produce a small drop of water.

• If more than a very small drop of water is produced, you’re probably irrigating too much.

• If no drop of water is produced, then you’re probably not irrigating enough.

• Semi-permanent in place soil moisture monitors which are integrated data monitoring system are becoming more commonplace. This technology when correctly applied can provide valuable real-time data. If an accurate cost-effective system can be installed, we encourage you to explore the opportunity.

Irrigating Cool Season Grasses During Summer

• Without increased irrigation or abundant rainfall, cool season grasses will slow their growth rate or even appear to go into a summer dormancy called the summer slump.

• Going into a “summer slump” (a period in which growth is dramatically slowed) during summer is a survival mechanism and is usually a good thing if the pasture isn’t going to be grazed. Even if pasture isn’t going to be grazed during the summer one or two irrigation passes are usually beneficial and will help the grass perk up quicker in the fall.

• Under some circumstances, cool season grasses can be managed to stay productive during summer if irrigation is increased. Key considerations:

• As much as 2+ inches of irrigation per week may be needed during summer.

• Keeping cool season grasses vegetative during the summer is more effective in areas where there is overnight cooling. If nighttime temperatures are below 70 F cool season grasses will usually stay vegetative with sufficient irrigation.

• Cool season grasses can be allowed to go “dormant” during the summer if the goal is to conserve water, however, we recommend 1 or 2 irrigations during the summer to ensure the health of the pasture.

• The cool season grasses best suited for summer irrigation are meadow brome, tall fescue, and in some regions orchardgrass and perennial ryegrass are also capable of this.

• Both growth rate and yield decrease when average AW in the root zone is below 50% (i.e., when half of the Available Water in the root zone has been used). Do NOT wait to irrigate until 50% AW is used, or irrigation system may not be able to refill root zone and keep up with ET.

• Wetting depth of 1 inch of applied water:

• Heavy soils = up to 12 – 18 inches.

• Sandy soils = up to 2 – 3 feet

• It is critical to irrigate a pasture as soon as possible after the herd has been rotated. This includes even if grazing is done for the season.

• During a summer dormant season, it is usually beneficial to irrigate once or twice even if not grazing to maintain soil moisture.

• Similarly, in the fall it is usually recommend irrigating the pastures grazed early fall at least one final time 3 – 5 weeks ahead of winter.

Key Point: Key Point:

• It is critical to irrigate based on ET during summer. There is more potential evaporation during the summer but usually less leaf area, so the amount of water does NOT always need to be increased.

• During the summer it is very important to leave enough leaf area (Keep residual >4-6 inches) to keep the ground covered to minimized evaporation.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Seasonal

Irrigation Efficiency & Grass Growth Pattern

For well-established irrigated pastures expect the following seasonal lbs. yield per acre per inch of water:

Season Lbs. Forage per Acre per Inch of Water

Spring 665 lbs.

Mid-Summer 257 lbs. Fall 375 lbs.

Irrigating During Drought

Key Point:

The most efficient season to irrigate is during spring when grass is growing the fastest. Make sure your irrigation system is well maintained and ready to irrigate as early as possible in the spring to fill the root zone prior to peak utilization, and to take advantage of seasonal forage production efficiency.

If managed appropriately Barenbrug grasses can perform well in irrigated situations during drought. In drought conditions in which irrigation is limited such as in areas that rely on snow melt for irrigation there are some import factors to follow.

Key Success Factors:

• Use Barricaide or Renegaide seed mixes since they are more drought hardy

• It is critical to maximize water at rooting depth

• Consider early season deep irrigation & applying phosphorous (P) to promote root growth

• Critically important to protect the crown of the plant to preserve energy stores, and minimize evaporation by leaving at least 4 inches of residual

• If water supply can only meet a portion of seasonal water needs but is sufficient to completely meet the needs during the period the water is available, then:

• Fill plant root zone to Field Capacity and maintain soil water level for as long as water is available

• After water is used up grass will become progressively more stressed and will eventually go dormant as a survival mechanism

• If water supply will only provide a portion of peak needs over the entire season, then either:

• Deficit irrigate all acres recognizing there will be a reduction in yield, or

• Fully irrigate the most productive ground and let the other acres go dormant

• Guidelines for Fall irrigation during drought:

• If minimal water is available during fall do NOT irrigate since breaking plant dormancy and starting regrowth will decrease the grasses energy stores going into winter contributing to winter kill

• If enough water is available, fall irrigating can be beneficial to growing new tillers, a process that begins in the fall, which will increase next year’s production

Key Success Factors: (cont.)

• Grazing Management – It is especially critical when coming out of drought to follow good grazing management practices since the grass is in a highly stressed condition and especially vulnerable to overgrazing.

Keys to Limited & Supplemental Irrigation

• Different species of grass are unique in their response to deficit and limited irrigation. The grasses in Barenbrug’s Barricade mix, especially Arsenal meadow brome, which is a component of Barricaide and Renegaide, has proven to be less impacted by limited irrigation.

• Under conditions of limited irrigation such as low producing wells or where irrigation is limited to seasonal spring runoff using Barenbrug Barricaide or Renegaide mixes are highly recommended since they are hardy enough to survive and even thrive without irrigation under normal rainfall conditions but provide a yield response to irrigation.

• Full rate irrigation for Barricaide is 20 - 24 inches; and 26 – 28 inches for Renegaide.

• For situations in which 30+ inches of total precipitation aren’t available but supplemental irrigation can be provided Barricaide and Renegaide are particularly good options.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Considerations for Different Types of Irrigation Systems:

Any type of irrigation can be utilized in conjunction with Barenbrug forages, however, certain considerations for each type of irrigation should be kept in mind:

• Handlines – a limiting factor is the frequency and speed in which irrigation sets must be moved and changed.

• Portable Sprinkler – can be highly affect for small acreages.

• Wheel-lines – Can be effective but concerted effort must be extended to keep the moves coordinated with the needs of the grass and grazing system.

• Center Pivot – can be highly effective especially if zone irrigation and reversing the pivot is possible. Can be difficult to achieve root zone water penetration under uneven terrain. Utilizing concentric circle semi-permanent fences that don’t require the pivot wheels to cross over a fence, and dispersed stock watering point is a highly efficient design made popular by Jim Gerrish. Contact Jim Gerrish at American Grazinglands Supply for further details.

Irrigation Optimization

Optimizing irrigation scheduling is an effective way to minimize water usage and provide optimal water to maximize the health and productivity of Barenbrug grass. Some considerations for optimizing irrigation include:

• Adjust irrigation rate to manage how much total water is applied according to:

• Season: e.g., higher evaporation during summer = more water required

• Grass growth: faster grass growth = more water needed

• Grazing intensity: Higher the grazing intensity = more water required

• Weather: higher temperature, lower rainfall & windier conditions = more water need

• Rain = less irrigation needed

• Soil type & water holding capacity: soils that hold water in root zone longer = less total water required

• Recognize & continually check for signs of water stress in the grass and adjust irrigation accordingly.

• Low Water grass stress symptoms includes curled and in cases of severe stress dropping leaves and a general dull lackluster appearance eventually leading to leaf chlorosis/browning.

• High Water grass stress symptoms includes dropping leaves and a general “sickly” appearance, slowed or no growth, and eventually browning of leaves in severe cases. Too much water causes waterlogging which keeps oxygen from reaching the roots which could drown the plant or cause carbon dioxide and ethylene to accumulate in the root zone leading to acidic soil conditions development and chlorosis and eventually plant death.

• Match irrigation to fertilization rates, grazing intensity and weather conditions – the higher the fertilization, grazing intensity & drier the weather the more irrigation is required to maintain maximum productivity

Key Point:

It is a good practice to occasionally, and whenever signs of plant stress is detected, probe the soil to the root zone depth (2 – 3 ft on well-established stands; 1 – 2 ft on new stands) to evaluate for moisture level. Soil should be moist but not muddy, approximately 50% Field Capacity in the rootzone.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Weed Management

• Fully established well-managed pastures usually have less weed problems because healthy grass out competes weeds and a thick stand keeps weeds from establishing in the first place.

• The most common causes of weed problems are over grazing which causes wide plant spacing leading to increased bare soil giving weeds room to establish. Improper irrigation and poor soil health are also contributing factors.

• If weed control is needed, a good place to start is reviewing grazing management, irrigation, and soil fertility issues which will help avoid future problems. While taking corrective action mowing or using an herbicide might be necessary. If using an herbicide consult a qualified agronomist or county Extension Agent since rules and recommendations for chemical control of weeds change from year to year and weed control in grass requires special attention.

Key Point:

Maintaining a well-established, healthy dense pasture, with good soil fertility is the best way to control weeds. Healthy grass will out compete most weeds, and a dense stand will keep weeds from establishing by shading them out.

Why are Weeds Showing Up in My Pasture? What that Tells You & What to Do About it (Other than Spray Herbicide)

The presence of weeds is a good indication of soil health. From nature’s perspective that are at least six reasons weeds are present at a particular location: 1. To cover bare soil; nature hates bare soil, 2. A response to low soil organic matter – building soil OM is a priority for nature, 3. An effort to correct compacted soil, 4. An attempt to fix low mineral availability, 5. A strategy to stimulate soil microbial activity, and 6. To correct contaminated or toxic soil. Fixing the root cause of why weeds are present is a much more

successful and productive long-term approach then simply using an herbicide. If spraying an herbicide is required, consider adding fulvic acid (1 part per 4 parts herbicide) which will increase effectiveness of the herbicide while also stimulating the growth of beneficial microbes. Note: not all herbicides mix with fulvic acid, making it important to consult a qualified agronomist and to do a jar test, and test on small area before applying broadly.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Root Causes of Weed Issues & Potential Solutions:

Reason for Weeds

Typical Weeds to Expect

Corrective Action

• Address management issues (usually grazing management) causing bare soil

Weeds that provide quick ground cover, including:

• Scrambling fumitory (Fumaria spp)

• Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

Bare Soil

• Spotted spurge (Euphorbia maculate)

• Caltrop (Tribulus terrestris)

• Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)

• Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)

Low Organic Matter Soil

Usually weeds with deep-penetrating adventitious roots:

• Fleabane (Erigeron bonariensis)

• Dandelions (Taraxacum)

• Cape daisy (Osteospermum)

• Knapweed (Centaurea)

• Mayweed (Matricaria)

• Leafy spurge (Euphorbia)

• Spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa

Weeds that thrive in low oxygen or compacted soil environments:

• Clubmoss (Lycopodiopsida)

• Dock (Rumex)

Compacted Soil

• Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)

• Thistles (Scolymus hispanicus L)

• Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)

• Rushes (Juncaceae)

• Sedges (Cyperaceacae)

• Mow or crimp weeds

• Avoid cultivating or if not possible apply humic acid when cultivating & reseed as soon as possible

• Utilize cover crop to cover bare ground

• Apply carbon-based soil amendment: seed treatment, seaweed extract, humic acid, compost/vermicompost etc.

• Inoculate with mycorrhizae fungi

• Spread, feed, and add organic material such as hay, straw composts biochar, mulching materials

• Manage to maximize groundcover

• Utilize animal trampling

• Encourage animal to dung in the affected area

• Utilize a cover crop

• Plant deep tap rooted cover crops (Sunflower, Radish, vetch, Yellow sweet clover, berseem clover, Cowpea, etc.)

• Mechanical aeration – also apply lime or gypsum, and a feed source for soil microbes such as humic acid, molasses etc.

• Change the management that caused the compaction (grazing management? Cultivation? Mineral imbalance? Low soil microbes? Low soil organic matter?

Source: Nicole Masters, For the Love of Soil

Root Causes of Weed Issues & Potential Solutions: (cont.)

Reason for Weeds

Typical Weeds to Expect

Dynamic accumulators especially those who use rhizospheric priming.

High Potassium & low Phosphorus soil favors broadleaf weeds:

• Dandelions (Taraxacum)

• Common plantain (Plantago major)

• Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum)

Soil Lacks Mineral Availability

• Inkweed (Phytolacca octandra)

Low available calcium soil favors primitive weedy grasses:

• Cheatgrass

• Jointed goatshead

• Medusahead

• Etc.

[High producing grasses thrive in a 1:1 – 1:2 bacteria to fungus ratio (B:F) soil environment]

Corrective Action

Low

Organic Matter Soil

(usually result from disturbed soil from tillage, overgrazing, waterlogging, some pesticides/herbicides, over applying soluble phosphate fertilizer etc.)

Bacteria dominated soils, 1:<1 (B:F) favors (succession)

Early Colonizers:

• Lichen, mosses & cryptogams

• non-mycorrhizal host plants e.g., Brassicas –open up soil & release bound nutrients

• Primitive (invasive) grasses e.g., Madusahead, Cheatgrass etc.

• Conduct tissue samples tests of weeds and preferred crop to determine if it is a functional deficiency (lack of availability) or soil deficiency

• Correct major soil deficiencies

• Apply carbon with mineral amendments to shift mineral availability

Heavy Nutrient Load, Contaminated or Toxic Soils

Heavy nutrient loaded (N,P,K) especially high nitrate soils attract (N,P,K) accumulator weeds such as:

• Nettles

• Pigweed

• Fat hen

• Foxtail Barley grass (Hordeum jubatum)

• Kochia (Kochia scoparia)

• Cape weed

• Russian thistles

• Milk thistles (Silybum marianum)

Heavy metal toxicity, radiation e.g., radon soil attracts plant remediators such as:

• Willows (Salix alba L.)

• Silver birch (Betula pendula)

• Flax (Linum usitatissimum)

• Hemp (Cannabis sativa)

• Cotton (Gossypium)

• Conduct a microbial soil test

• Check Brix level to test which plants (desired pasture grass or weeds) are happiest under current management

• Incorporate deep tap rooted species such as chicory and plantain

• Optimize grazing management to encourage grasses to grow deep healthy roots

• Use biostimulant, bioactive compost, compost extracts, compost slurries, carbon sources (e.g., humic acid, vermicompost etc.)

• Check Brix level to test which plants (desired pasture grass or weeds) are happiest under current management - don’t graze fields with a sharp Brix level <3

• Nitrates can be cleaned up by applying humates, milk, fish hydrolysates or vermicompost

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Grazing Management

Grazing management more than anything else will affect the long-term health, productivity, and persistence of a pasture. Applying fundamental sound grazing management is critically important.

Grazing Management Fundamentals:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Grazing management is highly impactful on pasture and soil health, pasture quality, pasture longevity, and grazing performance. Grass height at the start of grazing should between 8 – 12 inches tall. Residual/post grazing grass height should be at least 4 – 6+ inches tall.

Time & Timing – Determining when and for how long a pasture will be grazed is the primary way management affects pasture health and productivity. Provide Adequate Recovery between Grazing – As long as there is adequate irrigation, and soil health recovery time is the most critical factor for the health of a pasture. Grass should not be re-grazed until it has fully recovered. (Regrown to 8+ inches)

The best way to accomplish items 1 – 5 is through a well-designed and executed time-controlled rotational grazing program.

Grazing High-Quality Grasses and Legumes to increase the amount of nutrition per bite is the best way to improve grazing performance. Remember a pasture’s quality, and resulting grazing performance, will never be better than the forage genetics you plant, so start with the best forage available, plant Barenbrug.

Key Point:

• Grass should 8 – 12+ inches tall, or in the 4th or 5th leaf stage (depending on the species of grass), at the start of grazing which allows grass to build its energy stores before being grazed and helps to increase grazing efficiency by allowing livestock to take mouthful bits.

• Leaving at least 4+ inches of residual (post grazing) grass height will increase the speed of recovery, and the overall productivity & the lifespan of the pasture by allowing the plant to continue to photosynthesis (produce energy) and maintain its carbohydrates reserves after being grazed.

• Don’t graze the same pasture the same time of year, year after year, and move cattle to a new pasture before the young grass regrowth is grazed, i.e., let the grass fully recover before allowing it to be re-grazed.

• The faster the grass is growing the faster it will recover. When grass is growing fast, rotate pastures fast. When grass is growing slow rotate pastures slow.

• Grass is fully recovered from a previous grazing event when it has regrown to the fourth leaf stage or 8+ inches tall, and there are few if any visible “flattipped” leaves.

• Make sure your pastures can provide the grazing performance you need. Grazing the high-quality genetics found in Barenbrug forages is a key contributor to grazing success.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Grazing Management Systems

A common question we often receive from grazing managers is, what type of grazing management should I use? Numerous university studies have shown that rotational grazing improves pasture productivity an average 30% over set-stock continuous grazing (L.E. Sollenberger et. al., 2012 Prescribed Grazing on Pastureland, in C.J. Nelson (ed.) Conservation Outcomes from Pastureland and Hayland Practices: Assessments, Recommendations and Knowledge Gaps. Allen Press, Lawrence, KS). There are many grazing management systems that incorporate a form of rotational grazing that are well suited to grazing Barenbrug forage. Adaptive Multi-Paddosck Grazing (AMP) and Management-intensive Grazing (MiG) are some very well-suited grazing strategies for irrigated Barenbrug grass since they incorporate intensive short duration grazing periods followed by a long recovery period which encourages soil and grass health making them ideal management systems to capitalize on the improved forage genetics found in Barenbrug grass. However, keep in mind any type of rotational grazing is better than no rotational grazing. Simply following the principles of not grazing grass lower than 4 inches, and not returning to graze grass before it has fully recovered will greatly increase grazing performance, and the long-term health of a pasture. Exactly how that is accomplished doesn’t matter as much as implementing the key principles.

The Most Common Grazing Mistakes - Grazing too Short & Returning too Soon

Overgrazing is defined as re-grazing a plant before it has fully recovered from the previous grazing event. It is detrimental to pasture health, pasture productivity, soil health and livestock performance and here’s why:

• Removing too many leaves, the photosynthetic factory, severely limits the plant’s ability produce energy to support both recovery and leaf growth setting up the pasture for another round of overgrazing during the next rotation, unless the recovery period is lengthened.

• A grass’s ability to grow new tillers is limited when plants are routinely grazed too short. Most grass species store carbohydrates, which are energy reserves, in the basal stem which is the lowest third of the stem. This area of the stem is where tiller buds are formed. Removing the basal stem depletes the plant’s energy reserves. This forces it to regrow tiller buds which creates additional stress on the plant, limits the plant’s ability to produce new tillers, lengthens recovery time, and if repeated overtime will decrease stand life.

• Overgrazing slows plant recovery & re-growth exposing more soil surface, damaging soil biology, allowing for a higher degree of runoff, less water infiltration, more soil erosion, elevated levels of evaporation and provides a place for weeds to take root and proliferate. Adequate forage cover intercepts raindrops, which slows impact at the soil interface and enhances water infiltration and helps keep undesirable weeds out.

Key Point:

The persistence, productivity, and forage quality of your seeding is determined by your grazing management. Generally, grass should be at a minimum 8 – 12 inches before initiating grazing and preferably in the 4th or 5th leaf stage. Delaying allows grass to build its energy stores and helps to increase grazing efficiency. The first grazing event may occur at 2-3 leaf stage to prevent reaching seed head. Any paddock grazed at less than 3-leaf stage should be allowed to recover to 4-leaf stage. Make grazing periods as short as feasible, and the recovery long enough to allow the grass to fully recover before being grazed again. Most grazing related problems are a result of grazing too short and returning to re-graze too soon.

• Overgrazing severely impacts root growth. Research shows that overgrazed pastures have less and shallower root mass limiting the plant’s ability to take up both water and nutrients, which is especially detrimental to grasses ability to cope with stress making it greatly more vulnerable to the impact of grazing, drought, winterkill, weed pressure, etc. In fact, not leaving enough forage biomass can cause drought-like conditions even where adequate amounts of rainfall or irrigation is provided. This is especially true in soil with fast percolation rates (e.g., sandy soils) because the water moves through the shallow rootzone too quickly for the stressed shallow root grass to absorb. Overgrazing contributes to creating a shallow compaction layer by disrupting the water cycle and damaging the soil food web which limits bioturbation, the natural process that mitigates compaction.

• Animal performance suffers because forage intake declines in overgrazed pastures. Milk production and weight gain will be impacted when pastures are grazed too short and not given a long enough recovery period.

The leading cause of overgrazing is grazing too short and returning to pasture too soon. A grazing manager’s greatest tool is the ability to control time…. the amount of time a pasture is grazed, and the amount of time a pasture isn’t grazed (i.e., the amount of time between grazing events).

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

What is Overgrazing?

Overgrazing is defined as re-grazing a plant before it is fully recovered from the previous grazing event. Overgrazing causes grass to be in a negative energy balance (using more energy than it is creating through photosynthesis) because of lack of leaf surface area critical for photosynthesis. This makes the grass highly susceptible to any additional stress making permanent damage more likely. Overgrazing lengthens recovery time which limits grazing, leads to thinning stands which provides opportunity weeds to take root, and makes grass more suspectable to other stresses such as drought, heat, cold, pests etc., and overgrazing severely damages the soil biology making it less able to support future plant health. To avoid putting grass into a negative energy balance it is important to not graze grass too short (don’t graze below 4 inches) and not re-graze it until it has fully recovered (grass is at least 8 – 10 inches tall).

Time Controlled grazing - The Relationship Between Time & Timing to Pasture Health & Why both are Important Manage Tools

Besides choosing the best forage genetics, controlling time, in terms of both the amount of time grazing animals are left in a pasture, and the amount of time the pasture is allowed to recover after grazing (prior to being re-grazed), is the most important tool grazing managers can use to influence pasture health and productivity, and therefore grazing performance.

Good Grazing Management is a Function of Controlling Time

1. 2. 3.

Time in Terms of Length of Grazing – grazing grass too short (below 4 inches) is a function of the amount of time (minutes, hours, days) a pasture is grazed, NOT the number of head grazing the pasture. The shorter the grazing period, the more positive the pasture response will be through each subsequent recovery period.

Length of Time a Pasture is Not Grazed – The amount of time a pasture isn’t being grazed is just as or more critical than the amount of time a pasture is grazed. Pasture recovery is the most critical factor in grazing management. To maintain pasture health a pasture must be given adequate time to fully recover before being re-grazed. The amount of time it takes a pasture to fully recover is a function of how fast the grass is growing and therefore varies according to conditions.

Grazing Time of Year – rotating which pasture is grazed first to start and last to end the grazing season will improve the overall health of your pastures. The best way to control time within a grazing system is by practicing rotational grazing.

Key Point:

The two most common grazing mistakes are related to time…. grazing for too long and leaving a pasture too short and returning too soon to the pasture before the grass is fully recovered.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

How Do Cows Graze? Why is Mouthful Grazing Important?

Cows graze differently depending on the height of the grass they are consuming. A cow’s preferred way to graze is to wrap their tongue around a clump of grass and then tear the grass off by moving their head back-and-forth. This is the easiest and most efficient way for a cow to graze since it provides the maximum amount of forage per bite reducing the amount of energy the animal must exert for grazing. For this type of ‘mouthful grazing’ to occur, the grass must be at least 8 – 12 inches tall. When grass is less than 6 inches tall a cow is forced to nibble the grass using their lower teeth and upper gums (mature cows don’t have upper teeth), making it is impossible for a cow to get a full-mouthful which requires the cow to graze longer to consume the same

Importance of Leaving Adequate Residual Grass

Grass is an amazing plant that when managed correctly will produce an abundance of forage providing the foundation for a profitable grazing program. Achieving high-level pasture performance requires managers to provide optimal conditions to allow the grass to perform at its peak. One of the key condition’s grass needs in order to perform at its peak is maintaining at least 4 – 6 inches of grass after a grazing event. This is one of the two critical most factors (along with grass height at the start of grazing) that greatly contributes to the health, performance, and longevity of a pasture. The following charts illustrate the impact of residual (post grazing) grass height on grass growth rate and yield. The charts are for illustrative purposes only, actual results will vary according to local conditions.

Growth Rate: inch/day

Inches/Day

Residual Height

Source: Adapted from Jim Gerrish, American Grazinglands, Jerry Volesky, UNL, Western Central Research & Extension Center, and USDA-ARS Dairy Forage Research Center.

Key Point: Leaving 4 – 7 inches of residual grass height after grazing results in faster recovery, higher annual yield, and more pasture productivity, and shortens the number of days to next grazing.

amount of forage, forcing the cow to use more energy for grazing simply to meet their nutritional needs. Grazing short grass results in lower ADG, lower milk yield, lower weaning weights, lower weaning rates and less healthy grass, a lose/lose situation! Spend some time closely observing cattle grazing. Take note how grass height effects grazing efficiency. The specialized mechanism a cow uses to begin the process of converting plant energy into useable energy is an amazing but often overlooked process. Here’s a video that shows this process of ‘mouthful grazing’ in action, see: https://tinyurl.com/23t5bd2s

Growth Rate: lbs./A/day

Inches/Day Tillers/Square Ft. Days Yield lbs.

Residual Height Inches Residual Height Residual Height

Tillers/Square Ft. Days to Next Grazing Yield lbs./Ac/Year

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Why Residual Grass Height is Critical to Pasture Health, Grass Growth Rate and Pasture Longevity

Grass gets its energy to sustain itself and support growth from two sources:

1. 2.

Existing leaves from carbohydrates it creates from photosynthesis.

Carbohydrates stored mostly in the basal stem and some in the roots.

Residual grass height (height of grass after grazing) affects how the plant utilizes energy and the source of that energy. When a high residual height (>4+ inches) is left after grazing the plant will continue to produce energy using photosynthesis that occurs in the leaves which it uses to grow new leaves. This is the plant’s preferred source of energy, and under these conditions the grass will hardly be affected by the grazing. However, if not enough leaf is left after grazing (< 4 inches) the plant must mobilize energy stores found in the basal stem (the lower third of the stem closest to the ground), to first support the plants basic functions, then to grow new leaves so photosynthesis can occur, then grow roots to support the additional new leaf growth. This is very stressful for a plant since it causes it to go into a state of negative energy balance, which makes the plant highly susceptible to other stresses (drought, cold, heat, pests etc.).

Repeatedly grazing grass below 4 inches is highly stressful on grass since first, grazing off the basal stem, which removes the plants energy reserves, weakens grass making it more suspectable to stress (drought, winter kill, disease, pests etc.) which eventually will cause grass to die. Second, grazing off all the leaves removes the grasses ability to photosynthesis so it can’t produce more energy until it grows more leaves, and third grazing grass below 4 inches causes grass sloughs it tertiary and secondary roots in an effort to redirect energy from roots to supporting basic life functions and then to growing leaves in order to photosynthesis.

Residual Height on Energy Production and Mobilization:

Source: USDA-ARS Dairy Forage research Center, and Missouri Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Plant Growth and Forage Management

Effect of Various Grazing Rates/Forage Utilization Rate (Residual Height) on Root Growth:

Source: CSU Extension, Management-intensive Grazing (MiG) on Irrigated Pasture

Sidenote: another advantage of not grazing below 4 inches is its benefit to herd health because it reduces parasite load because livestock are not grazing in the parasite zones (below 4 inches). The subject of grazing infrastructure is critical to the success of a grazing program, however, given the extensiveness of the subject it is beyond the scope of this management guide. Jim Gerrish of American Grazinglands Services (www.americangrazinglands. com), a renowned grazing expert who also runs a fencing supply company has several guides on water development, electric fencing, and pasture set-up etc. that are excellent resources and highly recommended.

Grazing Infrastructure- Fencing, Stockwater, etc.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Key Grazing Management Principles:

Adaptability & Flexibility

Moisture patterns and temperatures are rarely consistent year after year and change within a grazing season making adaptability critical. Building in flexibility & adaptation into a grazing program is key to long-term grazing success. The number of days a pasture can be grazed, and the required length of the recovery period fluctuates according to weather & climate conditions and is therefore variable from month to month and year to year. For best results do NOT rotationally graze according to a fixed schedule, instead rotate according to the grasses growth rate (see #2).

Recovery Time

Providing adequate recovery time is key to the long-term health and stand life of a pasture.

Key Point:

For maximum pasture health and stand life Do NOT re-graze a pasture until it is fully recovered meaning grass has regrown to at least is 8 – 12 inches tall, or 4th leaf stage.

The length of each grazing period should be adjusted throughout the grazing season to accommodate changes in the rate of grass growth. Grazing each paddock for a predetermined number of days without consideration of the conditions (especially how fast or slow the grass is growing) is a recipe for failure. As conditions change stock density, or number of grazing days and days of recovery should be varied. Fast grass growth requires fast rotation, while slow grass growth requires slow rotation.

Short grazing periods accompanied by long recovery periods are highly beneficial for pasture health and should be utilized whenever possible.

The shorter the grazing period the sooner a pasture can begin the recovery process in preparation for the next grazing event.

Speed of Pasture Rotation

Is a function of how fast the grass is growing and therefore the ability to provide adequate recovery before re-grazing.

Key Point: Key Point:

Rotate fast when grass is growing fast (typically early in the season) & Rotate slow when grass is growing slow (typically mid to late season).

Length of Recovery period should be determined based on the growth rate of the grass NOT the number of days since last grazed. For general planning purposes consider the following:

• During Periods of Rapid Grass Growth (e.g., Apr. & May) plan for around 14 – 21 days of recovery between grazing events.

• During Periods of Slow Grass Growth (e.g., Jun & Jul.) plan for around 28 – 35+ days of recovery may be required.

The length of recovery period is highly dependent on grass growth rate. Factors such as grass genetics, soil fertility, soil biological health, grazing management, amount and timing of moisture post grazing etc. greatly affects the length of time required for grass to fully recovery.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Key

Grazing Management Principles:

Grass Height

Leaving adequate residual (minimum 4 - 7 inches) protects energy reserves (found in base of the stem) and provides adequate leaf surface area for photosynthesis (energy production). Grazing should not start until grass is at least 8 inches tall.

Seasonal Diversity

To maintain pasture health don’t graze the same pasture the same time of year, year after year.

Key Point:

Don’t start and end the grazing season in the same pasture every year. The first pasture grazed is often grazed under less-than-ideal conditions and is somewhat abused, and similarly the last pasture grazed is often abused as well. Rotating the pastures that start and end the grazing season will help maintain plant vigor.

Stock Water & Access to Mineral Supplementation

Abundant, clean, and cool stock water is one of the most critical things impacting grazing performance. Also, important is free choice salt and mineral with specific consideration for local conditions.

Key Point:

Lack of ready access to clean stock water will greatly decrease grazing performance. For optimal grazing performance maintain livestock water sources within ¼ mile of the grazing livestock.

Plant Diversity

Incorporating warm season pastures into an overall forage program can provide greater grazing flexibility during summer months and allow cool season pastures more time to recover. Additionally, using a variety of grasses and legumes with a pasture, which is typical of Barenbrug mixes, provides benefits to soil health and grazing performance.

Forage Utilization Rate

Leaving adequate residual grass (> 4+ inches) is healthy for grass and the soil and will provide significant yield benefits over the long-term. The take-halflevel-half approach and rotational grazing that utilizes short duration grazing and long recovery periods are key to maximizing pasture health. Note: ‘half’ refers to half of the biomass, not half the height of the pasture. Typically, the bottom portion of a plant weight much more than the top strata. For example, in a 12 inch tall pasture, the top biomass ‘half’ may be more like 7-8 inches of the total height.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Livestock Salt & Mineral Supplementation - is it necessary?

The need for mineral supplementation is dependent upon soil type and the stress level of the livestock. For example, alkaline soils tend to tie-up certain minerals such as cooper, manganese, selenium, and zinc, making these mineral less available to grazing livestock and supplementation often necessary. However, alkaline soils can also have an overabundance, and sometimes toxic levels of other minerals such as sulfur, which is often offset by supplementing with copper, and thiamine. On the other hand, acidic soils limit the availability of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and molybdenum. Stress plays a key role in determining an animal’s (and plant’s) mineral supplementation need. Stressors such as calving, weaning, milking, vaccination, castration, breeding etc. can increase the need for mineral supplementation. Given the varied causes of needed mineral

Forage Utilization

Forage utilization rate or the percentage of the available forage used for grazing, measured in dry matter weight is an important grazing management consideration since if more than 50% of the grasses biomass is removed a significant slowdown in root growth occurs, and tertiary and secondary roots will be sloughed by the plant as it reallocates energy to new growth. In most cases, the higher the utilization rate the lower the grazing performance since that means animals are being forced to harvest more of the lower quality stem portion of grass. The take half-leave half approach (50% biomass utilization) is a balance between optimizing forage utilization, grazing performance, and plant health. The higher the utilization rate, the longer the recovery period will need to be. Faster rotations with resulting lower forage utilization, leaves more residual and results in faster growing grass (shorter recovery period) after grazing.

supplementation, many producers supplement mineral year around. Consult your local veterinarian or ruminant nutritionist for more details on setting up a mineral program appropriate for your specific area and production situation. Remember all animals need access to free-choice salt at all times. A valuable tool to help refine a mineral supplementation program is to conduct plant tissue sampling on your pasture which will help you gauge the amount of available minerals animals can access through grazing, and therefore provide an indication of the need for supplementation. Most producers will include both mineral and salt free choice year around.

Key Point:

The greater the pasture utilization the longer the required recovery period.

Recovery Time Versus Forage Utilization

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success How Much Forage do I Need?

How much forage do I need? How Much Will They Eat? Calculating Average Daily Forage Intake (or average daily intake, or daily intake) – is the amount of forage on a dry matter basis that a grazing animal will consume is one day. It is expressed in % Live Body Weight.

Daily Forage Dry Matter Intake Based on Grazing Performance lbs. per day as % Live Body Weight

High Performance

3.1-3.5%

Medium Performance 2.6-3.0%

Low Performance 2.2-2.5%

Calculating Forage Dry Matter Availability. How Much Forage Do You Have?

Forage dry matter availability is the amount of forage available on one acre. It is important to note that forage dry mater availability is NOT the amount of grass animals should consume since a residual amount (see above) of forage should be left to maintain pasture health.

Estimating dry matter availability is a key indicator used as a starting point for calculating grazing days, carrying capacity, what level of stock density is appropriate etc. Precise accuraccy is not as important since it is only a starting point, and refinement to grazing will take place throughout the grazing season. However, it is very important that the estimate is at least in the “ballpark” since wildly inaccurate estimates will severely affect grazing plans.

Pasture Condition Based on Sward Density Lbs. Dry Matter/Acre per Inch of Forage

Fair (<75% ground cover: >25% bare ground) 200-300 lbs.

Good (75-89% ground covered: 11-25% bare ground) 300-400 lbs.

Excellent (>90% ground covered: <10% bare ground) 400-500 lbs.

Methods for Calculating Forage Dry Matter Availability: Using the eyeball method to estimate dry matter availability. Overtime seasoned grazing managers develop the ability to accurately estimate forage availability based on their knowledge and experience with their pastures. Using the following methods will help a manager calibrate their estimation skills.

1. 2. 3.

Clipping & Weighing – using shears or scissors clip a defined area of grass, usually a 1 ft by 1 ft or 3ft by 3ft, weigh the grass and convert to a dry matter basis by multiplying by .20 (100% - 80% moisture = 20% dry matter; Note: depending on the time of year might be appropriate you use 15% when grass has more water content such as early in the spring), and extrapolate to an acre by multiplying by 43,560 (the number of sq ft per acre) for a 1 x 1 clipping sample or by 14,520 for a 3 x 3 sample. It is important to take a representative clipping or average multiple clippings across the grazing area.

Estimate Based on Grass Height and Stand Density – dry matter is determined by multiplying the height of the grass by the estimated lbs./acre/inch factor based on stand quality found in the chart below:

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Grazing Key Success Factors for Long-Term Pasture Health and Grazing Performance:

Manage Grazing to Keep a Minimum of at Least 4 Inches of residual Grass Height Following Grazing:

To ensures adequate leaf area for photosynthesis and rapid regrowth and to avoid removing the plants carbohydrate (energy stores), and tiller buds in the basal stem.

Provide Recovery Periods Long Enough to Ensure Grass has Regrown to at Least 8-12 inches (4th or 5th Leaf Stage) before Re-grazing Which provides grass time to rebuild energy stores.

Manage for a 50% Forage Utilization Rate (Graxe Half - Leave Half)

Ensures plant has adequate energy reserves and remaining leaves to support plant health.

Keys to Achieving Profitable Grazing Performance

For good reason a common question we often receive is how to achieve high grazing performance? The key to profitable grazing come down two things: 1. Graze livestock that are capable of economically grazing (healthy, are the right type etc.), and 2. Provide abundant, high-quality forage at all times. The fact is if you don’t have high quality forage in front of your cattle every day, it doesn’t matter how good genetically they are, they’re not going to reach their genetic potential. Here are a few key principles to help you achieve high grazing performance:

1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Don’t force cattle to graze grass below 4 inches to avoid forcing them to consume the lower energy, lower quality, and less digestible stem portion of the plant. The pasture canopy has a varying degree of forage quality. The highest quality forage is located high in the canopy in the leaf tips. Each lower bite is lower in energy. To maximize grazing performance, cattle should consume only the highest quality forage found in the top 30 - 40% of the canopy. Forcing animals to utilize more than this will depress performance.

Maintain grazing efficiently by initiating grazing when grass in appropriate height (8+ inches tall) to ensure each grazing bit is a mouthful of high quality of grass.

Include legumes as a forage component in the pasture. Ensure cattle are healthy and able to graze efficiently.

Maintain high soil health so that nutrient availability in the grass is high. Make sure livestock have ready access to nearby clean cool water. Make sure to use high quality Barenbrug forage genetics that provide the high yield and quality necessary to support high grazing performance.

Under good grazing management very high ADG (e.g., above 3.0 lbs. per day in some cases) are being reported by operations grazing Barenbrug grass when grazing cattle with high gain potential that are healthy and able to graze efficiently.

Key Point:

Pasture life can be increased by avoding grass lower than 4 inches, and never initiate grazing on grass shorter than 8 inches.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Keys to Grass Finishing Success

Grass finished beef and lamb is quickly gaining in popularity for both personal health and clear environmental benefits. Successful grass finishing requires excellent grazing management, both in terms of applying the fundamentals of good grazing on top of providing a consistent supply of very high-quality forage in order to not only meet the basic requirements of the animal but to provide additional nutritional level to allow the animal to “finish”. The high quality and high digestibility of Barenbrug grass can play a critical role in creating an efficient grass finishing operation. Barenbrug NutriFiber grasses in particular provide the high quality important to grass finishing.

Keys to Efficient Grass Finishing:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3.

Always provide high quality and high palatable grass. Including a legume component provides extra benefits. Follow the fundamentals of good grazing especially leaving high residual, and not starting grazing until grass is 8 inches. Providing a consistent mouthful bite of high-quality grass is the #1 key to grass finishing. Following the basic principles of good grazing is especially critical for a grass finishing operation since consistent supply of ultra-high-quality pasture is essential.

Start with the right type of animal who can graze efficiently and finishes at the right physiological endpoint. For example, extremely large-framed animals that mature at a large body size usually don’t fit into an efficient grass finishing system.

Fall & Winter Grazing

When grazing in the fall and winter it is critical to continue to follow the principle of leaving at least 4 inches of residual. During the fall a grass plant develops its tiller buds in the basal stem (first four inches of stem) which will become next spring’s growth. And just as importantly, winter survival and the ability to quickly start growing in the spring requires adequate carbohydrates (energy) stores also located in the basal stem. If the basal stem, the lowest 4 inches of the plant, is removed during fall/winter grazing spring green-up will be delayed, and the that growing seasons yield will be diminished. If this happens repeatedly, plant vigor will be depleted and a stand will become vulnerable to stress such as cold, drought, heat, disease, competition from weeds etc., and the stand will likely start thinning and could eventually die.

The need to keep an adequate number of leaves to provide insulation to protect the grass especially the crown (found in the basal stem) from cold, and The fact that it is critical to leave the basal stem (the lower stem) intact to preserve stored energy that keeps plant alive over winter, and to supply the energy needed to support spring green-up, and To keep the tiller buds (formed during the fall) intact since they will become next spring’s growth.

Key Point:

Protect the Crown, Keep

Buds Intact & Allow for Insulation

Some producers incorrectly believe that since grass is dormant in winter it can’t be harmed by grazing it short (below 4 inches). Although it is true that dormant grass can be grazed shorter than it should be during the grazing season, there are two important reasons why grass, even if dormant shouldn’t be grazed very much below 4 inches:

Spring green-up and next season’s forage production will be severally delayed and limited if grass is overgrazed (grazed below 4 inches) the previous fall and winter. If your pastures are slow to green-up in the spring one likely reason could be your fall/winter grazing. It is recommended that at least three to four inches of residual be protected from harvesting over the winter. If a pasture must be grazed tight during the winter, to avoid permanent damage to the pasture it is critically important that grazing during the growing season be deferred until that pasture has fully recovered and has been given a chance to rebuild its energy reserves.

Tiller

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Fall & Winter Grazing (cont.)

Stockpiling Forage

Stockpiling Forage is a process in which a pasture or pastures are not grazed during August and September so that pasture can be used for grazing during the upcoming fall and winter. It is an excellent way to lower feed costs. Barenbrug mixes as well as BarOptima+E34 (tall fescue), STF-43 (tall fescue) and Milkway (meadow fescue) are ideal for stockpiling.

Summer Grazing

Although most of the management principles and practices hold true across forage types, this management guide is specifically targeted toward Barenbrug cool season perennial mixes including Barenbrug’s Master series products (DairyMaster, BeefMaster, StockMaster) and Range Shield products (Renegaide, Barricade) which are all cool season mixes. To effectively utilize cool season grasses during summer, it’s important to:

• Cool season grasses naturally go through a period of slowed or no growth during the peak summer months commonly referred to as the “summer slump” which occurs when high temperature and low moisture conditions arise.

• In some areas the summer slump can be mitigated through increased irrigation that provides evaporative cooling, and to a lesser degree by fertilization, especially in areas where there is significant nighttime cooling. An operation must decide if the expense of increased irrigation is cost-effective for their operation. (see section on Evapotranspiration)

• Incorporating legumes can stretch summer grazing of Barenbrug mixes by providing an additional forage source. Many legumes, for example alfalfa, have a deep tap root that allows them to access a deeper water profile.

• If increased irrigation of cool season grasses during summer isn’t an option Barenbrug offers several warm season grass alternatives, and there are some native grass warm season options that have proven effective in irrigation settings.

• Barenbrug perennial warm season options include (in regions where adapted) Mojo Crabgrass, Grit Bermudagrass, in tropical and subtropical regions Rhode’s grass, and Brachiaria are good warm season options.

• In some regions native warm season grasses such as Big Bluestem & Switchgrass (upland type) are good options for irrigated pasture.

• Annual warm season grasses such as Barenbrug Moxie Teff grass, as well as sorghum/Sudan grass, millet, grazing corn, and Barenbrug CoverGraze products can play a role to fill the summer forage gap.

• In situations in which warm season options will be utilized we recommend using Barenbrug mixes such as StockMaster, BeefMaster, DairyMaster, or Barricaide or Renegaide where irrigation is limited, for spring and fall grazing and utilize dedicated warm season pastures (per above) for summer grazing.

• By using a combination of cool season and warm season perennial pastures supplemented by Barenbrug PinPoint and CoverGraze products a grazing program can be designed to provide year-round grazing.

• A pasture portfolio that consists of around 70-80% cool season pastures & 20-30% warm season pastures provides good balance of grazing options. The specific ratio of cool-season to warm-season acres depends on your latitude and elevation.

• It is generally recommended to segregate cool season & warm season pastures so each can be optimally managed.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Why is my Pasture not Performing like it used to? Why is the Grass Thinning and Weeds Starting to Appear?

When a previously well established and health pasture begins to loss productivity the reason usually is a function of environmental and management factors. Decreasing grazing performance, and an increased presence of weeds are symptoms of issues related to decreased soil health keeping a pasture from performing as it should.

Common causes of poor performing pastures:

• Depleted grass energy stores in the face of stress (overgrazing, drought etc.) is highly detrimental to grass persistence and soil life. The most common cause of depleted energy stores in grass is grazing a pasture too short (below 4 inches) which results in few leaves to create energy through photosynthesis to power regrowth.

• A non-functioning water and nutrient cycle. Usually caused by a loss of soil biology and a break down in the Soil Food Web. A healthy rhizosphere (the area surrounding the roots) which when healthy is populated by an abundance of microbial active is critical for the health of grass. Overgrazing, and often poor irrigation management are common causes of unhealthy rhizosphere.

• Grazing (or haying) grass too short (less than 4 inches) depletes the grasses energy stores and stresses it because it’s lack of energy when it needs it most to regrow leaves so it can photosynthesis (create more energy). Grazing too short in the fall or winter not only depletes a grass’s energy stores but also removes tiller buds which is the following season’s growth starting point. Doing so will severely lower next growing season’s forage yield and slow spring green-up.

• Irrigation system malfunctions – It is extremely stressful on irrigated pasture when the needed irrigation isn’t received. This directly leads to yield and quality loss and makes the grass more suspectable to stress (grazing, pest, drought etc.).

• Not accounting for wildlife (elk, deer, antelope, voles etc.) pressure. If a pasture is receiving more grazing pressure, than planned for pasture health and performance will be weakened and diminished.

• Any one of these factors by itself, as a singular event rarely is enough to permanently damage grass, however, it will cause the grass to be under increased stress, and if other stressors occur or the stress continues over a prolonged period of time significant pasture damage will occur which will lead to a thinning stand and could lead to complete stand failure.

• Focusing on soil health and root health, while practicing good grazing management while keeping irrigation system well-tuned are key factors toward maintaining a healthy and productivity pasture.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Poor Water Infiltration, and Thinning Grass Could be a Result of Shallow Compaction Layer from Grazing - How to Fix it, and How to Keep it from Happening?

Some soil types under certain grazing conditions can over time form a shallow compaction layer in the top 4 inches of soil. Heavy clay soils grazed under wet conditions are especially prone to this. The cause of this type of compaction layer is a poor functioning Soil Food Web resulting in inadequate soil microbial activity that leads to compaction, lower water infiltration and lower soil water holding capacity. Soil with highly active soil microbiology rarely develops a shallow compaction layer because the highly active soil biology keeps the compaction layer from forming in the first place, through a process called bioturbation, which is the constant breaking down and mixing of soil components which mitigates compaction. The most common cause of a nonfunctioning Soil Food Web and resulting compaction layer is

Compaction Layers is a Problem that Requires Corrective Action Because:

Compaction layers decrease water and oxygen infiltration creating harm to both plants and soil microbes resulting in lost pasture productivity and eventual loss of grass cover. It’s a real possibility that the grass weakened by overgrazing, a major contributor to soil compaction in grazing situations, will eventually die. Grass is weakened when it’s energy reserves (found in the basal stem which the lowest 4 inches of stem) has been repeatedly depleted by removal during grazing before it is fully recharged leaving it suspectable to any form of stress such as drought, winter kill, and insect and disease damage etc. Additionally, in an energy deficit condition grass is less able to produce exudates used to feed the soil microbiology through the roots further depleting the biology contributing to further compaction.

By not maintaining at least a 4-inch canopy (residual) level the soil surface is exposed to increased amounts of sunlight causing increased soil temperature and significantly increasing evaporation greatly diminishing microbe populations, leading to both compaction issues and decrease pasture yield and persistence.

poor grazing management. Pastures in which the grass is repeatedly grazed lower than the recommended 4 inches and grazing is initiated before the grass has grown to a minimum 8 inches tall have several compounding issues all leading to lower soil oxygen levels, depleted soil biology and compaction. A healthy pasture with a dense canopy and “thatch” or “mulch” layer will protect the soil and feed the soil biology. This is an important natural process that supports the microbe population that feeds the Soil Food Web (earthworms etc.) which keeps compaction layers from forming. Grass must be tall enough at the start AND finish of each grazing event to allow this process to occur. 1. 2. 3. 4.

By grazing grass before it is tall enough (at least 8 inches tall) means there is little, or no grass being trampled into the soil and minimal if any thatch/mulch layer to feed the microbes which further depletes microbial activity causing compounding the compaction problem.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Poor Water Infiltration, and Thinning Grass Could be a Result of Shallow Compaction Layer from Grazing - How to Fix it, and How to Keep it from Happening? (cont.)

Change Grazing Management - By always maintaining a minimum of 4 inches of residual, and not grazing a pasture until the grass is at least 8 inches tall will often avoid or at least minimize any compaction issue by supporting the soil biology. To achieve a long-term solution, grazing management must be addressed. The best grazing management strategy to help avoid compaction is a well-executed rotational grazing program.

Use Mechanical Aeration – Using aeration is a short-term fix, however, if a compaction layer has formed using aeration can be a critical step to “reset” a pasture but it isn’t treating the issue and the benefit is temporary, other strategies, especially #1 must be applied to achieve a long-term solution. Mechanical aeration works best with sandy and loamy soils, and has limited benefit on clay and silty-clay soils because the mechanics of compaction are different between sand and clay soil particles.

Fixing a compaction problem should be approached with the mindset of changing the soil conditions that caused the compaction problem in the first place. Ultimately, the solution is to improve soil microbial health so more soil carbon in the form of humus and humates is produced. However, there are some interim steps that can be taken to help correct the compact problem: 1. 2. 3.

Plant Deep Tap Rooted Plants - Deep tap root plants such as chicory, rapeseed, radish, turnips etc. can help to break up a compaction layer. Additionally, many of these plants excrete a lot of sugars into the soil to feed the soil biology creating even more beneficial outcomes, and these plants provide excellent grazing. Chicory is a perennial forb that can fit into most every grazing program providing both soil and livestock nutritional benefits, Barenbrug Forb Feast is a blend of several types of chicory that we encourage producers to incorporate into their program. As part of a rejuvenation strategy Barenbrug

4. 5.

Barkant, Barsica and T-Raptor brassicas are excellent options that can be inter-seeded (“pasture cropped”) into an existing pasture using a no-till drill. Not only will they improve the overall health of a pasture by helping to break-up compaction and by feeding the microbes, but they also provide tremendous forage yield and quality. Apply Frequent Light Irrigations - with the goal of increasing the Plant Available Water (PAW) in the first 4 inches of soil, frequent light irrigations can help create more favorable conditions for soil microbe and plant health. However, once a compaction layer has thoroughly formed this can be difficult to achieve since water runoff is often an issue. Additionally, avoiding standing water over prolonged period since it will kill soil microbes leading to compounding the problem.

Applying Humates, and Biologicals – applying a thin layer of biologically active compost, especially vermicompost, or a compost tea extract through fertigation or foliar spraying can dramatically improve soil health under some conditions but must be combined with other strategies especially improved grazing management. Along with compost, applying humic acid, compost tea and micro-biological’s either directly through land application or through the irrigation system (“fertigation”) can also help to jumpstart the soil biology and help mitigate compaction.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Grazing Calculations

Key Grazing Terms & Equations:

Carrying Capacity or Number Head that Can be Run

Annually:

is the stocking rate which is economically and environmentally sustainable for a particular grazing operation over a grazing season. Carrying capacity is affected by 1) annual forage production, 2) seasonal utilization rate, 3) average daily intake, and 4) length of the grazing season. The mathematical formula for Carrying Capacity is:

Carrying Capacity = (Annual Seasonal Forage Production X Seasonal Utilization Rate) / (Average Daily Intake X Length of the Grazing Season)

Annual Seasonal Forage Production = the total dry matter weight of forage produced over the entire growing season. Seasonal Utilization Rate = the % of annual forage production that will be harvested by grazing (and haying) over the entire season. A common amount is 65% - 70%.

Average Daily Intake = the amount of forage, expressed in lbs. of forage dry matter as a % of animal’s body weight. Usually between 2.5 – 3.5% of live weight. Higher grazing performance is usually associated with higher average daily intake. 3% intake would be entered in the formula as .03.

Determining the appropriate stocking rate for a grazing program is a key factor determining grazing performance and profitability. Below is an introduction to key Grazing Equations, with definitions, and examples on how using those equations support key grazing decisions. a. b. c. d.

Length of Grazing Season - in days is a function of how many pastures is included in a rotation and required rest period.

Required Pasture Size in Acres

Herd Size / Stock Density (Equation #2b) OR Herd Size / (Equation 2a / Ave. Live Weight)

Number of Pastures Needed [based on a desired number of days pasture recovery and number of grazing days per rotation] = (Desired Number Days Pasture Recovery / Number Days per Grazing Period) + 1

Number of Grazing Days per Rotation [based on set number of pastures and desired number of days of pasture rest] = (Number of pastures – 1) / Number of days of pasture rest

Stocking Density or Head per Acre: is determined by modifying carrying capacity to represent single grazing period (rather than season long which is the case with carrying capacity).

a. b. c. d. e.

Available Forage = the dry matter yield of forage standing in the field for this grazing period.

Grazing Period Forage Utilization Rate = the % of available forage that is harvested during a single grazing period (pasture rotation). A common amount is 50% (“graze half leave half”)

Lbs. Forage Intake per Lb. Live Weight = Intake target for this grazingbased on desired performance level. Since stock density does not have a time factor associated with it, the shorter the grazing period, usually the higher the stock density will be.

Length of grazing period = How long will the stock be on this paddock.

Stocking Density in # head per acre - (Grazing Period Available Forage X Grazing Period Utilization Rate) / (Ave. Live Weight X % Daily Intake X Number Grazing Days per Rotation)

Stock Unit Day (SUD)

the amount of forage dry matter required to maintain a grazing animal for 1 day. For example, a 1,200 lb. cow an SUD is 30 lbs. of forage (1,200 lbs. X 2.5% forage intake). This means a 1,200 lb. cow needs approximately 30 lbs. of forage dry mater per day to maintain body condition and a moderate level of performance.

Standard Animal Unit Day (AUD)

For consistency in reporting data, there is a standard animal unit day which is equivalent to 26 lbs of dry forage. This is based on a 1000-lb standard animal unit at moderate level of performance (2.6% intake rate).

Head Days per Acre

Forage availability per Acre / Required Dry Matter Intake. For example, a cow weighing 1,200 lbs. consuming 3% live weight and a pasture that has 4,000 lbs. of dry matter, and using forage utilization rate of 50%, (i.e., managed to take half leave half), the Head Days pre acres is 55, or (4,000 lbs. forage dry matter X .5 forage utilization rate) / 36 lbs. dry matter per Cow Day . Put another way, 1 acre of ground can support 55 cows for 1 day, or 1 cow for 55 days.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Example Grazing Calculations for Grazing Stockers: How Many Head can be Grazed, How Many Pastures are Required, What Size of Pasture, and What ADG Should I expect?

Given:

• Cattle In Wt. 550 lbs.

• Out Wt. 750 lbs.

• 650 lbs. Ave. Live Weight (LW)

• 120 acres Irrigated Barenbrug StockMaster Pro pasture

• 4,000 lbs. Forage Dry Matter (DM) per acre

• 50% forage utilization rate or 2,000 lbs. available DM (4,000 lbs. X 50%)

• 3% Dry Matter intake (DMI) per head per day

• 3-day grazing rotation

• Target 21-days recovery between grazing

Grazing Calculations:

• 650 lbs. average LW X 3% DMI = 19.5 Lbs. DM Intake (DMI) per hd per day

• Stock Density:

• 2,000 lbs. (4,000 lbs. X 50%) Available Forage per acre / 19.5 lbs. DMI per hd per day = 102 head days per acre, i.e., 102 head can graze 1 acre for 1 day or 1 head can graze 1 acre for 102 days

• 102 head days per acre / 3-days per rotations = 34 hd days per acre per 3-day rotation, i.e., 34 head can graze 1 acre for 3 days

• # Pastures Required = (21 days rest / 3 grazing days per rotation) + 1 = 8 pastures needed

• Pasture size = 120 total acres / 8 pastures = 15 acres per pasture

• Total Head that can be grazed = 15 acres per pasture X 34 hd/acre = 510 head

• Number of Grazing Days: 120 acres / 15 acres per rotation = 8 rotations X 3 days per rotation = 24 grazing days per cycle X 4 cycles = 96 days of grazing

• Required ADG: 750 lb. – 550 lb. = 200 lbs. gain / 96 days grazing = 2.08 ADG

Key Point:

Make sure you use the high-quality forage provided by Barenbrug to support this level of performance! Can’t do this with average grass.

Managing Irrigated Barenbrug Pastures For Success

Example Grazing Calculation for Milking Dairy Cows: What Level of Production can be Expected?

• 200 Cows, grazing Barenbrug Green Spirit

• 1,800 lb. LW @ 3% LW DM intake

• 4,000 lbs. DM per acre

• 50% forage utilization

• Graze Barenbrug Green Spirit Italian ryegrass that provides 3,200 lbs. Milk per ton

• 120-day grazing season

Grazing Calculations:

• 1,800 lb. LW x 3% = 54 lbs. DM per day

• 2,000 lbs. (4,000 lbs. X 50%) available Forage DM per Acre / 54 lbs. DM Intake per hd per day = 37 hd per acre per day

• 200 cows / 37 hd per acre per day = 5.4 acres per day

• Ave. 3,2000 lbs. Milk per ton Green Spirit / 1 ton (2,000 lbs. DM available forage) per acre = 3,2000 lbs. milk per acre x 5.4 acres per day = 17,280 lbs. milk per day or 86.4 lbs. per cow per day maximum production

Example Grazing Beef Cow Pairs: What Stock Density, Pasture Size and Number of Days Grazing can I Expcet While Grazing Barenbrug StockMaster Pro?

Given: Given:

• Grazing 100 pairs

• 1,200 lbs. average cow LW

• 120 acres irrigated Barenbrug StockMaster pasture

• 4,000 lbs. Forage Dry Matter (DM) per acre

• 50% forage utilization rate or 2,000 lbs. available DM (4,000 lbs. X 50%)

• 3% Dry Matter intake per head per day

• 3-day grazing rotations

• Target 21-day rest between grazing

Grazing Calculation

• 1,200 lb. ave. cow LW x 4% Dry Matter Intake as % LW (accounts for both cow & calf consumption) = 48 lbs. Forage DM per day

• 2,000 lbs. Forage DM per Acre / 48 lbs. Forage DM Intake per hd per day = 41 hd days per acre

• 100 cows / 41 hd per acre per day = 2.4 acres per day X 3 days per rotation = 7.3 acres per rotation

• 120 acres / 7.3 acres per rotation = 16 rotations per cycle @ 3 days per rotation = 49 days per grazing cycle x 4 grazing cycles = 196 days of grazing per pivot. Note: the number of grazing cycles will vary by location

Glossary

Adaptive Multi-pasture Grazing or Adaptive Regenerative Grazing; (AMP) – a grazing management system that uses high livestock densities for short durations between long periods of recovery. The system is observation-based instead of scheduled or prescriptive, rotating animals in response to how the land, grass responds not according to calendar or set duration per rotation.

Brix – an infield test that measures the amount of sugars in the sap of a plant. Provides an indication of the health or stress level of a plant, including its susceptibility to stress (e.g., drought, heat, cold, pest etc.) and the nutritional quality of the plant for grazing livestock.

Carrying Capacity – the stocking rate that is economically and environmentally sustainable for a particular grazing unit for the entire grazing season.

Cow Head Days (see Head Days)

Dry Matter Intake (DMI) – daily weight of forage dry matter consumed as a % of live body weight. Generally, the higher the DMI the higher the grazing performance.

Energy Storage, Plant Energy Reserves – Healthy grass stores energy in the form of carbohydrates (sugar) in its basal stem (the first third of stem nearest the ground).

Evapotranspiration (ET) – daily amount of water used by pasture. Includes plant’s transpiration and soil evaporation.

Forage Availability or Forage Dry Matter Availability – The amount of dry matter forage in lbs. per acre that is available for grazing. Forage Utilization Rate – the amount of forage in biomass that is utilized for grazing. Target utilization for irrigated pasture generally ranges from 50 – 60%.

Forage Utilization or Pasture Utilization – is the amount of biomass by weight that is removed by grazing. To simplify this many grazing managers equates this to a height, for example if initiating grazing when grass Is 8 inches tall and a 50% utilization rate is desired, grazing is stopped when grass is 4 inches tall. Note this isn’t a true representation of 50% utilization, however, it a sufficient and convenient method to use in the pasture.

Full Recovery – for grass to fully recovery after grazing it must be allowed to regrow to the 4th or 5th leaf stage which roughly equates to a height of 8 – 10 inches for most grasses.

Germination or Germination Rate – germination occurs when the certain biological process inside the seed begins. Seed germination occurs when proper soil temperature (42 – 45 degrees) for Barenbrug Master Series and Range Shield products.

Grass Anatomy:

Auricle – the portion of the leaf where attachment to the stem sheath occurs.

Leaf – the portion of the plant where most of the photosynthesis takes place.

Basal Stem - The bottom 1/3 portion of the stem closest to the ground.

Collar – the portion of the leaf that wraps around the stem. It is a primary means for identifying grass (along with leaf and seedhead characteristics).

Crown – the portion of the grass plant that is located in the basal stem and is responsible for developing the growing point and tiller buds.

Ligule – a small membrane found above where the leaf attaches to the stem sheath. It is a primary way to identify grass species.

Basal Stem – The portion of stem found in the immediate 3 – 4 inches above the ground.

Growing Point – the portion of plant where new leaves and eventually the seed head is formed.

Seed Head – The portion of the plant that forms at the top of the plant once the plant has reached the reproductive stage.

Grazing Capacity (or Capacity) – The historic number of livestock that can be grazed on an operation for a season.

Grazing Cycle – A full rotation across all pastures.

Head Days per acre – Number of head an acre of pasture will support for 1 day or the number of days 1 head can graze 1 acre.

Legume – legumes are plants that can fix nitrogen with their root through a symbiotic relationship with microbes. Alfalfa, clovers, vetch are examples of commonly used legumes for grazing. Note for legumes to fix nitrogen to things must occur, there can’t be an abundance of nitrogen in the soil or else the plant will simply use the available nitrogen and not create nodulation on the roots which is where nitrogen is fixed, and second Rhizobia must be present in the soil, or the seed must be inoculated.

Glossary

Management-intensive Grazing (MiG) – An approach to grazing management which places an emphasis on heightened/ intensified management of the grazing system and the needs of the grass in order to optimize yield, productivity, pasture health and persistence.

NDF, Neutral Detergent Factor – a common measure of the amount of fiber used in feed analysis. It measures structural fiber (lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose in a plant. It is used as a general indication of forage quality. In most cases the higher the NDF the lower the available energy.

Nitrogen Credit – is used to determine N fertilization rate. It assumes that a crop will need less nitrogen following the nitrogen fixing legumes.

Overgrazing – re-grazing a plant before it is fully recovered. It is usually a result of the length of time a pasture is grazed, and length of time between grazing events, i.e., how long before the pasture is re-grazed.

Paddock or Pasture – pasture and paddock are interchangeable terms which is a defined area utilized for grazing.

Pasture Monitoring – an evaluation process used to determine how pasture is responding to a management system.

Plant Available Water (PAW) - the difference between Field Capacity (FC) and Permanent Wilting Point (PWP) so that AW = FCPWP where FC = the amount of soil moisture remaining after excess water has drained away and PWP = minimum amount of soil moisture required to keep plant from wilting.

Plant Tissue Test - A lab test conducted on submitted plant sample which indicates the nutrients contained within a plant. Provides as indication of how well the plant is able to access nutrients.

Pure Live Seed (PLS) – calculated from the seed tag by multiplying the germination rate by the seed purity. Note: most seed companies including Barenbrug state the industry minimum germination and seed purity. By contacting the supplying seed company and supplying the lot number (found on the seed tag) they will supply the actual seed lab reported purity & germination values.

Recovery Time or simply Rest – the period of time in which no grazing takes affect and grass is allowed to recover/regrow Residual – The green living plant material remaining after grazing.

Residual Height – the height of grass immediately following grazing.

Rotational Grazing – a form of grazing management that rotates livestock across a series of pastures based on forage availability, forage preparedness to be grazed and other factors.

Rotation – the process of move grazing animals from one pasture to another.

Soil Test – A lab test that measures such things as soil nutrient level, pH, CEC etc.

Soil Food Web - The Soil Food Web is the interconnected relationships between plant, soil microbes and other soil organisms that are essential for healthy and productive soil.

Stock Density – The liveweight of livestock or number of head grazing a specific amount of land at a specific point in time.

Stocking Rate – The measure of forage demand we place on a pasture either in context of a single grazing period or the entire grazing season.

Tiller – Tillers are new stems that grow from the crown of a plant they are formed from Tiller Buds that form in the lower 4 inches of stem (basal stem) of bunch grass during the fall.

Tiller Buds – form in the fall of the previous growing season and become the tillers/new growth the following year. They form in the lower 4 inches of stem (basal stem) of grass during the fall.

Tissue Test – see plant tissue test.

Recommended Additional Resources

* Contact your Barenbrug representative or Barenbrug distributor/dealer with any questions; Bryan Weech, Barenbrug Market Development Manager, bweech@barusa.com, (M) 541-806-7333

Developing MiG Grazing Cells Under Center Pivot Irrigation, American GrazingLands Service LLC, www. americangrazinglands.com; (P) 208-876-4067

A Guide to Pipeline, Water Block, and Tire Tank Installation, American GrazingLands Service LLC, www.americangrazinglands. com; (P) 208-876-4067

Electric Fence Basics for Permanent and Temporary Applications, American GrazingLands Service LLC, www. americangrazinglands.com; (P) 208-876-4067

MiG Basics: Grazing for Pasture & Livestock Needs, http://argrazinglandscoalition.org/conference/2012/presentations/ gerrish_mig_basics_grazing.pdf

Books -

Management-intensive Grazing: The Grassroots of Grass Farming. Green Park Press, 2004

Kick the Hay Habit: A Practical Guide to Year-Around Grazing. Green Park Press, 2010 Videos -

MaiaGrazing Scholars - Grazing Management for Targeted Animal Performance, https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Oa0CshKMZFw

MaiaGrazing Scholars: Creating Excellent Pasture from the Soil Up, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C34q58kJJjM

MaiaGrazing Scholars - Getting your Grazing Season Started on the Right Foot, https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Pn2ky0w4NUc

How Paddock Design Impacts Grazing, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toms9g-qKio&ab_channel=MaiaGrazing

WBDC - 2015 Field Day - Gerrish - What Really Matters in Grazing Management, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ hriuIvdrV0

WBDC - 2015 Field Day - Gerrish - Pasture Improvement: How Do You Know It Will Pay? https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=IJ_1qGLRpqI

Get the Hay Out! Planning for Successful Year-round Grazing, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD8uZSrVHnM

Wasting Grass, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X_Bz91zWOw

Why You Should Be Out of the Hay Business, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eiaaXmhOUU Management-intensive Grazing Systems, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4UWBcGz48g

Irrigated Pasture Guides, Books, Presentations & Articles: Pasture and Grazing Management in the Northwest, Ch 6 Principles of Pasture Irrigation; H. Neibling, M. Bohle, C. Falen University of Idaho Extension CIS 392, Southern Idaho Fertilizer Guide, Irrigated Pastures by Glenn Shewmaker, Jason Ellsworth, and Scott Jensen; https://www.extension.uidaho.edu/publishing/pdf/cis/cis0392.pdf Irrigated Pastures for Grass-Fed Beef, Managing Irrigation for a Quality Product; Robert Scriven, Grazing Consultant, Kearney, NE; http://www.ncrcd.org/files/1613/8082/3044/Irrigated_Pastures_for_Grass-Fed_Beef.pdf

UNL Beef; Guides on Perennial Grass Irrigated Pasture; https://beef.unl.edu/perennial-grass-irrigated-pasture NRCS, Pastures for Profit: A Guide to Rotational Grazing (A3529); https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/ stelprdb1097378.pdf

Colorado State University, Management-intensive Grazing (MiG) on Irrigated Pasture; https://extension.colostate.edu/topicareas/agriculture/management-intensive-grazing-mig-on-irrigated-pasture-0-571/

Video: Perennial Forages for Irrigated Pasture 1; UNL BeefWatch; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SfGrpdTvlI&ab_ channel=UNLBeefWatch

Video: Establishing Irrigated Pasture 2; UNL BeefWatch; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woCOzKthP-k&ab_ channel=UNLBeefWatch

Video: Fertilizer and Water Management for Irrigated Pasture 3; UNL BeefWatch; https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=g8nYIzYUXAc&ab_channel=UNLBeefWatch

Jim Gerrish

Jerry Volesky

Recommended Additional Resources

Video: Grazing Management of Irrigated Pasture 4; UNL BeefWatch; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9tYLRM5y74&ab_ channel=UNLBeefWatch SD8uZSrVHnM

Video: Irrigated Pasture Management to Lengthen the Grazing Season, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ h9b2vdc3QU&ab_channel=WSUCAHNRS

Article: Irrigated Pastures for Livestock, Cattle Producers Handbook; Frank Hendrix, Washington State University; https:// s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2083/2020/07/CATTLE-PRODUCERS-HANDBOOK-Irrigated-Pastures-for-Livestock-Grazing.pdf

Video: Intro to Adaptive Grazing - Part 1: Introduction to Adaptive Grazing w/ Dr. Allen Williams, https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=AKIUxureqvM

Video: Intro to Adaptive Grazing - Part 2: Principles & Practices of Adaptive Grazing w/ Dr. Allen Williams, https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=7lcXWNO2Ero

Video: Intro to Adaptive Grazing - Part 3: Implementing Successfully w/ Dr. Allen Williams, https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=7McbvDrJyu0

Jim Gerrish, American GrazingLands Service LLC, www.americangrazinglands.com; (P) 208-876-4067

Allen Williams, Understanding Ag, https://understandingag.com/ Dallas, Mount, Ranching for Profit, https://ranchmanagement.com/about-rmc/ Lost Rivers Grazing Academy; https://www.uidaho.edu/cnr/rangeland-center/projects/lost-rivers

Grazing Consultants, Mentors, and Training: Suggested Resources on Soil Health, Soil Food Web, Water Infiltration Rate, Brix Test, and Regenerative Agriculture:

Nicole Masters, Integrity Soils, https://www.integritysoils.co.nz/; author of book: For the Love of Soil; Strategies to Regenerate Out Food Production Systems

Dr. Jill Clapperton, Rhizoterra, https://www.rhizoterra.com/ Dr. Elaine Ingham, Soil Foodweb Lab, https://www.soilfoodweb.com/ Dr. Christine Jones, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4uVKIGBk2s

Ray Archuleta, Soil Health Academy, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwv-HJnGHMA

Book: Teaming with Microbes. Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis; Timber Press

TSU Extension: Soil Health - Measuring soil infiltration rate. https://youtu.be/9KSdTFHA_E4

NutriSoil: Ask a Farmer - Brix Test. https://youtu.be/DukeLLc5LB4

How to Use a Moisture Probe. https://www.canolacouncil.org/canola-watch/2018/06/13/sentinel-story-how-to-use-a-moistureprobe/#:~:text=Grasp%20the%20%E2%80%9CT%E2%80%9D%2C%20push,Sample%20at%20several%20locations.

For questions about this guide or any other question about Barenbrug forages for irrigated pasture contact: Bryan Weech, bweech@barusa.com, (M) 541-806-7333

Jerry Volesky

Frank Hendrix

Allen Williams