Hay & Forage Grower - January 2024

hayandforage.com

January 2024

A great day for Louisiana hay pg 12 Weatherproof your pastures pg 16 Cover crop conundrums pg 21 Conversations with your dealer can pay dividends pg 26 Published by W.D. Hoard & Sons Co.

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January 2024 · VOL. 39 · No. 1 MANAGING EDITOR Michael C. Rankin ASSOCIATE EDITOR Amber M. Friedrichsen ART DIRECTOR Todd Garrett EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Jennifer L. Yurs ONLINE MANAGER Patti J. Hurtgen DIRECTOR OF MARKETING John R. Mansavage ADVERTISING SALES Kim E. Zilverberg kzilverberg@hayandforage.com Jenna Zilverberg jzilverberg@hayandforage.com ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Patti J. Kressin pkressin@hayandforage.com

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W.D. HOARD & SONS PRESIDENT Brian V. Knox

The birthing of a hay business Keith and Ellis Deweese are in the process of developing a commercial hay business in western Kentucky. Horse stables in a growing Tennessee market take most of the farm’s small square bales.

EDITORIAL OFFICE 28 Milwaukee Ave. West, Fort Atkinson, WI, 53538 WEBSITE www.hayandforage.com EMAIL info@hayandforage.com PHONE 920-563-5551

DEPARTMENTS 4 First Cut 8 Beef Feedbunk 10 Dairy Feedbunk 11 Sunrise On Soil 14 Alfalfa Checkoff

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Ride the riches of a top alfalfa variety

Pasture diversity gets it done on this Big Sky ranch

Most alfalfa seeds will emerge, grow, and make a field of green, but it’s the top performers that will make you money.

21 The Pasture Walk 24 Feed Analysis

Mark Ehlke got his first Herefords in 1993. These days, Ehlke and his two daughters run 300 cows on dry land and irrigated pastures in Montana.

26 Forage Gearhead 30 Forage IQ 30 Hay Market Update

ON THE COVER

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JUST IN CASE

RESIDUAL HERBICIDES REDUCE WEED IMPACTS

RECOGNIZE WHEN PASTURES NEED RENOVATING

WEATHERPROOF YOUR PASTURES

DAIRY COW RATIONS REFLECT EVERY STEP OF THE FEEDING PROCESS

COVER CROP CONUNDRUMS

WINTER REFLECTIONS ON THE LIVING SOIL

REVERSE ENGINEER YOUR FEED ANALYSIS

A GREAT DAY FOR LOUISIANA HAY

CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR DEALER CAN PAY DIVIDENDS

On a cold January day in Ames, Iowa, cattle at the Iowa State University Beef Teaching Farm enjoy a new strip of windrowed pearl millet forage. David Bruene manages the farm that has both a spring and fall calving herd. The farm has had success swath grazing cows during the winter for a number of years. Cattle on the farm are used for research and training in undergraduate classes.

Photo by Mike Rankin

HAY & FORAGE GROWER (ISSN 0891-5946) copyright © 2023 W. D. Hoard & Sons Company. All rights reserved. Published six times annually in January, February, March, April/May, August/September and November

by W. D. Hoard & Sons Co., 28 Milwaukee Ave., W., Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538 USA. Tel: 920-563-5551. Fax: 920-563-7298. Email: info@hayandforage.com. Website: www.hayandforage.com. Periodicals Postage paid at Fort Atkinson, Wis., and additional mail offices. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Free and controlled circulation to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified subscribers may subscribe at: USA: 1 year $20 U.S.; Outside USA: Canada & Mexico, 1 year $80 U.S.; All other countries, 1 year $120 U.S. For Subscriber Services contact: Hay & Forage Grower, PO Box 801, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 USA; call: 920-563-5551, email: info@hayandforage.com or visit: www.hayandforage.com. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to HAY & FORAGE GROWER, 28 Milwaukee Ave., W., Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538 USA. Subscribers who have provided a valid email address may receive the Hay & Forage Grower email newsletter eHay Weekly.

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FIRST CUT

Just in case

Mike Rankin Managing Editor

LITTLE over eight years ago, my wife and I moved from an old, large farmhouse to our current, modestly built ranch home in Small Town, U.S.A. The difference in abode size called for some heavy culling. A quarter century of keeping stuff around “just in case” exacerbated the premoving ritual. As I get older, I find my thought process to stockpile items is becoming less of a problem because my future just-in-case timeframe is shrinking.

I don’t believe the mindset to keep things around is necessarily a bad characteristic; in fact, it’s human nature. Of course, never tossing anything can be a problem. Even the Mayo Clinic has a webpage on what they term “hoarding disorder.” People who suffer from such a malady experience significant distress at the thought of getting rid of anything, even if the item has no redeeming value or use. A few of these individuals have become reality television stars, making money to buy even more stuff to not throw away.

It’s one thing to have to sift through your own possessions, but I’m sure many readers have been put in the position of sorting through a house or farm belonging to a departed loved one.

This exercise will often temper your own saving mindset, especially if that loved one possessed no just-in-case throttle to lower the SPMs, or saves per minute.

A house and garage are bad enough in offering ample storage space, but extending the playing field to a farmstead and the surrounding acreage brings just-in-case available capacity to a whole new level. We’ve all seen farm shops and backfields that look like Amazon distribution centers or salvage yards, housing a past generation’s worth of parts and machinery — just in case. Of course, it all seems worth it when you break down on a Sunday afternoon and find the needed fix in an old box or amongst the overgrown weeds.

Even with the aesthetic degradation that sometimes comes with indiscriminate saving, the merits of keeping old stuff around ad nauseam is still preferred by many farm owners.

The purpose here is not to judge one way or another. That said, there is one thing that every livestock farm should strive to hoard.

I once visited a custom forage harvester who had six self-propelled choppers. He only ran five crews, so I asked what the sixth chopper was for. His response was, “That’s an extra in case one breaks down.” His parts inventory simply

included a functional machine — just in case.

I’m not suggesting that everyone keep an extra chopper or baler in case of a breakdown, although it certainly would be a mind-calming luxury.

Rather, I’m advocating for livestock feeders to keep a bloated forage inventory — having a reasonable amount of extra forage that will get you through the tough times caused by extreme weather or economic downturns. These days, it’s more important and easier than ever to be a forage hoarder.

Not too many years ago, farmers filled their available upright silos with silage and barns with hay, and that got them through until the next season with little to spare. A wet or dry growing season often meant buying more feed, if you could find or afford it, or culling cows. Many farmers still operate with this mindset, although many others have rethought that strategy.

I recall talking to one Arkansas cow-calf producer who had been making baleage for about 10 years. I asked him what prompted the baleage move, given that his grazing strategies were already sound and supplied the vast majority of his feed in a given year. He replied, “The drought years of 2011 and 2012 nearly killed us. I swore I would never go through something like that again. Yes, we have way more baleage on hand than we need in most years, but I can guarantee we’re going to need it someday.”

Extreme weather has become the norm. It may not impact the same region every year, but no area is immune, and no insurance coverage will cover your total feed or pasture forage losses.

Extra forage inventory, now more than ever, is worth its weight in gold.

Fortunately, extra forage that is harvested dry or ensiled is a stable product when stored properly. It’s “money in the bank,” as the old saying goes. With the advancement of storage practices such as baleage, silage bags, horizontal pile silos, net wrap, and denser round bales, effective forage storage options are plentiful. It may take several years to build inventory well beyond a single season, but doing so is a worthy goal — just in case. • Happy foraging,

Write Managing Editor Mike Rankin, 28 Milwaukee Ave., P.O. Box 801, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 call: 920-563-5551 or email: mrankin@hayandforage.com

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Mike Rankin

Don’t tell Keith (left) and Ellis Deweese that you can’t start a successful hay business.

Their small but growing Kentucky hay farm caters to horse owners and stables.

THE BIRTHING OF A HAY BUSINESS

by Mike Rankin

K

EITH Deweese wasn’t different from a lot of people who liked to farm but didn’t have the acres or the resources to make it a full-time occupation. He carved out his career with the postal service and raised beef cattle as a side hustle on the small family farm near La Center, Ky. During those years, the third-generation farmer’s haymaking was hired out or he simply purchased what feed was needed.

“It got tough to make money, so in 2012 I sold the cows, retired as a postmaster, and rented my land out for row cropping,” the amiable Keith explained.

“That lasted for four years. Then, when one of my neighbors decided to retire and get out of the hay business, I decided to buy his used equipment and try my luck at making hay, starting out

on a small scale.”

To be clear, this isn’t the story of a small hay producer that grew and is now shipping hundreds of semitrailer loads of hay per year. This is one documenting the front end of such a journey, wherever it may lead. It’s a story of getting started in the hay industry, smattered with both successes and challenges, but mostly the former.

Keith knows horse people; he is one.

Both Keith and his wife, Jimmilyn, own horses and participate in rodeo events such as team roping (Keith) and barrel racing (Jimmilyn). Keith knew the equine market was primed with people wanting high-quality grass hay and willing to pay for it. He felt making hay was a worthy gamble, and he had time to do it.

Ellis Deweese is the middle of three sons that Keith and Jimmilyn raised.

A diesel mechanic by training, Ellis

also has held jobs at the postal service and as an information technology (IT) specialist. The latter job required on-call hours throughout the day and night. “After several years, I just got burned out from the hours and travel, so I joined my dad in the hay business,” Ellis said. That was 2019, and Deweese Hay Emporium was born to the fatherson partnership. Ellis’s wife, Jamie, is a paralegal at a law firm but also provides valuable assistance on the farm.

At the time Ellis entered the haymaking fray, the farm was only producing about 2,500 small square bales per year. These days, the farm consists of about 140 owned and rented hay acres split between 81 acres of alfalfa, 43 acres of timothy, and 16 acres of orchardgrass. This past year, about 60 acres of straw was also baled off a neighbor’s fields. During Ellis’s tenure,

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Marketing matters Since his foray into the hay business, Ellis has led the marketing charge.

Marketing approaches and philosophies have evolved over time. “We actually sell more hay than we make,” Ellis said.

“Each year, I usually have to source some additional hay from people I’ve developed relationships with.”

For most of the past four years, the Deweeses were satisfied selling hay in smaller lots, delivering if the distance wasn’t too far. “We used to advertise and used Facebook extensively to sell hay, and that was really successful,” Ellis explained. “Today, most of our hay goes to three different horse stables in Tennessee. They call every month when hay is needed, and I truck it down to them using our pickup and flatbed gooseneck trailer. They all have the equipment to unload the hay. The Tennessee hay market has exploded around Nashville with people moving in from the West,” he added.

It’s a well-known fact in the hay industry that most horse owners don’t have much use for hay test results, but that’s not the case for the Deweeses’ primary clients. “They’re pretty educated and want to see the forage analysis on every load I deliver,” Ellis said. “That doesn’t leave us much room for error. It’s not just a hay color game for us.” Keith added, “We test everything we bale and buy.”

Ellis, like most good hay marketers, learned early and emphasized the importance of being honest about the hay product being sold. That’s easier when you have a forage analysis in hand. For him, a bigger marketing challenge and frustration has been delivering hay to horse owners who don’t have the equipment to unload bales. That’s one reason why he’s getting away from deliveries of smaller lots or has tried to ensure unloading won’t be a problem.

They still welcome clients who will come to their farm and pick up their bales.

A complete menu Knowing the disparate nature of hay requests by horse owners, the Deweeses have attempted to diversify their forage acreage. Alfalfa is their primary hay product, but they also offer pure timothy or orchardgrass hay and have

grown teff grass from time to time.

With a rising demand for alfalfa-grass mixtures, they plan to start interseeding orchardgrass into some of their older alfalfa stands.

“In the past, we’ve broadcasted alfalfa seed to establish a stand, and we’ve had pretty good success doing that both in the spring and fall,” Keith said. “Of course, you have to have a good seedbed. I usually broadcast a half rate going opposite directions in the field, then we roll the field a couple of times.”

Keith noted that they’ve recently started to no-till alfalfa into spray-killed grass stands. “That was pretty successful, too,” he said. The Deweeses seed alfalfa at a rate of 20 to 25 pounds per acre of seed (33% coating). Recently, they

Deweese Hay

the haymaking duo has added acreage and boosted total production to nearly 15,000 bales. They continue in a manageable growth mode.

A new addition to the farm is an Arcusin bale bundler, which makes handling more efficient.

have been using some varieties with the HarvXtra trait. They usually keep an alfalfa stand for three to five years.

As for their grass production, timothy fields generally only yield one cutting; they simply go dormant in the heat of a Kentucky summer. Ellis said they’ve had the best luck with the Richmond variety, which often offers three years of production. “We’ve tried and continue to try other varieties, but nothing so far has matched Richmond for its persistence,” he explained. “The demand for our timothy hay is pretty strong, so we want to continue to grow it.”

Orchardgrass is what Keith prefers to feed his own horses, and there’s also a good demand from other horse owners.

“We get three cuttings of orchardgrass each year,” Keith said. “We’ve been using the HLR variety from Barenbrug.

It’s really leafy.”

Timing is everything “We try our best to get five cuttings of alfalfa and stay on a 28- to 33-day cutting interval,” Keith said. “Of course, there are some years like 2023 where we were lucky to get a day when it didn’t rain early in the season.” Ellis added, “Timing is everything when you’re trying to make horse-quality hay.”

The Deweeses cut their hay with a 9.5-foot Massey Ferguson disc mower, laying the swath out wide. If the humidity is high with a short window for baling, they will ted alfalfa behind the cutter. If not, the tedding step is skipped, except for grass hay, which is always tedded. Raking is done with an Enrossi rotary rake. “I wouldn’t use anything else for alfalfa,” Keith said of his experience with the rotary rake.

Once dry, the hay is baled with a Massey Ferguson 1840 in-line baler. All of their alfalfa is treated with a propionic acid preservative, and that hasn’t been a concern for their horse-owning customers. “We shoot for a 55- to 60-pound alfalfa bale and a 50- to 55-pound grass bale,” Ellis noted. “Most of the people we deal with are women, and they don’t want an 80-pound bale.”

Bales are dropped on the ground off the baler and then picked up with a new Arcusin E14 accumulator. The accumulator compresses and ties the bales into 14-bale bundles (two bales by seven bales). “We like the Arcusin because it has a compact design, which works well in our smaller fields,” Ellis said. “It is also pretty forgiving on bale length.”

The bale bundles are picked up and loaded using Steffen grapples. Hay is stored in one of three barns, two of which are rented. Ellis said they typically line the ground with plastic and put down pallets to preserve the integrity of the bottom layer of bales. One thing that aids the father-son duo during crunch haymaking times is that they sometimes work together with a neighbor and share labor and machinery.

A bright future Although the Deweeses’ venture into hay farming has been relatively short to this point, they’ve already built a workable system and a reliable client base that is actually larger than their current production capabilities. Like nearly all haymakers, they are mostly challenged by weather.

As for the days ahead, Ellis said they’d like to keep growing. “We’re in a predominantly row-cropping area, so land prices and rental rates aren’t cheap,” the young farmer noted. “I’d like to latch on to some larger fields, which can be farmed more efficiently.

We’ll keep looking.”

This is not the end of the Deweese Hay Emporium story. In fact, it’s just getting started. • January 2024 | hayandforage.com | 7

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BEEF FEEDBUNK

RECOGNIZE WHEN PASTURES NEED RENOVATING M

ANY older perennial pastures could benefit from renovation.

While we think of these as “permanent pastures,” we must realize perennial pastures evolve away from what was originally planted as they age. Sometimes they evolve into a more desirable mix that is highly productive and adapted to the site in question.

Other times they turn into an undesirable population of plants that is not as productive or nutritious as it once was.

Due to high hay and feed costs coupled with high cattle prices, we are seeing greater interest in grazed forage management. It may be appropriate to renovate old pastures, especially if they have an undesirable mix of plants or are clearly less productive than they once were. But how do you decide if you need to renovate?

To make good decisions, you must objectively assess your pastures. As you plan for future grazing activities, evaluate the plant population, soil fertility, and general indicators of pasture condition. In some cases, only a partial renovation will be needed. In others, total renovation will be called for.

Evaluate the botanical composition. The most practical way to do this is to use a technique called “step-point.”

Walk a random path around the pasture and write down the species at the

tip of your boot after taking a predetermined number of steps. Record each “hit” on a clipboard using a hatch mark system, and continue the process until you cover the whole pasture, gathering at least 100 hits.

Once you have totaled up the hits for each species, calculate the percentage of each. The goal is to have a high percentage of desirable plants, a low percentage of bare ground, and very few noxious weeds. You can find a link to a guide and worksheet at go.ncsu. edu/amazinggrazingresources.

Of course, to do this you need to know how to identify major plants, both desirable and undesirable. You may not know many of the minor species, but as long as you can identify them as something you do or don’t want in the pasture, you can move on. If you have a dominant weed you don’t want but can’t identify, take some samples to someone who can.

It can be sobering to walk the pasture and realize you don’t know the plants as well as you thought. Use the opportunity to identify new plants and learn the ones you already know in more detail.

Plant identification apps can be quite useful for this. These apps might not always get the species correct on the first attempt, but they will usually get you close. Don’t overlook the second or third species the app suggests because it

All photos Matt Poore

by Matt Poore

The step-point technique is one way to objectively assess forage composition in a pasture.

might actually be the plant you have.

If you have a trusted adviser such as your extension agent, conservationist, private industry consultant, or a fellow producer, they can also help if you invite them for a pasture walk.

Score pasture condition. As you walk the pasture to determine plant population, make notes about characteristics important to overall pasture condition, including the evidence of erosion, presence of bare ground, grazing intensity, grazing distribution, and heavy-use zones. These will be important when you plan a pasture renovation.

I find the USDA-NRCS Pasture Condition Scoring System to be useful in assessing pasture. This simple checklist-style approach walks you through the various aspects that add or detract from pasture condition and boils it down

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to a score you can work on improving.

The botanical composition information you gather from the step-point analysis will be important in scoring plant diversity, the percentage desirable plants, and the presence or absence of legumes. The observations you made about bare area, erosion, and grazing patterns will also come in handy, and the guide will help you understand and evaluate these factors in your pastures.

Check soil fertility. Evaluating soil fertility is another critical step in assessing pastures. Pull soil samples at least every three years. If you are contemplating pasture renovation, it is critical to soil test so major nutrients and lime can be applied economically.

Make sure to follow your state guidelines for obtaining soil samples and submitting them to a lab for analysis.

In addition to traditional soil testing, walk the pasture with a shovel and make observations about soil health, such as compaction, root structure, color, and the presence of biological activity.

Be strategic. Once you have sum-

marized botanical composition, determined pasture condition score, and received your soil test report, you can decide how you will approach renovation. If a pasture has a high percentage of desirable plants, then it may be best to do a partial renovation by improving soil fertility, spraying for undesirable weeds, and/or resting forage longer after grazing. Frost seeding clover is a practical alternative for these pastures that still have a good grass population.

If a pasture has a low level of desirable plants (less than 50% of total hits), a lot of bare ground, or some other serious problem with pasture condition, then a complete renovation might be in order. This would involve using glyphosate or tillage to kill the existing stand and starting over with a new planting.

In this case, take advantage of advances in perennial forages. Plants like novel endophyte tall fescues and native warm-season grasses can provide great benefits to your farm. Some shy away from these alternative species because of the cost of the seed, but

remember that if the pasture needs to be fully renovated, the costs incurred far overshadow the cost of seed.

In other words, if you go to the expense of renovating, don’t plant toxic tall fescue or other poor-quality seed. Plant something with added value. Pay attention to detail as you proceed with the renovation. The outcome can be rewarding, especially if you try something new.

If you raise livestock on pasture, learn to identify plants, evaluate plant populations, and score pasture condition. Grazing will remain the most economical source of nutrients for livestock, and taking action to improve what you have will pay big returns. •

MATT POORE The author is an extension ruminant nutrition specialist at North Carolina State University.

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DAIRY FEEDBUNK

by Peter Robinson

Dairy cow rations reflect every step of the feeding process

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HE objectives of feeding cows are to provide a nutritionally balanced and relatively homogeneous ration fed in a way that suppresses selection by cows, has roughly 2% residual in the feedbunk at the end of the day, and results in uneaten residue that is spread out along the bunk.

To achieve these outcomes, there are several steps that need to be taken.

Ration formulation: The health of dairy cows depends on a fully functioning rumen. Thus, the ration should provide adequate fiber, energy, and protein to feed the rumen microorganisms. Fortunately, the multiplicity of ingredients, including by-products, available to most U.S. dairy farms provides the opportunity to meet these nutrient requirements within economical dairy rations.

This task is generally the responsibility of the nutrition consultant. It is accomplished using least cost ration formulation computer programs, such as Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS). This “paper ration” is what should be fed to the cows to meet their nutrient needs and maximize milk production, but it is only as good as the skill and experience of the nutritional consultant. So, choose wisely.

Ration preparation: Creating the ration fed to the cows is the responsibility of a feed mixer operator using those paper rations. It is usually facilitated by sophisticated high-capacity loaders and mixing wagons with scales powered by a computer program such as Feed Watch.

This “mixed ration” is the ration that is created by the mixing process, and its similarity to the paper ration depends on correctly defined ingredients, accurate delivery of these ingredients to a fully functioning mixer wagon, sufficient mixing time to form a homogeneous load, and the skill and dedication of a fully trained mixer operator. Thus, the mixed ration is only as good as the accuracy of all the steps in its creation.

Ration delivery: Delivering the

mixed ration to the bunk is generally the responsibility of a feeder operator.

This “fed ration” should be the same as the mixed ration, but whether this is the case depends on appropriate delivery of it to the feedbunks.

Appropriate delivery means avoiding high speed delivery where lighter ingredients in the ration can fly over the bunk divider into the flush or feed aprons, avoiding overfeeding that creates vertical strata in the ration (heavier feed ingredients at the bottom), and providing an equal ration distribution along the bunk that is consistent with the known quantitative consumption pattern of the cows in that pen. This fed ration is only as good as the training, skill, awareness, and dedication of the feeder operator.

Ration maintenance: Even with a ration mixing process that minimizes large particles, cows will push feed away to select the ration bits that appeal to them. After a few hours, the area directly in front of the cows will have relatively little feed while the area out of tongue reach will have quite a bit of feed.

As cows will still be hungry at this point, it is imperative that the pusher operator maintains bunkline ration distribution within tongue reach to avoid selection pressure on the ration that is available to cows. This generally means the feedbunk pushup schedule should be front-loaded with more frequent pushups early in the feeding cycle and less frequent pushups as less of the ration is available later in the feeding cycle.

The pusher operator has another key task, which is to carefully move the ration along a bunkline to maintain feed availability at all times. If the feeder has delivered a ration consistent with the known pen bunkline eating pattern, this task should amount to nothing more than tinkering.

Role of the owner/manager: In general, the owner or manager of a large dairy farm is not the nutritional

consultant, mixer, feeder, or pusher. So, what is their role?

In short, they must know enough about each stage in the feeding process to create effective standard operating procedures (SOPs) at every step to provide a nutritionally balanced, homogeneous ration that is fed in a way that suppresses selection by cows and has about 2% remaining along the bunk at the end of the day.

The process fails if any segment of it fails. And if the process fails, excessive sorting of diet ingredients by cows is likely. The resultant altered rumen fermentation of the cows — often driven by excess or inadequate forage consumption, depending on each cow’s selection pattern — can result in a range of rumen fermentation upsets, leading to a hodgepodge of symptoms.

Another outcome of a process failure can be fully empty bunks later in the feeding cycle or variably empty bunks earlier in the feeding cycle. Empty bunks mean cows can eat too much feed too fast at the next feeding, which could result in a rapid decline in rumen pH, and consequently, a decline in fermentation of fiber in the rumen. This can contribute to variation among cows’ milkfat tests and lower overall milkfat tests and output.

Feeding dairy cows is easy, but correctly feeding dairy cows is difficult. It depends upon a choreography of events by the many persons involved in the overall feed creation, mixing, delivery, and maintenance processes.

It also includes the owner or manager who must create and enforce the most effective SOP for each stage. • PETER ROBINSON The author is a retired professor and dairy nutrition extension specialist with the University of California-Davis. His email is phrobinson133@ gmail.com.

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SUNRISE ON SOIL

by Alan Franzluebbers

Winter reflections on the living soil

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HIS edition of Sunrise on Soil offers some ethical and spiritual musings of soil. Although we like to focus on the technical and practical, let’s take time during these long nights to contemplate a bit more.

Soil organic matter and its microbial residents impart vital ecosystem services to which we rely on daily (see the August/September 2022 issue of Hay and Forage Grower). The living soil is teeming with faunal and microbial communities. Fauna are small organisms that move freely in soil and are typically found when we look closely at the soil surface or spade some earth, such as worms, beetles, spiders, and springtails. Microorganisms can’t move much, but are everywhere, and yet hidden from our eyes without a microscope.

On a global basis, decomposition of organic matter returns nearly as much carbon to the atmosphere as plants take from it through photosynthesis. It’s simply a natural balance, but our land management decisions can alter this balance (see the November 2023 issue of Hay and Forage Grower). A bountiful outcome is that as soil organisms consume organic compounds, they enrich the soil with mineralized nutrients and various growth-promoting compounds for the benefit of their food-producing allies — the plants. Plants provide a diversity of organic compounds that feed us directly as leafy greens, vegetables, grains, nuts, and fruits, or indirectly via ruminant livestock that feed on flourishing forages.

The activity of soil organisms is controlled largely by temperature and moisture. Frozen soil suspends activity, but baked soil exhausts these organisms. Dry soil leaves organisms thirsting and inactive, while flooded soil drowns many organisms that require oxygen just like us. Indeed, a good balance of moderate temperature and moisture is vital for a robust soil community. When it’s too cold, soil organisms just have to wait for the change of season. When it’s too hot, at least we can moderate the soil surface with robust plant growth and residual

Soil is vitally important to many global issue facing society • Food security • Climate change • Clean water and its availability • Recycling and nutrient utilization

Soil organic carbon powers many ecosystems services • Water and nutrient cycling • Climate regulation • Food, feed, fiber, and fuel production

Agroecological approaches are capable of restoring soil organic carbon for the benefit of society • Managed grazing, cover cropping, manure utilization, agroforestry, conservation tillage

forage mass. Interaction of a diverse array of organic compounds with the milieu of microorganisms creates unique soil communities for different soil types and landscape positions on a farm.

Words of soil wisdom

Consider some land and soil quotes from a diversity of notable naturalists: “For all things come from earth, and all things end by becoming earth.” – Xenophanes, 580 BCE

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.

When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” – Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac, 1949

“To every people the land is given on condition. Perceived or not, there is a Covenant, beyond the constitution, beyond sovereign guarantee, beyond the nation’s sweetest dreams of itself.” – Leonard Cohen, Book of Mercy, 1984

“Treat the Earth well; it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our

ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” – Unknown indigenous “If Earth is the mother of all living things, then soil must be its womb, bearing richness beyond comprehension. Then too, carbon in soil should be considered the blood energizing the entire body, enabling the Earth to provide a multitude of ecosystem services.”

– Alan Franzluebbers, 2010

Our health in this world is tied directly to the health of the soil. Management of soil and soil organic matter is our role. Humanity depends on the orderly functioning of soil – driven by the soil organisms that inhabit it. So, let’s continue to be excellent stewards of the land, and of the soil critters that do so much for us, even while reflecting during our winter slumber! •

ALAN FRANZLUEBBERS The author is a soil scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Raleigh, N.C.

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Raymond Fontenot (left) and Bryan Simon bested their respective divisions of the forage quality contest at the Louisiana State Fair.

by Abigail Sartin

T

HE cow-calf industry will always be close to my heart.

There’s something charming about watching cattle out in the pasture, and to me, it just feels like where cattle ought to be. Cattle spend much of their life eating grass, so high-quality forage in beef systems is incredibly important.

I’ve recently developed a deeper appreciation for forage resources across the Southern states after finishing my master’s program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and becoming an agriculture and natural resources agent for Louisiana State University.

When I started my job in 2023, I was mentally prepared for monsoons and hurricanes. Instead, I walked into the hottest, driest summer anyone in the area can remember.

The drought has taken a major toll on crop production, and everyone from sugarcane farmers to cattle ranchers are feeling the effects. One of the biggest concerns is a lack of hay. Although the dry conditions made for great baling weather, yields have been negatively impacted. In fact, most producers I’ve

spoken to declared a nearly 50% yield loss on their typical hay production last year, and they are utilizing bales of rice straw and cornstalks as a supplemental feed source for cattle.

Now, more than ever, testing hay and knowing forage quality is critical.

To incentivize producers to test their hay, the Louisiana State University AgCenter hosted their annual forage quality contest in conjunction with the state fair in Shreveport, La. Of the hay samples submitted, two producers from the Vermilion Parish excelled: Bryan Simon and Raymond Fontenot.

Simon won the legume hay category and was the overall grand champion for the contest, while Fontenot won the warm-season perennial grass hay category. The forage quality results of their hay from the contest can be seen in Table 1.

High-quality grass hay Fontenot owns and operates Crescent Bar F LLC, which is a grass-fed cattle operation in Meaux, La. He places emphasis on intensive grazing management to produce high-quality, grass-fed beef that he sells directly to consumers. Fontenot values transparency and

All photos Abigail Sartin

A GREAT DAY FOR LOUISIANA HAY

Simon’s perennial peanut hay is fed to a variety of livestock, including horses, goats, and dairy cattle.

encourages his customers to ask questions to get to know where their beef comes from. He schedules the dynamics of his operation around the rebreeding and calving seasons while cows are turned out on ryegrass.

“My goal is to use hay as a supplement feedstuff to get through the winter because I usually have good ryegrass for grazing,” Fontenot said.

“The reason I started making hay was because I couldn’t get access to the quality of hay I needed for grass-fin-

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ishing cattle.”

Fontenot routinely tests his hay and uses the results to decide which cuttings he will feed to specific classes of cattle. For example, his first two cuttings are usually his highest quality, so he uses this feed for weaned calves, new bulls, and finishing grass-fed beef. His hayfields are dominated by warm-season perennials like bermudagrass and bahiagrass, and he also overseeds clover.

“The quality is off the scale,” Fontenot stated about his first cutting of the year, which typically occurs sometime in March, weather permitting.

Then once he gets started cutting in early spring, he keeps the ball rolling through the summer.

“I usually cut hay late in the day — or even at night — and after baling I immediately put it in the barn,” Fontenot said.

“Then once [the regrowth] greens up, I add balanced fertilizer. If the weather conditions are good, I add straight nitrogen two weeks later to really kick it in gear, and that helps the quality.”

He aims to harvest forage every 30 to 45 days. Louisiana typically has tropical conditions and an average rainfall total of 60 inches a year, so both Fontenot and Simon adjust their harvest windows according to the weather.

Table 1. Simon and Fontenot’s forage quality contest results Perennial peanut hay

(Jiggs) bermudagrass hay

Crude protein

15%

15%

Total digestible nutrients

71

69

RFQ

196

184

ship with a Katahdin sheep breeder named Mark Dennis who bought his hay. “Every time someone got a lamb from him, they called him about the hay,” Simon said.

He typically gets two cuttings a year, with first cutting at the end of May and second cutting in July. Perennial peanut hay is fragile, and like alfalfa, most of the nutrient content for cattle is in the leaves.

“You have to handle it very gently,” Simon explained, “You have to fluff it at an idle.”

Simon said he has learned a lot in the dozen years since he started making perennial peanut hay. Both he and Fontenot have focused on the craft of hay

management, and they prioritize their forage quality. Like these producers, I encourage you to test your hay so you can strategically feed livestock through the winter. Above all, remember that practices such as fertilization and more frequent harvests are likely to reduce supplementation and overall feed costs. •

ABIGAIL SARTIN The author is an agriculture and natural resource agent with Louisiana State University.

Top perennial peanut hay Simon is a second-generation sugarcane farmer who began making perennial peanut hay 12 years ago.

At the time, the state of Georgia was having a hard time getting producers to grow perennial peanut, so some companies offered seed to farmers in southern Louisiana. Simon took them up on the offer.

“I got to be friends with the peanut consultant from Georgia, and he mentioned peanut hay to me,” Simon said.

From there, his journey with perennial peanut hay has been a lot of trial and error. He originally planted it with the intent to sell high-quality hay comparable to alfalfa to local racehorse operations, but now he has customers from all kinds of operations.

“About one-third goes to horse stables in the area that have show horses or teach lessons,” Simon said, “Another one-third goes to goats (and sheep) from in and out of the state, as well as dairy cattle and show goats.”

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YOUR CHECKOFF DOLLARS AT WORK

Residual herbicides reduce weed impacts Hay & Forage Grower is featuring results of research projects funded through the Alfalfa Checkoff, officially named the U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Research Initiative, administered by National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA). The checkoff program facilitates farmer-funded research.

resistant weeds such as kochia and Palmer amaranth in alfalfa. However, weed control was primarily due to the application of paraquat. Treatments containing Prowl H2O resulted in slightly better weed control than Valor SX and Warrant.

“It’s important to note that, overall, none of the residual herbicides negatively impacted alfalfa hay yield or quality,” Adjesiwor stressed. “Ironically, one of the biggest challenges we had in completing this research was trying to keep weed pressure down to enable successful stand establishment since no weed control treatments were applied until after the first cutting.”

The second part of the study examined

Paraquat applied after first cutting; Prowl H2O after first cutting; Prowl H2O after first and second cutting; Warrant after first cutting; Warrant after first and second cutting; Valor SX after first cutting; Valor SX after first and second cutting.

Figure 1 shows the effect of stands treated with residuals (no Paraquat) versus stands treated with Paraquat and residuals and their effect on lambsquarters and kochia in Idaho. At Nebraska, lambsquarters and Palmer amaranth were studied.

The research showed the addition of residual herbicides, especially Prowl H2O and Valor SX, are promising for the control of ALS- and glyphosate-

Figure 1: Efficacy of herbicides applied after first cutting (cut 1) and first and second cutting (cut 1 & 2) on common lambsquarters and kochia control (2021 and 2022).

C. lambsquarters

Warrant (cut 1 & 2) Valor SX (cut 1) Valor SX (cut 1 & 2) Prowl H2O (cut 1) Prowl H2O (cut 1 & 2) Non-treated 0

■ Paraquat

Kochia 83% 51% 82% 62% 90% 58% 76% 61% 92% 66% 89% 77% 85% 0%

Warrant (cut 1) Residual herbicide treatment

R

ESIDUAL herbicides may help alfalfa growers in their fight against herbicide-resistant weeds such as pigweeds and kochia, according to recent Alfalfa Checkoff-funded research.

As weeds gain resistance to traditional ALS-inhibiting herbicides for conventional alfalfa and glyphosate in Roundup Ready alfalfa, growers have few weed control options. Albert Adjesiwor, University of Idaho, and Nevin Lawrence, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, decided to study the effects of residual herbicides for alfalfa to help control resistant weeds between cuttings and reduce weed impacts on yield and quality.

“Resistant weeds are dramatically changing herbicide programs in various crops,” Adjesiwor said. “In row ALBERT ADJESIWOR crops, many farmUniversity of Idaho ers have shifted to Funding: $37,966 using overlapping residual herbicide programs to control resistant weeds as effective herbicide options become scarce. As more weeds develop resistance to commonly used alfalfa herbicides, it is important to evaluate the efficacy of residual herbicides for weed management, especially during the seeding year when alfalfa is most vulnerable to weed competition.”

The researchers’ goal was to gather information on optimal timing of residual herbicides in alfalfa and determine whether they have any negative impact on alfalfa hay yield and quality. The 2021 and 2022 study first looked at forage yield and quality as influenced by weed control treatments in irrigated conventional alfalfa seeded in Idaho and Nebraska. The foliar herbicide paraquat and residual herbicides pendimethalin (Prowl H2O), acetochlor (Warrant), and flumioxazin (Valor SX), all labeled for use in alfalfa, were applied. Herbicide treatments included:

■ No paraquat

25

50

75

100

83% 50% 85% 61% 90% 58% 76% 65% 92% 70% 90% 76% 86% 0%

0

25

50

75

100

Weed control (%)

Kimberly, Idaho, data from four weeks after last herbicide application.

PROJECT RESULTS • Weed control was mostly due to the application of paraquat and treatments containing Prowl H2O, which offered slightly better weed control than Warrant and Valor SX (Figure 1).

• Weed control treatments had little impact on alfalfa and total forage yield (alfalfa + weeds).

Any differences in forage yield due to treatments resulted from weed biomass from poor weed control treatments.

• Reduction in weed biomass due to good weed control improved forage quality.

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weed biomass and forage quality using herbicides chosen for providing poor to excellent control of weeds common at the experimental sites. Treatments were pre-emergence incorporated, early postemergence, and postemergence herbicide applications. Nutritive value analyses were taken of each weed species within stands, including kochia, common lambsquarters, field bindweed,

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Some weeds provided similar amounts of crude protein or neutral detergent fiber to alfalfa; others reduced forage quality.

Adjesiwor also noted that forage quality in stands with heavy weed pressure can be improved with effective weed control that reduces weed biomass.

He is currently working on a NAFAfunded project evaluating alternatives

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to paraquat for weed burndown in alfalfa, which is showing promise.

Adjesiwor is also helping develop a multi-state project to assess impacts of weed control practices on weed density and biomass, alfalfa yield and quality, and animal performance (milk production). Its purpose is to develop guidelines for ecological weed management and sustainable alfalfa production. •

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Mike Rankin

Weatherproof your pastures

by Kim Mullenix

I

N MY role as an extension specialist, my team and I conduct many research trials related to grazing management and conserved forage production. Whenever we present our research data, we include a discussion about how the weather influenced our conditions in the study.

One of the research faculty in our department always asks, “How do you handle dealing with the weather from year to year, and how unpredictable can it be?”

There isn’t one singular answer for this, but the best mantra that applies to both research and on-farm forage management situations is small things can become large things. If we check the small boxes first, it helps insulate us some from the unpredictability of Mother Nature.

Mitigating risk and susceptibility in forage-livestock systems is important.

Changing weather patterns impact plant growth aboveground and belowground and affect how undesirable species may get a foothold in our perennial forage systems. These are some strategies we can use to help our forages remain productive and persistent under varying conditions.

Table 1. Nitrogen supplementation strategies in annual ryegrass pastures.

Treatment

Fertilizer rate provided by strategy

Clover inclusion

Supplementation rate (if provided)

Nitrogen fertilizer Crimson clover

100 lbs. N/acre

None

None

50 lbs. N/acre

Crimson

None

Arrowleaf clover

50 lbs. N/acre

Arrowleaf

None

Dried distillers grains

50 lbs. N/acre

None

0.65% of animal body weight daily

Whole cottonseed

50 lbs. N/acre

None

0.65% of animal body weight daily

Adapted from Gunter et al., 2019.

Don’t guess, soil test. Soil pH has a significant influence on plant available nutrients needed for growth and persistence of perennial grasses.

Sometimes fertilizers are applied to forages and little to no growth response is observed. This is often because soil pH is the first limiting factor in getting nutrients to the plant.

If soil pH is not in the correct range, forages cannot take up needed nutrients from the fertilizer application. A pH of 6 to 7 enhances uptake of major nutrients needed for plant growth.

Grid soil sampling provides a more precise breakdown of where soil nutrient deficiencies may be present and the scale of those deficiencies. There are many industry and third-party services

that offer grid sampling, as well as recommendations on fertilizer needs.

Managing fertilizer inputs more precisely helps improve forage persistence, which is important in buffering against changing weather conditions.

Maintain strong roots. When we think about our forage systems, we generally only think about what is aboveground and available for grazing or harvesting. To enhance perennial forage persistence, manage the aboveground growth in a way that supports belowground growth. Forage root systems are the bank for supporting forage growth.

If aboveground growth is short, the forage will pull directly from its root reserves to support plant regrowth.

Over time, if this happens frequently, it

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will weaken the root system, depleting root mass and carbohydrate reserves.

A healthy root system can help forage plants recover quickly following shortterm changes in weather conditions, such as a flash drought.

Get out and look (GOAL). Another “easy button” strategy for sustaining forage production is proactive efforts to limit weed pressure. Get out and look at pasture composition. What are the species you see in your fields? Are they good forages that you want to be present, or are other less productive species starting to get a foothold?

Nature does not like bare ground, and undesirable species can start making their way into pastures where plants are continuously overgrazed. Understanding what species are present in your system and methods for mitigation can help make pastures more productive and less susceptible to decline.

Stretch pasture reserves through supplementation. When weather conditions limit grazed forage availability, supplementing pastures can help extend forage availability. In addition to stretching forage supplies, supplementation can improve the energy density of the animal’s diet and potentially enhance their performance on pasture.

A multiyear evaluation of grazing annual ryegrass was conducted in central Alabama to determine the effects of partially replacing nitrogen fertilization of pastures with alternative practices for cycling nitrogen (Table 1). This included either adding annual legumes to pastures or feeding grazing animals high protein supplemental feedstuffs. Legumes or feed supplements were included at a rate to contribute an estimated 50 pounds of nitrogen per acre. When compared to the control treatment of 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre of commercial fertilizer, legume and feed supplementation strategies help offset nitrogen inputs and support similar stocking rates on pasture (Table 2).

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Having diversity in your forage system is another way to meter against fluctuations in weather conditions. Having multiple forage species on the farm heightens the likelihood that something will be available to graze when you need it most. As an example, we conducted a multi-year trial evaluating the use of multi-species blends in cover

Table 2. Alternative nitrogen supplementation stocking rates Treatment

Stocking rate (steers/acre)

Nitrogen fertilizer

1.6

Crimson clover

1.4

Arrowleaf clover

1.3

Dried distillers grains

1.4

Whole cottonseed

1.4

Adapted from Gunter et al., 2019.

crop systems in southern Alabama. The forage mixture contained cereal rye, oats, crimson clover, and brassicas. The rye and oats supported early season grazing in January and February, while the clover and brassicas became more productive later in the spring.

This spread forage production throughout the season.

In tall fescue-based systems, dedicating some of the acreage on the farm to warm-season forages is a strategy to take pressure off tall fescue during key times of the year. A good rule of thumb is to consider about 15% to 20%

of the farm for annual forages, whether cool-season or warm-season species. For example, years of milder winters have allowed warm-season forages to continue growing farther north in the Southeast.

By seeding additional forage species, we shift the growing season’s peaks and troughs. This can help mitigate risk from concentrated weather events.

We can’t control the weather, but we can control what we manage. Targeted soil, plant, and supplementation management helps our forage systems survive and persist despite shifts in weather, and diversifying pastures is a strategy to help minimize risk on the farm while boosting forage quality and extending the growing season. •

KIM MULLENIX The author is an associate professor and extension beef specialist with Auburn University.

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January 2024 | hayandforage.com |17

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RIDE THE RICHES

of a top alfalfa variety

by Dan Putnam

W

HAT’S that tiny alfalfa seed worth? Plenty!

Though diminutive, the lowly alfalfa seed contains every genetic instruction for that plant to grow into a hearty, deep-rooted perennial legume, capable of multiple harvests, high yields, high persistence, and high quality. Yield, pest resistance, winter survival capability, and quality are (potentially) all there at planting.

Or not . . .

Poor quality, run-of-the-mill, variety not stated (VNS), uncertified, or poor genetic background seed will set back production for years. Plant breeders have spent entire lifetimes to develop improved lines that yield more and have better pest resistance, unique traits, and higher quality. The average variety takes five to 10 years to develop.

Take advantage of these extensive breeding efforts.

I’ve found that many growers will almost automatically choose the cheapest seed available. Is that wise? Is it worth it to buy an improved line, even if it’s more expensive?

A quick economic comparison will help with that question. Take a look at

the economic return on investment due to yield over three years (Figure 1). The potential return from just choosing an alfalfa variety ranged from a few hundred dollars per acre to over $2,000 per acre over three years of production. As Taylor Swift might say, “Performance is everything.” My grandkids will forgive me for quoting her.

This return is based only on the yield difference due to variety, assuming alfalfa is valued at $230 per ton. Note that even a $3 per pound difference in seed price is pretty meaningless in comparison with the economic variability in yield.

Real differences Can you tell the genetic yield potential of varieties after planting just by looking at your field? Not really. Walking into the alfalfa field behind my house, I cannot tell whether the variety was the best performing or not, even if it looks good.

To tell the difference in alfalfa cultivars, you need them planted side-by-side, replicated to account for soil variation, and adjusted for moisture. This is how we’ve conducted the variety trials I’ve planted over the past 30 years. The trial we planted this fall contains 42 lines that are highly replicated. Even when

planted side-by side, they are difficult to tell apart, but over six to eight cuttings and averaged over years, the yield differences prove significant.

But is yield the whole story?

Absolutely not. Many other traits are contained in that tiny seed. Advanced lines also contain genes for resistance to insect pests and diseases, genes for winterhardiness, salinity tolerance, traits for enhanced winter growth (fall dormancy), and some have transgenic traits. While alfalfa varieties may superficially look similar, each variety is really a population of plants with widely divergent genetic backgrounds.

Improved varieties have an average yield or other characteristics that may be superior or inferior to other lines.

So, how do you choose an alfalfa variety? Here are some steps that might help: Start with yield potential. As illustrated in Figure 1, economic returns due only to yield differences can be worth a lot of money over many years. Traits such as winterhardiness, disease and insect resistance, and persistence are all reflected in a long-term yield estimate.

Yield is more important than forage quality in economic returns in our estimates.

Get the best local yield data you can find.

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F igure 1. Differences in gross returns due only to variety choice over three years. Data compares yields of the highest and lowest yielding lines.

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Difference due to added seed cost of $3.00/lb., 25lbs./acre

Differential economic effect of variety choice: Assumptions: • Hay price: $230/ton • Response average over 3 year as per UC Davis 2019-planted variety trial, 2020-2021 data.

Notes:

• Assuming the variety will perform similarly on your field versus in small plot trials.

• This indicates the genetic potential. Other factors may limit performance.

$0.00

$500

Choose a variety with an appropriate fall dormancy and winter survival rating. Fall dormancy (FD) is the degree of winter activity of varieties in the late summer and fall due to short days and lower temperatures. In California, we grow FD levels of 6 to 9 in some areas, FD 8 to 11 (very non-dormant) in other areas, and dormant varieties in the colder, high-elevation regions (FD 3 to 4), which are more similar to the upper Midwest and Northeastern states. Fall dormancy is somewhat related to winter survival, but it’s a separate test. Fall dormancy ranges from a rating of 2 (very dormant for Northern regions) to 10 (very winter active for Southern desert areas), and has a major effect on yield potential, quality, and persistence. Winter survival ratings of 1 and 2 will indicate greater winterhardiness than other lines.

Consider genetically engineered traits. A key question is the importance of genetically engineered traits.

Currently, there are two such traits:

$1,000

$1,500

Roundup Ready (RR) and HarvXtra.

The RR trait should be considered in comparison with the current ability to control weeds on the farm, weed impacts on yield and quality, and the cost of other herbicides used over three to six years of production.

The HarvXtra trait, which is always stacked with RR, has its best fit with the goal of obtaining high yields with delayed cutting while still obtaining highly digestible forage. So, the economics of those traits is somewhat different than a simple yield comparison, depending upon the need for high quality and an effective herbicide program.

Examine pest and disease resistance. Alfalfa generally has the widest range of pest resistance of any major crop, probably due to the depth of variation available for selection in alfalfa populations. Some of the key disease resistances are verticillium wilt, bacterial wilt, fusarium wilt, and anthracnose. Key insect and nematode

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

resistances are the aphid complex, potato leafhopper, and stem and root knot nematodes. Should one consider all of these equally?

Not really. It’s important to determine the key pests in your region and emphasize those. For example, potato leafhoppers are not a large problem in many of our California locations but are very important in many Midwestern locations.

Blue alfalfa aphid (BAA) is important in many of our areas but doesn’t seem to be a big problem in the Northeastern U.S. Verticillium wilt is a key problem in the Pacific Northwest and many other locations, but we really haven’t seen it in the low-desert environments.

Keep in mind that resistance is not absolute but relative, and a disease or insect can overwhelm the resistance in a variety under certain conditions.

Think of pest resistance as auto insurance — you may not need it every year but might really need it when conditions for the pest are ideal.

January 2024 | hayandforage.com | 19

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A nondormant alfalfa variety on the left is showing significantly more fall growth than the dormant variety on the right (UC-Davis alfalfa variety trial, 2023).

Make an informed choice. As indicated above, start with a good comparison of yield, hopefully with an independent test such as the one in Figure 1. Unfortunately, the university-type trials have largely gone the way of the dodo bird in recent years, due largely to consolidation in the seed industry and the cost of running trials. Ideally, these types of trials should be funded by growers, but that has not happened. There is still information out there, though. For

yield data, some states (such as California) maintain online yield information (see alfalfa.ucdavis.edu). The second step, in my view, is to do your own strip tests on your farm with perhaps three or four lines that are good candidates. Seed marketers also have in-depth knowledge of their varieties.

For pest resistance and other traits, see the National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance Alfalfa Variety Ratings 2024 bulletin (www.alfalfa.org or the November issue of Hay & Forage Grower). There is a lot of information contained within the publication.

Stave off low production Variety choice is clearly an important aspect of successful alfalfa production.

However, as many growers know, a good variety is only as good as the production practices on a farm. It’s clear to me that many of these practices, such as good stand establishment methods, optimum soil fertility and health, drainage, harvest timing, and sound irrigation strategies are critical for top production — probably more so than the variety

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choice. However, all are important.

In the 1800s, Justus von Liebig put forward in his “barrel stave” analogy, known as the law of the minimum. Water volume (or in our case, alfalfa yield) in the barrel is limited by those barrel staves that are shortest. For alfalfa, we are limited by those agronomic factors that are the scarcest (water, phosphorus, potassium, micronutrients, temperature, and so forth). This may also include the genetic potential of that variety, which is dictated by variety choice.

So, take some time to choose a variety by studying information available and do strip tests on your farm. We should all agree that the variety need not be the shortest stave in the barrel. •

DAN PUTNAM The author is an extension professor emeritus with the University of California-Davis

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THE PASTURE WALK

by Jim Gerrish

Cover crop conundrums

T

HIS past fall, I had the opportunity to visit several different regions across the U.S. and drove many miles of two-lane roads around the countryside. Cover crops came to my attention in different ways in different places. In several locations, it was clear that the number of acres with cover crops seeded following harvest had jumped substantially from the last time I had visited. I viewed this as a positive advancement. Many of these cover crop fields had electric fences around them, and cattle and sheep were grazing the cover crops.

In other locations, there were what I would call “accidental” cover crops.

These are volunteer crops coming up in areas that had received fall rains. I look at those volunteer plants coming up and see all the positives of cover crops: a living plant root in the soil more days of the year, which is beneficial for enhancing soil biology and plant-soil-water relationships; protection on the soil from wind and water erosion; and grazing opportunities for livestock on cropland.

Sadly, what I saw in many locations were farmers doing fall tillage to get rid of those beneficial volunteer plant covers. Sometimes, I just don’t understand why. We have one segment of the farming population paying money to create cover crops on their fields while we simultaneously see farmers spending money to destroy any living plant on their fields. It is a conundrum.

Foiled by blowing soil On the Snake River Plains of southern Idaho, the wind blows frequently and steadily. Above average precipitation in August and September had brought beautiful cover crops of volunteer barley and wheat on recently harvested fields. I drove past many acres of volunteer small grains where no dust clouds wisped across the landscape.

Then I came to the field where the farmer was disking it into oblivion with a massive cloud of dust rising behind the tillage tool. There are signs along Interstate 15 warning drivers of potential blowing dust and ordering motorists not to stop in the traffic lane. Why do we have to have signs like that near Idaho Falls?

These are all irrigated crop fields that

Some farmers invest in cover crops for their environmental and grazing benefits, while others spend money to eliminate every undesirable species from their crop fields.

are moist and stable in the growing season when the crops are growing. Once the irrigation is turned off and the crops harvested, fall tillage begins, resulting in massive dust storms sweeping across the landscape. I have been in those dust storms a number of times over the last 20 years, creeping along the interstate at 30 miles per hour because that is all the visibility will allow. It’s hard to understand why farmers willingly allow their topsoil to blow away year after year.

I saw a similar situation in the Midwest. On one side of the road, corn stubble had been deliberately overseeded with a small grain-brassica cover crop. On the opposite side of the road, a beautiful stand of volunteer corn had come up. It was almost knee-high and quite uniform across most of the field as the farmer was disking it down. Perhaps the farmer had no cattle, but I know he had a neighbor who would have been willing to rent that field for grazing. How is it that two farmers with nothing more than a gravel road separating them have such different views on the value of a cover crop?

Comes at a cost The average custom farming rate for disking in that Midwest state was $22 per acre in 2023. That’s what it cost the one farmer to get rid of his volunteer corn. On the day I looked at that field in October, I estimated there would have been at least 30 animal unit days per acre (AUD/A) of grazing. The neighbor would have happily paid $21 per acre to

graze that volunteer corn at a cost of 70¢ per AUD. The farmer without a cover crop could have been $43 per acre ahead by letting his neighbor terminate the corn crop with grazing (added income $21 per acre) rather than doing the disking (added cost $22 per acre). Further, the soil would not have been disturbed and left vulnerable to wind and water erosion.

Seeding a cover crop may range from as little as $25 per acre to over $100 per acre, depending on the composition of the mix and the seeding method. I have to admit I was surprised to see the density of some of those volunteer cover crops.

Modern harvesting equipment should be doing a better job than what I was seeing.

Perhaps there were unique circumstances last fall that led to such beautiful volunteer cover crops. Maybe year-to-year consistency doesn’t really happen.

In any case, being opportunistic and taking advantage of volunteer plants when they occur is a reasonable strategy for most farmers. At the very least, we shouldn’t be spending money to get rid of volunteer stands through land-degrading tillage. • JIM GERRISH The author is a rancher, author, speaker, and consultant with over 40 years of experience in grazing management research, outreach, and practice. He has lived and grazed livestock in hot, humid Missouri and cold, dry Idaho.

January 2024 | hayandforage.com | 21

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All photos Mike Rankin

PASTURE DIVERSITY

gets it done on this Big Sky ranch

by Mike Rankin

“W

HERE do you want to meet?” I texted Mark from the seat of my rental vehicle, which sat in a Townsend, Mont., gas station parking lot.

The reply came back, “75 Lower Dry Gulch Road.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if the farm was slightly moister than those on Upper Dry Gulch Road, if there was such a location. There isn’t, but there is the less descriptive Dry Gulch Road nearby.

After setting my destination in Google Maps, I headed for my rendezvous with Mark Ehlke and his two married daughters, Lacey Jepson and Janea Merkel. Together, with Mark’s wife, Della, they own and operate Ehlke Herefords outside of Townsend, which is in an area along the Missouri River once passed through by Lewis and Clark — without the aid of Google Maps.

Mark is a first-generation seedstock

producer who always had the desire to raise Hereford cattle. He and his wife bought their first registered Herefords in 1993, soon after being married. These days, about 300 brood cows along with heifers and bulls are grazed on the ranch.

Ehlke Herefords consists of 700 acres of owned dryland, 400 acres of leased dryland, and 450 pivot-irrigated acres.

“The leased dryland acres belong to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, so certain rules need to be followed such as leaving grain for wildlife, no grazing, and cutting hay at a certain time,” Lacey noted. The ranch harvests about 500 acres of hay that is mostly an alfalfa-grass mixture, but they also harvest some triticale and sainfoin hay. Triticale is used as a rotation crop where needed.

Diverse pastures Nearly all of the operation’s irrigated pastures are located on the home ranch, where Janea and her family live, or on another nearby purchased ranch, home

to Lacey and her husband, that is also irrigated. These pastures are intensively grazed throughout the growing season.

“We reseeded most of the irrigated pastures about six or seven years ago, and now we just interseed as needed to keep the legume component strong,” Lacey said. “We were one of the first in this valley to rotational graze, but we’re starting to see a few more now.

Although it depends on the size of the group, cattle are moved almost every day. Permanent, high-tensile wire has been installed around the pivot perimeters, then polywire on reels is used within the pivots to set paddock size based on animal numbers and grass growth. Our portable water tanks and minerals are moved with the cows,” she added.

The ranch’s irrigated pastures are loaded with legumes. On the leased ranch, sainfoin, cicer milkvetch, and birdsfoot trefoil are matched with orchardgrass and smooth bromegrass.

On the home farm, the pastures are

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Irrigated, intensively-grazed pastures include a heavy legume component with sainfoin, cicer milkvetch, red clover, and birdsfoot trefoil.

Janea Merkel, Lacey Jepson, and Mark Ehlke comprise the trio that melds top-notch forage production with a profitable seedstock business.

primarily orchardgrass, some alfalfa, and interseeded red clover.

“Much of our upper dryland grazing is in the mountain foothills, about 10 miles away,” Lacey said. “Those pastures get grazed first thing in the spring. Once things begin to dry out, then the fall-calving cattle are moved to the irrigated pastures closer to home and rotated more vigorously.”

Mark noted that putting the fall-calving herd on larger, dryland pastures offers them more exercise in the spring and keeps them from getting over conditioned before they start calving.

We’re in the process of improving the dryland pastures with intermediate wheatgrass, sainfoin, and milkvetch,” he added.

In addition to the cow-calf herd, bulls and heifers are also grown out on grass.

The farm sells seedstock by private treaty and through their own production sales. During some years, steers are kept back to graze. “I wish we would have done more of that this year given the market prices,” Mark chuckled.

better in the fall group. Our bull calves typically wean at 600 pounds.”

During the Montana winters, animals remain on pasture, mostly pivot corners to minimize grass kill. Portable windbreaks, which Mark makes himself, are put up and straw bedding is put down to keep cows comfortable. Baled hay is fed as winter forage.

“Our winter cold snaps are brief — a week or 10 days — then we’ll get a warm up and melt the snow,” Mark

noted of a typical winter. “This past winter was unordinary, we got our first snow during the end of October, and it stayed all winter.”

Good pastures, good cows, and two daughters who look to carry on the legacy that their parents were able to build have Ehlke Herefords set up for a bright future under the big skies of Montana.

Learn more about the ranch at ehlkeherefords.com or visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/ehlkeherefords. •

Unique fall-calving herd Of Ehlke Herefords’ cow herd, about 260 calve in the fall and 40 in the spring. The latter group is mostly firstcalf heifers or embryo transfer cows.

“Fall calving is unique in this area,” Lacey said. “Most have spring-calving herds. We calve from mid-August through early October. The calves do really well, and we can sell 18-monthold bulls, which our customers like.”

Mark added, “The downside is that you have to keep them on good-quality hay throughout the winter. We find that the overall health of the calves is

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FEED ANALYSIS

by John Goeser

Reverse engineer your feed analysis

E

years, the West was up in fiber, the Midwest was down, and the Eastern region was similar year over year. The Western hay is up in fiber and down in protein following adequate snowpack and rainfall. Sufficient water likely stretched out plants with more stem and less leaves. If your fiber levels are up in hay, consider the impact that irrigation or water had upon the plant’s leaf-to-stem ratio.

Relate to plant morphology

Some short-statured corn plants in the Midwest still had well-developed ears, which resulted in higher starch concentrations.

Morphology is a big word, meaning relating to the plant’s physical structure or form. With this understanding, we start with connecting your feed analysis to crop morphology.

On the feed analysis, forage quality is defined by nutrient measures and nutrient digestibility. Fiber is a key nutrient within corn, grass, and alfalfa that is inversely related to other nutrients. With corn, fiber is inversely related to starch, whereas with alfalfa or grass, the inverse relationship is with protein and sugar.

I make this point because the plant’s physical form at harvest is directly proportional to the fiber content.

Flipping this relationship around, the first step to reverse engineering your feed analysis report begins with fiber.

As discussed in the last issue’s “Feed Analysis” column, hay or haylage fiber and protein measures are related to leaf-to-stem ratio. More fiber equates to more stem and less leaves. We also know that leaf percentage is influenced by agronomic practices, soil fertility, harvest timing, and growing conditions, so here’s our connection from the analysis to the cropping year conditions.

For 2023, relative to the prior few

Mike Rankin

NVIRONMENTAL conditions prior to and during the growing season impact the resulting crop yield and quality. Over the past 10 years, the growing season has contributed sizable variance to forage quality, as defined by nutrient content and nutrient digestibility.

Each year, we review crop quality by evaluating bell curves and population statistics for alfalfa hay or haylage and corn silage. We define the yearover-year populations as April to April for hay and haylage and September to September for corn silage. Then we compare the means and distribution for insights. As we turn the page to 2024, let’s look back at 2023 but through the lens of a feed analysis report. We can reverse engineer a nutrition report to gain insights into the growing season’s impact on your farm and its crops’ morphology.

The Midwest experienced extensive drought to start the year, which stunted alfalfa and equated to more leaves and diluted out the fiber for many growers. From East to West, evaluate your hay or haylage fiber-toprotein ratios compared to prior years.

If your harvest timing was similar but fiber-to-protein levels were up or down, make the connection back to your forage leaf-to-stem ratio and growing conditions or agronomic practices.

Higher yields, less starch For corn, the plant morphology insights come from also equating it to fiber. The fiber and starch results on your corn silage analysis offers insight into the grain-to-stover ratio. Understanding the grain-to-stover ratio then helps explain how the growing season differentially impacts plant morphology from one year to the next. Case in point, corn silage yields were up this year for many Western growers; however, starch content was similar to 2022 and well below long-term averages.

Historically, more grain equates to higher yields, but that didn’t materi-

alize this year. Based upon nutrition analysis reports for Western growers, the corn in 2022 and 2023 must have had similar grain-to-stover ratios. But for 2023, the plants must have been substantially taller and larger thanks to ample water and cheaper crop inputs.

Taller plants and more stover diluted out the grain for many growers and netted a similar fiber-to-starch ratio compared with the 2022 silage analysis and poorer corn. Your forage fiber and starch measures can help add context to the discussion with your agronomist and harvest team.

As noted for haylage, the corn-growing season was quite different in the Midwest and eastern U.S. regions.

Drought appeared to hamper corn plant height for many. Yet the 2023 silage starch content was average to higher, meaning that short-statured plants still managed to grow reasonable ears thanks to timely rains during pollination and ear fill. Take your silage analysis reports back to your agronomist and also discuss the plant stature and grain-to-stover outcomes for your farm.

Fiber, starch, and protein aren’t the only laboratory measures that provide insight into the growing season. Fiber digestibility also helps explain the growing season’s impact on the plant but on a cellular level. For corn silage, drought around the V5 to V7 developmental stages tends to improve fiber digestibility (NDFD) and adequate or excessive rainfall or water tends to reduce NDFD. If your silage fiber digestibility is substantially up or down relative to last year, look back to the rainfall early in the growing season.

Share your feed analyses with your agronomist and reflect on your 2023 crop by reverse engineering the reports as we’ve discussed here. •

JOHN GOESER The author is the director of nutrition research and innovation with Rock River Lab Inc., and adjunct assistant professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Dairy Science Department.

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FORAGE GEARHEAD

by Adam Verner

Developing a good rapport with your machinery dealer can be helpful when looking for used hay tools.

Mike Rankin

Conversations with your dealer can pay dividends S WE look ahead to the next haymaking season, I’m sure some people have begun to accept the new norm for equipment costs. Then there are others who are still shocked at what equipment costs today compared to three years ago. Reality tells us that a higher average price for both new and used equipment has settled in and is not going away. Further, a new standard for warranty coverages is being offered by the manufacturer to spur used sales and ease you into the cost of a new unit.

There is no wrong choice for buying new or used; it largely depends on your operation and budget. I want to run down a few different types of hay equipment and discuss what may be the easiest and most cost effective to purchase for a specific category of equipment.

Advanced planning pays Starting with mowers and mower conditioners, these units have always trended toward customers preferring new iron over used in the past. This was primarily due to the fear of paying the high cost to repair a cutterbar if a

breakdown occurs. I still believe this trend will continue, but the sticker shock will be real when you come back to the table to purchase a new mower!

If you are not a large-acreage farmer, I would encourage you to start looking for a used unit a year or more in advance of when you are ready for your next purchase. Ask your salesperson to go out and find a two- or three-yearold mower from a respected farmer.

Have the dealer trade for it, knowing they already have a handshake deal with you to purchase the trade. This deal should be a win for all three parties. You get a newer, more reliable mower without the new price, and the large-acreage farmer gets to begin with a new unit again.

Tedders and rakes can be lumped together. Neither is overly complicated nor difficult to maintain. I believe that both categories can be purchased with confidence new and used, though you usually get what you pay for. The two products that I have the least amount of trouble selling used are large tedders and two-rotor rakes. However, finding these units as low-acre trade-ins are

like unicorns; they don’t exist.

Like all equipment over the past three years, the cost for a new large square or round baler unit has gone up tremendously. The same is true for used units.

What hasn’t gone up is the longevity of these balers. Yes, they have improved in several areas, but chain and bearing life will vary drastically depending on the operation. For both types of balers, it’s important to work with your local dealership as was suggested for the mowers. For high-bale count operations, you should be able to work out a depreciation cost per bale with your dealer up front. These days, that value is $3 to $4 per bale on round bales or $4 to $6 per bale on big squares. Knowing these numbers can make budgeting for your next baler easier.

Let’s say a new, big square baler costs $200,000 and you plan to put 10,000 bales on it, then trade it off. You can expect the depreciation to be higher if the dealer doesn’t already have a buyer for it when you trade it in. So, your cost per bale will most likely be closer to $6, whereas your payment was probably closer to $4.50 to $5 per bale. Now you are upside down and think you are getting a bad deal from your dealer on a trade-in. To avoid this position, have a conversation ahead of time and realize that your cost could drop a dollar per bale if you work with a flexible timeline for trading with the dealership.

It’s advantageous for a dealership in today’s equipment market to presell or find homes for potential trades before they get to the dealership. Being open about your needs and budgeting with your salesperson can help you out immensely with future transactions. It will also ensure that if you can’t pencil out the price of a new unit, you can find the unicorn you want at the price and reliability you demand •

ADAM VERNER The author is a managing partner in Elite Ag LLC, Leesburg, Ga. He also is active in the family farm in Rutledge.

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FORAGE IQ Northwest Hay Expo January 17 and 18, Kennewick, Wash.

Details: wa-hay.org Virginia Winter Forage Conferences January 23 to 26 (four locations) Details: vaforages.org/events Southwest Hay Conference January 24 to 26, Ruidoso, N.M. Details: nmhay.com U.S. Custom Harvesters Convention January 25 to 27, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Details: uschi.com/convention Western Alfalfa Seed Growers Assn. Winter Seed Conference January 28 to 30, Nashville, Tenn.

Details: wasga.org Equines and Endophytes Workshop January 31, Lexington, Ky. Details: bit.ly/HFG-EEW Cattle Industry Convention NCBA Trade Show January 31 to February 2, Orlando, Fla. Details: convention.ncba.org GrassWorks Grazing Conference February 1 to 3, Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Details: grassworks.org Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference February 8, Bowling Green, Ky. Details: forages.ca.uky.edu/Events World Ag Expo February 13 to 15, Tulare, Calif.

Details: worldagexpo.com Heart of America Grazing Conference February 19 and 20, Cincinnati, Ohio Details: forages.ca.uky.edu/Events Midwest Forage Symposium February 19 to 21, Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Details: midwestforage.org SW Missouri Spring Forage Conference February 20, Springfield, Mo. Details: springforageconference.com Idaho Hay & Forage Conference February 29, Idaho Falls, Idaho Details: idahohay.com

HAY MARKET UPDATE

Waiting for the winter bounce Sans the past couple of years, hay prices are usually cyclical with a rise through winter until spring. As of this writing, the winter bounce had yet to occur. Hay export volumes are slowly improving but remain well behind 2022.

Be on the lookout for December 1

hay stocks, which will be released by USDA on January 12 along with final 2023 production.

The prices below are primarily from USDA hay market reports as of the beginning of mid-December. Prices are FOB barn/stack unless otherwise noted. •

For weekly updated hay prices, go to “USDA Hay Prices” at hayandforage.com Supreme-quality alfalfa California (intermountains) California (central SJV) Colorado (southeast) Idaho (eastern) Kansas (northwest) Minnesota (Sauk Centre) Missouri Montana Oregon (Lake County) Pennsylvania (southeast)-ssb Texas (central) Texas (Panhandle) Texas (western) Wyoming (eastern) Premium-quality alfalfa California (intermountains) California (north SJV) California (southeast)-ssb Iowa (Rock Valley) Kansas (north central) Kansas (southeast) Missouri Montana Nebraska (central) Nebraska (eastern)-ssb New Mexico (northwest)-ssb New Mexico (southern) Oregon (Lake County) Oregon (Crook Wasco)-ssb Pennsylvania (southeast) South Dakota (Corsica)-lrb Texas (Panhandle) Washington-ssb Wisconsin (Lancaster) Wyoming (eastern) Wyoming (western)-ssb Good-quality alfalfa California (intermountains) California (southeast)-ssb Colorado (San Luis Valley) Iowa (Rock Valley) Kansas (north central) Kansas (south central) Minnesota (Pipestone)-lrb Minnesota (Sauk Centre)-lrb Missouri-lrb Montana Nebraska (Platte Valley)-lrb Nebraska (central)-lrb New Mexico (northwest) Oklahoma (central) Oregon (eastern) Pennsylvania (southeast)

Price $/ton 300 360 (d) 350 235 300 (d) 265 250-300 230 240 370 320-340 (d) 370-390 (d) 340-350 210-215 260 285 195-250 257 325 280 200-250 225 210 210 290 300 250 (o) 360 265-295 180 340-360 (d) 380 260 210 300

South Dakota South Dakota (Corsica)-lrb Texas (western) Texas (Panhandle) Wisconsin (Lancaster)-lrb Wyoming (eastern) Wyoming (western) Fair-quality alfalfa California (intermountains) California (southeast) Idaho (southeast) Kansas (northwest) Kansas (south central)-lrb Minnesota (Pipestone)-lrb Minnesota (Sauk Centre) Missouri-lrb Montana Nebraska (central)-lrb Nebraska (western) New Mexico (northwest) South Dakota (Corsica)-lrb Washington Wyoming (eastern)

Bermudagrass hay Alabama (southeast)-Premium lrb Alabama (southeast)-Good lrb California (southeast)-Premium ssb Oklahoma (northwest)-Prem lrb Texas (central)-Premium ssb Texas (southern)-Good/Prem lrb Bromegrass hay Iowa-Good/Premium lrb Kansas (northeast)-Good lrb Kansas (southeast)-Good Nebraska (eastern)-Good Orchardgrass hay Oregon (eastern)-Premium ssb Pennsylvania (southeast)-Premium 210 Pennsylvania (southeast)-Good 220 Washington-Good/Premium ssb 225 Timothy hay 195 Pennsylvania (southeast)-Premium 245 (d) Pennsylvania (southeast)-Good 240 Washington-Good/Premium ssb 195 Prairie/meadow grass hay 210-230 Kansas (northeast)-Good 150-200 Nebraska (central)-Good lrb 160-200 Pennsylvania (southeast)-Premium 170 Pennsylvania (southeast)-Good 155-170 Wheat Straw 285 Iowa 180 (d) Kansas-lrb 180 Minnesota (Sauk Centre)-lrb 210-230 Pennsylvania (southeast)

250 160-165 320-340 (d) 310-340 (d) 170 185 180-185 120 160 130 225 (d) 180-200 180-185 200 125-150 150 140-145 130 200 155 150 130 200 120 250-260 180 (d) 380-390 240-280 150 130 180-200 220 245 230-305 200-250 300 330 185-235 400 160 150-160 290-350 215-285 160 85-100 120 130-175

Abbreviations: d=delivered, lrb=large round bales, ssb=small square bales, o=organic

30 | Hay & Forage Grower | January 2024

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to a score you can work on improving.

The botanical composition information you gather from the step-point analysis will be important in scoring plant diversity, the percentage desirable plants, and the presence or absence of legumes. The observations you made about bare area, erosion, and grazing patterns will also come in handy, and the guide will help you understand and evaluate these factors in your pastures.

Check soil fertility. Evaluating soil fertility is another critical step in assessing pastures. Pull soil samples at least every three years. If you are contemplating pasture renovation, it is critical to soil test so major nutrients and lime can be applied economically.

Make sure to follow your state guidelines for obtaining soil samples and submitting them to a lab for analysis.

In addition to traditional soil testing, walk the pasture with a shovel and make observations about soil health, such as compaction, root structure, color, and the presence of biological activity.

Be strategic. Once you have sum-

marized botanical composition, determined pasture condition score, and received your soil test report, you can decide how you will approach renovation. If a pasture has a high percentage of desirable plants, then it may be best to do a partial renovation by improving soil fertility, spraying for undesirable weeds, and/or resting forage longer after grazing. Frost seeding clover is a practical alternative for these pastures that still have a good grass population.

If a pasture has a low level of desirable plants (less than 50% of total hits), a lot of bare ground, or some other serious problem with pasture condition, then a complete renovation might be in order. This would involve using glyphosate or tillage to kill the existing stand and starting over with a new planting.

In this case, take advantage of advances in perennial forages. Plants like novel endophyte tall fescues and native warm-season grasses can provide great benefits to your farm. Some shy away from these alternative species because of the cost of the seed, but

remember that if the pasture needs to be fully renovated, the costs incurred far overshadow the cost of seed.

In other words, if you go to the expense of renovating, don’t plant toxic tall fescue or other poor-quality seed. Plant something with added value. Pay attention to detail as you proceed with the renovation. The outcome can be rewarding, especially if you try something new.

If you raise livestock on pasture, learn to identify plants, evaluate plant populations, and score pasture condition. Grazing will remain the most economical source of nutrients for livestock, and taking action to improve what you have will pay big returns. •

MATT POORE The author is an extension ruminant nutrition specialist at North Carolina State University.

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