A bi-monthly 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
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Contents:

• Ohio Forage and Grassland Council Annual Meeting
• Financial Help for Implementing Grazing Practices
• Winter Grazing Equals Profit for Beef Producers
• A Forgotten Story? Perennial Ryegrass & Endophyte
• Forage Performance Trial Data
  
  

[top] Ohio Forage and Grassland Council Annual Meeting

The 2004 Annual Meeting of the Ohio Forage and Grassland Council has been set for Friday, March 26th at the OARDC Fisher Auditorium at Wooster, Ohio. The event begins with registration at 9:00 a.m. and concludes at 3:15 p.m. Two keynote speakers addressing the entire group are Dr. Dan Undersander, Forage Specialist at University of Wisconsin, speaking on “Relative Forage Quality,” a new forage quality measurement. Also Dr. Don Myers, Professor Emeritus for OSU will speak on Grass in Alfalfa. Several Concurrent sessions will also be held which include:

“Grazing Topics” by Dr. David Zartman, Professor, Animal Science, The Ohio State University,

“Highlights of their Grazing Dairy in indiana” by Bob and Debbie Eash, Hudson, Indiana,

“Forage Research Update” by Dr. Bill Weiss, Professor, Animal Science, The Ohio State University,

“Traffic Tolerance in Alfalfa” by Dr. Dan Undersander, Forage Specialist, University of Wisconsin,

“Grass Research Update” by Dr. David Barker, Assistant Professor, Hort & Crop Science, The Ohio State University,

and

“Soil Health” by Dr. Ben Stinner, Professor, Entomology, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

The program will also feature a popular forage producer panel and an excellent Forage Industry Trade Show. Registration fees are $20 per person for OFGC members and $30 per person for non-OFGC members. Early registration deadline is March 19, 2004. For further information call Susan Mykrantz at 330-264-2488 or Gary Wilson at 419-422-3851.

[top] Financial Help for Implementing Grazing Practices

While grazing has increased in popularity, so has farmer enrollment in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The EQIP program is made available as part of the 2002 Farm Security on Rural Investment Act (Farm Bill). As you visit grazing farms today, many producers will indicate they received government cost-share for implementing approved practices under EQIP.

Cost-share payments for EQIP require a change in farming practices or an improvement in conservation management. A few of the practices are eligible for cost-share include: heavy use area protection, fence, pond, water development, access road, etc. A full set of practices and structures is available from your local USDA/NRCS office or http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/efotg/ .

All private landowners with eligible land can apply. Eligible land is land on which agricultural commodities or livestock are produced. There are a few restrictions in the EQIP program. First, landowners must comply with highly erodable land and wetland conservation provisions. Second, the landowner must have control of the land for the life of the proposed contract period. Third, tenants can apply for funding if they have the concurrence of the landowners.

This year each county in Ohio has been awarded several thousand dollars for this program. Contact your local USDA/NRCS office for specific information on how to apply.

[top] Winter Grazing Equals Profit for Beef Producers - Allen Gahler, Extension Agent, Fairfield County

In Fairfield County, OSU Extension staff worked with producers and are compiling data on two years of extended grazing trials with cereal grains and brassicas on traditional row crop ground. Trials over the past two years have included oats conventionally sown and no-till planted into harvested wheat fields, oats and rye aerial seeded into standing corn fields, and turnips mixed into some trials. While results have varied over the two-year period, even the lowest yielding trials have proven to be significantly more profitable than feeding hay or other mechanically harvested feeds.

One of the more successful trials occurred in 2002, when bin-run oats were planted into wheat stubble the first week of August. With 2 bushels per acre planted and 90 lbs. of urea spread immediately ahead of the drill, 5 tons of dry matter per acre was available for grazing on November 8 th . The producer was able to maintain 45 cows from November 8 to the end of March on 30 acres, with only 20 days of unsuitable grazing conditions because of excessive snow cover. Excluding charges for land and labor, the estimated total remaining costs for this trial were around $30 per acre, with cost per cow totaling approximately $0.20 per day for the entire period! As an added bonus, the nutritional value of the oats exceeded requirements for the mid-gestation beef cow. The following table compares the actual nutrient value realized by cows on a diet of these oats versus stockpiled fescue. The values from November 20 on the table were from the consumption of pasture only, and the January data reflects the pasture plus access to low quality hay.

CP = Crude protein

DOM = digestible organic matter

While the 2002 results for nutrients and costs for the trial seem too good to be true, they were a reality. However, they probably represent extremes in both cases. Nonetheless, despite lower yields, preliminary data on the 2003 trials are still indicating a number of extended grazing protocols that can significantly enhance the profitability of an operation. With yields all across the board, feeding costs per cow per day are ranging from $.30 to $.80 before adjustments for nutritional value, compared to the average winter feeding costs in Ohio which range from $1 to well over $2 per cow.

When studying the next table, it can be seen that lower yields may be associated with later planting dates and/or the fact that some trials were aerial seeded into standing corn fields, meaning less sunlight. However, when grazed soon after harvest, whatever green growth from oats or rye can be found make an excellent, economical supplement to the corn fodder that several producers were already planning to graze. While accurate nutritional data has not been compiled on all of the trials, assumptions on the feed quality combined with yield data have shown that economically, fall and winter grazing on row crop ground is a very cost effective feeding method. The following table shows yields and economic analysis on some of the fall 2003 trials.

A full report on three years worth of trials, should be available in the spring of 2005. In the meantime, contact OSU Extension, Fairfield County at (740) 653-5419 for more details on nutrient contents, cost analysis, and any other facts about extending your grazing season.

[Top] A Forgotten Story? Perennial Ryegrass & Endophyte- Dave Barker, OSU Dept of Hort & Crop Science
Lanny Rhodes, OSU Dept of Plant Pathology, Tom Noyes, OSU Extension, Wayne County, Dean Slates, OSU Extension, Holmes County

In the USA, interest in endophyte has focused almost totally on its infection of tall fescue. Although tall fescue is the most common forage grass species in the eastern USA, it is possibly second to ryegrass on grazing dairy farms. My time in New Zealand taught me that endophyte can also infect perennial ryegrass, however, I'm unable to find any information on endophyte in perennial ryegrass in the USA. Correction… the turf industry publishes endophyte levels for its turf ryegrasses. There is no information on endophyte in forage ryegrass.

What is endophyte? Endophyte is a fungus that grows in the intracellular spaces of some grasses. It has the potential to impair livestock production (milk and meat) by toxic alkaloids produced during hot dry conditions . Endophyte is abundant in tall fescue in Ohio, with an average of 58% of the plants in a pasture being infected. Studies have reported losses in beef gains of 1 lb/day while grazing toxic tall fescue. These alkaloids can also cause spontaneous abortions in cattle and horses, as well as reduce milk production.

During the fall of 2003 we surveyed 46 ryegrass pastures (predominantly dairy) in Ohio, for endophyte. These pastures represented 31 farms from 10 counties, and varied in age, fertility, management and composition. Approximately 20 tillers were sampled from each field and tested for presence of endophyte, using an antibody method. Of the 46 ryegrass fields measured, 30 (65%) had negligible (<5%) infection, 11 (24%) had moderate (5-40%) infection and 5 (11%) had high (>40%) infection.

The bad news….

•  Ryegrass in Ohio can contain toxic levels of endophyte

•  Moderate (5-39%) endophyte levels were also found for several commercial forage cultivars

•  We do not know the effect of the wet summer of 2003. We will be repeating measurements on these same fields during the fall of 2004 to determine if endophyte levels are varying due to the effects of season or farm management. We have never seen endophyte levels go down – so the extent of increase (or not) in endophyte will be of considerable interest.

The good news is……

•  All the fields with high (>40%) endophyte levels had unknown genetic history…. or, if you plant varieties known to be endophyte-free you can probably avoid most problems with ryegrass endophyte

•  There were no definitive effects due to fertility, grazing management or ryegrass cultivar.

To conclude : we recommend that the endophyte levels in perennial ryegrass pastures be measured within the first few years after establishment. If you planted endophyte-free seed you probably have little reason for concern, however, a minority of these fields did show endophyte present and a test would be prudent. The greatest risk of endophyte occurred in fields with unknown genetics or endophyte status – in these cases, an endophyte test is essential.

Source: It's All About Grazing Column - Farm and Dairy

[Top] Forage Performance Trial Data

FYI — Forage Performance Trial Data is available on the web at www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~perf and in The Ohio's Country Journal sent to each Extension Office with the corn and soybean data.