A quarterly news publication of The Ohio State University Extension, Editors: Clif Little and Mark Sulc
This newsletter is made possible with support from the Bob & Jewell Evans Foundation
Click here for past issues of this publication.
Click here to subscribe to an e-mail version of Amazing Graze.

Contents:

• Grazing Farm Financial Analysis
• Eastern Ohio Grassland Program
• Getting Started Grazing
• Pre-Establishment Management of Soil Fertility For Forage Grass Production
• Dairy Tour and Forage Expo Highlight American Forage & Grassland Conference
• Flying Jets and Keeping Up With Spring Grass
  

[top] Grazing Farm Financial Analysis - by Clif Little, Extension Agent

Last year 119 grazing dairy farms in Ontario, Ohio, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota received a free analysis of their farm financial records. The services for providing the analysis are paid for by a USDA Integrated Food & Agriculture Systems grant and provides for these summaries for three years.

If you rely heavily on grazing as a primary feed for your animals and graze dairy, cattle, stockers or sheep, contact Clif Little at 740-432-9300 or Tom Noyes at 330-264-8722 for more information.

[top] Eastern Ohio Grassland Program Oct. 10-11, 2002

This fall-scheduled workshop is a unique "hands on" grassland workshop designed for producers and resource managers. The program begins Thursday, October 10th and ends Friday afternoon, October 11th. A comprehensive series of tours, lectures and presentations from university, NRCS, industry and livestock grazers has been scheduled. Registered participants will receive resource materials to supplement the presented information. To register contact Clif Little at 740-432-9300.

[Top] Getting Started Grazing - by Daryl Clark, Extension Agent

Once you complete an Ohio Pasture for Profits School and go home you'll have a great wealth of information and ideas. HOWEVER, where do you start? What should be your first step?

"Roadmap"
You need an initial plan to help guide your "start up" steps. If you haven't already done so, sit down with those who need to be a part of this plan. These should include those making management decisions, giving labor input, making financial decisions, etc. Once this plan is in place, initial steps can proceed. Much time and effort is lost because initial steps did not line up with the roadmap. You may want to get close to someone already grazing to be your mentor. They can help you keep your roadmap reasonable.

Monuments
Do not build monuments. Keep your money invested in appreciating, growing assets. Your plans will likely change. Can your investments change? Remember if it rusts, depreciates or requires high maintenance costs or high operating costs, you may be investing in monuments.

Be Flexible
Even after formulating your plans based on this Pasture for Profits Course, your plans will change.

Growing Pains
The initial step needs to be big enough to cause "pain" if you don't succeed. On the other hand it should be small enough that a disaster won't "bankrupt" your operation. If the project is economically significant, we won't "slack" our management.

Fencing
The perimeter fence must be adequate to hold livestock. You'll not ration forage if the perimeter won't contain your livestock. Fencing must include a electrified wire by a low impedance high voltage energizer. This fence should be so "shocking" that livestock won't want to try it again, just to be sure it really did shock them. The fence suppliers will have some form of portable, temporary electrified fence which will hold your species of livestock. This temporary division fencing will allow a producer to vary paddock size as the season changes. If livestock have access to a "grazed" area more than 4 days a "back fence" to prevent re-grazing will also be needed!

Starting in Spring
Although more projects are started in Spring than any other season, spring can also be frustrating. Forage production explodes while forage demand remains fairly constant. Regrowth is so rapid that back fencing is usually necessary. Managing this spring production will be one of your greatest challenges. Some new producers have surrendered and quit before they were successful. Again an experienced MIG producer can be your friend to help you through this period.

Starting in Summer
Summer forage growth is less aggressive and you'll have more days before a back fence is needed. Summer grazing may be done on a previously harvested meadow which will be less likely to be damaged by grazing too closely (stubble). This will help provide another safe guard.

Starting in Fall
If a producer chooses to begin grazing in the fall, some other more friendly factors also are involved. This grazing will likely begin after growth has been completed; as a result, no back fence will be needed. Also fescue patches can be a problem in late spring and summer grazing, but will be readily eaten in fall and winter grazing. Livestock can be trained to consume a high percentage of this high quality fall forage.

Overcoming Mismanagement
A beginning producer may misjudge the livestock-forage balance and the forage can be damaged. A miscalculation on forage quality or livestock demand can lead to over grazing. Once this occurs, the forage needs ample time to recover before being grazed again. In some cases, stored forage may need to be used, especially in a dry summer. Eat your pride, it'll taste better than reduced livestock performance at market time. Some very severe mismanagement can be overcome by patience and ingenuity.

Getting Started
Make your plan. Have a successful grazer help you. Open the gate and stand to the side, because your livestock can be aggressive at paddock change time. Enjoy the scene, your livestock will.

[Top] Pre-Establishment Management of Soil Fertility For Forage Grass Production - by Maurice Watson, Soil Specialist

Whether you are growing grass for hay production or for pasture, be sure not to overlook the importance of attaining optimum soil fertility. When it comes to the correct soil pH and soil nutrient concentrations, the soils used to grow grass often take a back seat to soils for other crops. Management of the soil's fertility both before planting the seed and after establishment is extremely important for high yields of grass.

A very important management practice is to test the soil several months prior to seeding the grass crop. Be sure to obtain representative soil samples of the field so that the lime and fertilizer recommendations are useful. It is important to follow the sampling instructions provided by the soil testing laboratory.

Important Soil Fertility Factors

pH: It is best to optimize the soil pH several months before planting. If the soil is excessively acid, an application of limestone will be recommended. Agricultural limestone is a slow reacting chemical, compared to fertilizer, and should be worked into the top 4" of soil. If the lime recommendation is greater than 4 tons/acre, apply the limestone in two applications, mixing it with the soil each time. Under most temperate climatic conditions the lime will begin to show its effect by increasing the pH of the soil within 3 months. However, it is usually best to apply the limestone 6 months before seeding. If the soil pH becomes less than 6.0, other nutrients such as phosphorus, calcium and magnesium become less available to the plant. The optimum pH for grass is 6.0 to 6.5. Adjusting and maintaining the pH of the soil will also provide optimum levels of calcium and magnesium, depending on the kind of limestone used. Calcitic limestone supplies calcium while dolomitic limestone supplies both calcium and magnesium.

Nitrogen: Adequate supplies of nitrogen are essential to obtaining high yielding grass crops. Nitrogen should be applied at the rate of 20-40 lbs/A at seeding. An additional 30-50 lbs/A should be applied in late summer or early fall of the same year. Yearly applications of nitrogen will be needed after establishment of the grass crop. Some common sources of nitrogen fertilizers are: (1) Urea, (2) 28% urea-ammonium nitrate solution, (3) ammonium nitrate (where available), and (4) manures. To avoid the detrimental effects of high concentrations of ammonia on germinating seeds, application of urea fertilizers and manure should be made 10-14 days prior to seeding.

Phosphorus: Phosphorus is essential for plant growth. The best time to get soil phosphorus concentrations to the optimum level is prior to planting. It is much more difficult to substantially increase phosphorus levels once the grass crop is established. It is best to broadcast the phosphorus and thoroughly mix it with the soil. The kind of phosphorus containing fertilizer available for purchase may vary from region to region. Some common sources are: (1) triple super phosphate, (2) di-ammonium phosphate, (3) mono-ammonium phosphate, and (4) ammonium polyphosphate. The phosphate fertilizers that contain ammonium also supply nitrogen to the crop.

Potassium: High-yielding grass forages have a high demand for potassium. It is very import to build the soil potassium levels up to the critical level before seeding. This can be done by broadcasting potassium containing fertilizer on the soil and working it into the soil. It is important to test the soil for the potassium concentration and then follow the fertilizer recommendations. Potassium can be applied at the same time as phosphorus. Application rates exceeding 300 lbs/A of actual potassium should be split into two applications, mixing after each application. Some common potassium containing fertilizers are: (1) muriate of potash, (2) sulfur-potassium-magnesium (Sulf-Po-Mg), (3) blended fertilizers, and (4) manures. If manures are used, it is best to wait 10 to 14 days after manure application before seeding. The manure should be worked uniformly into the soil to a depth of at least 4-6 inches.

Magnesium: It is important to make sure that your soils have sufficient magnesium for growing grass forage. If the magnesium level is low, and heavy applications of potassium, either from synthetic fertilizer or manure, have been made, a low magnesium condition can occur within the plant. The plant will tend to preferentially take up potassium relative to magnesium. This condition can contribute to grass tetany "shock" in rumen livestock when they consume the forage. Plant tissue analysis should be used to monitor the magnesium and potassium concentrations in the plant to help avoid an imbalance. If the addition of magnesium is recommended, the most common magnesium fertilizer sources are: (1) dolomitic limestone, (2) magnesium oxide, and (3) Sul-Po-Mg. Dolomitic limestone should be used if the soil is acid and liming is needed. If soil acidity is not a problem and magnesium is needed, then magnesium oxide can be used.

Sulfur: Sulfur is an important constituent of proteins in plants. Rarely does a sulfur deficiency occur in Ohio soils. Sulfur deficiency is most likely to occur on sandy soils with very low organic matter content. The predominant amount of sulfur used by the plant comes from decomposing organic matter. The best way to evaluate sulfur status of the plant is through the use of plant analysis. The sulfur status is considered low when sulfur concentration in the leaf tissue is less than or equal to 0.20%. If additional sulfur is needed, the most common sources to use are: (1) flowers of sulfur (yellow powder), (2) Sulf-Po-Mg, (3) gypsum, (4) ammonium sulfate, and (5) manures. Animal manures supply a substantial amount of sulfur as they break down in the soil.

Micronutrients: Even though micronutrients are very important to optimum grass forage, precaution should be used in adding them to the soil. The plant requires these nutrients in very small amounts and an over-application can be toxic to the plant. Excessive concentrations of boron and copper in the soil can be especially toxic to grass. The use of plant analysis is the best way to find out whether or not the grass crop needs additional micronutrients.

Establishing optimum soil fertility before planting will pay benefits in greater yields and better quality of grass forage over many years. Trying to make large changes in the soil's fertility after the crop has been established is expensive and not as effective as doing it before planting.

[Top] Dairy Tour and Forage Expo Highlight American Forage & Grassland Conference

Two events intended for farmers, but drawing the interest of other agricultural professionals, will be a highlight at this year's American Forage and Grassland Council 2002 Annual Conference. The conference will be held on July 14-17 in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The producer days at the conference will be July 16th and 17th and will carry a low $50 registration fee for the two-day segment.

July 16th will be a full, action-packed day, beginning at 8:00 a.m. Conference participants will hear from forage producers from across North America talk about their success in forage production practices during the Forage Spokesperson Contest.

At 11:30 a.m. attendees board buses for the producer tour "Minnesota Dairying: More Than One Future." The tour will take participants to three successful, but very different dairy operations. Following the tour, a Minnesota style on-farm steak barbecue and live auction will be held at one of the hosting dairy farms.

Day two of producer days is July 17th. Participants will depart Bloomington by bus for Umore Park in Rosemount, where they will see the opening day of the 2002 Minnesota Forage Expo. This premier showcase of Minnesota's forage industry offers forage producers the opportunity to see a variety of educational presentations on forage industry research, in-field harvesting and storage demonstrations, and hay sampling demonstrations.

For more information or registration materials for the 2002 AFGC Conference and Trade Show, call AFGC at (800) 944-2342 or check out the Web site: http://www.afgc.org.

[Top] Flying Jets and Keeping Up With Spring Grass - by Mark Sulc and Dave Barker, OSU Forage Agronomists

In one of the early issues of this newsletter (April 1995), Mark Bennett compared managing spring grass growth to flying a jet. This spring it seems more like flying at Warp II in Star Trek's Enterprise! Expert handling is required to take advantage of all this spring production and to keep pastures growing into the summer. Let's review some ideas for managing the spring flush.

1. Start grazing early with short grazing periods. While this is TOO LATE to implement now, we hope you did it and are enjoying the fruits of it now. Start grazing when plants are 2 to 3 inches tall in early spring, and move livestock rapidly (1 to 2 days) through paddocks. When reaching a paddock with forage at the normal grazing height (6 to 10 inches), lengthen the grazing period to utilize the available pasture, but keep grazing periods to less than 4 days in the spring by adjusting paddock size. These steps will help stagger pasture growth early in the season.
   
2. Increase stocking rate. Increasing stocking rate to take advantage of the spring flush requires careful financial planning. Buying and selling livestock within a short time span can expose you to short-term price fluctuations and financial risk. Contract grazing and other options may exist to increase stocking rates for the spring and early summer. Graze another group of animals or another species. Use a leader/follower plan and have young stock or milking cows top graze and breeding stock or dry cows clean up.
   
3. Store the surplus. Designate certain areas for machine harvesting. As pasture growth slows in the summer, bring those areas back into the grazing rotation. Plan ahead for where to harvest. Ease of harvest and accessibility to equipment are important considerations. Hay harvest can be used where you need to clean up grazing problems, such as where the growth got ahead of you. Consider making hay where you want to winter livestock, so you can stockpile hay bales where they will be needed in the winter. After one or two hay harvests, apply nitrogen and allow the growth to stockpile for late fall and winter grazing.
   
4. Faster rotation. As spring growth accelerates, increase the rate of rotation through the paddocks by leaving a taller residual. This option increases intake because animals can select the highest quality forage. This option may result in patchy grazing. The taller residual cover may reduce tiller density and vigor of grasses as they move into the summer months. Clipping of pastures may be needed to maintain grasses in a vigorous vegetative state. Despite the disadvantages and potential pitfalls with this option, it is probably one of the most viable solutions in many systems.
   
5. Use nitrogen strategically. Avoid nitrogen applications to pastures in early spring to prevent excessive forage production. Use nitrogen in early spring only when additional early growth is really needed. It is usually best to delay nitrogen use until late May or early June to help extend growth into the summer months. Nitrogen applications are most effective just prior to a good rainfall event (1/2 inch minimum).
   
6. Clip pastures. This is a controversial practice among graziers. Clipping at the right time can help keep pastures vegetative and growing rapidly. When pastures get tall and rank in late May and early June, tiller density is low, slowing regrowth and recovery. Clipping before pastures get excessively tall will remove seedheads and stimulate tillering and rapid growth going into the summer months.
   
7. Alternative species. Consider establishing some of your acres to warm season species (perennials or annuals) to defer more forage production until later in the season. This option requires careful planning to achieve a good balance of cool and warm-season species.
   
8. The option of last resort. Sometimes you just can't maintain good control of spring growth over the entire pasture acreage. Some work in New Zealand indicates that it's better to maintain control over the most productive pastures and let the less productive areas "blow up" rather than having all your acres in a mediocre state. In essence, you will be increasing your stocking rate on the productive area (maintaining quality and good growth rates) while stockpiling growth (poor quality) on the less productive area.
   Managing the spring flush is a challenge with no simple solutions, but the effort will be worth it later this summer. Remember to stay flexible and make adjustments as you look ahead and respond to ever changing conditions. Attend grazing council meetings to get and share ideas with others. Let us know of tactics that have worked for you.

All educational programs and activities conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to all potential clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, age, handicap or Vietnam-era veteran status. Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Admin. and Director, OSU Extension. TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Keith L. Smith, Director, Ohio State University Extension.

Want Amazing Graze e-mailed to you? Send an e-mail message to amazinggraze-on@ag.osu.edu