A bi-monthly news publication of The Ohio State University Extension, Editors: Clif Little and Mark Sulc
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Contents:

• Pastures Require Fall Management
• Extended Grazing Season Forage Options
• FDA Requirement for Tracking Food & Feed Relative to Public Health Security & Bioterrorism Preparedness & Response Act of 2002

[top]Pastures Require Fall Management- Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator, Athens County

Often the focus of pasture management in the fall of the year shifts to preparation for winter grazing. We talk about things like stockpiling fescue, or planting annuals such as brassicas, cereal rye or oats. However, what about the rest of our pasture paddocks, those that will not be stockpiled, or that have not or will not be planted to an annual for-age? Fall is a time to pay some attention to these paddocks, and proper fall management sets the stage for next years grazing.

A review of grass growth and physiology will serve to guide the grazier in fall pasture management. During the growing season pasture management focuses around two principles; residual leaf area and rest periods, to ensure pasture pad-docks remain productive. The grass plant can produce a large amount of leaf growth and tolerate repeated defoliation under the favorable conditions (cooler temperatures and adequate soil moisture) generally found in the spring and early summer. Graziers that follow the take half, leave half rule of residual leaf area, combined with providing the plant with adequate rest periods to re-grow to a good grazing height produce plants that are vigorous with the capacity to replenish carbohydrate reserves. Now, as we enter the fall period, it is important to recognize that grass growth and production will slow as the plant prepares for dormancy. The fall period is a critical time to continue good pasture management and the grazier must avoid over-grazing during this period of slower grass growth. Severe defoliation in the fall of the year before dormancy can be more harmful to the grass plant than early season defoliation that is followed by an adequate rest period because the fall period may not provide the conditions needed for an overgrazed plant to recover. Carbohydrate reserves in the grass plant must be stored late in the fall period, not depleted. The reproductive tiller buds that lead to seed head formation in the spring are actually formed under the short day/long-night and low temperatures conditions of the late fall period. Energy reserves in the crown of the plant are needed for this development. Carbohydrate accumulation and bud development in the late fall period determine the winter survival of the plant, as well as how quick and vigorous spring growth will be. Once the grass plant enters dormancy during the winter period, it can once again be heavily grazed since the leaf material is now of little value to the plant and grazing it off will have little direct impact upon plant health.

One other management task that can be done in the fall of the year is to pull soil tests on pasture paddocks. Fall can often provide some good conditions to spread lime and fertilizer on paddocks. For most grass pastures, set a goal to maintain soil pH above 6.0, with 6.5 an optimal level. The OSU Extension Agronomy Guide recommends optimum soil P levels in the 15 to 40 ppm range (30 to 80 lbs/acre) and soil K in the 100-200 ppm range (200 to 400 lbs/acre).

Graziers should remain diligent in their pasture management practices throughout the fall period. Don't let a seasons worth of good management come undone by overgrazing in the critical fall period.

[top]Extended Grazing Season Forage Options - Stan Smith & Allen Gahler, OSU Extension, Fairfield County

With many harvested small grain fields that weren't double cropped to soybeans now sitting idle, cattle-men still have an excellent opportunity to be creating high quality forages that may be grazed well into winter, and even next spring. If you are fortunate enough to be in a Conservation Security Program (CSP) watershed and are accepted into the program, the "extended grazing" options that are discussed below may be eligible for an additional "enhancement" payment.

f your primary needs are forages for grazing, hay, or silage later this summer and fall, oats appear to be the most productive, least cost option at this time. Alternatives include:

• No-till 60-90 pounds into harvested wheat or oat fields, or harvested corn silage fields anytime up until early September. It appears that late July or early August may be the optimum time to plant oats when high quality forage is the goal. "Spring" oats seldom make seed when planted after the days begin to shorten in July, but will continue to grow leaf until Thanksgiving or after in Ohio. Consider applying ~ 50 pounds of nitrogen about 60 days before you plan to harvest them, regardless of the harvest method.
• Aerial seed 100 to 120 pounds of oats into standing corn in August. Pay attention to the herbicide program you've used on the corn to be certain it doesn't conflict with oat establishment or grazing/harvest restrictions. Our experiences with this alternative have been variable - some fields pro-duced very well, while others achieved a less than perfect stand. It appears that the best stands come in fields that are totally weed-free, and the earlier the corn is harvested, the more abundant the oats become. In nearly every case, the value of the forage produced has exceeded the costs of aerial seeding (~$10/acre) plus the seed costs. In addition, the high quality oat forage that results will allow for better utilization of the grazed corn stalks.
• Aerial seed 100 to 120 pounds of oats into standing soybeans in early September as the soybean leaves first begin to turn. Again, pay attention to the herbicide program you've used on the soybeans to be certain it doesn't conflict with oat establishment or grazing/harvest restrictions. Results with this alternative have been a little more consistent than what we experienced in the standing corn, but less productive than the best corn stalk fields due to the later seeding date.

This web link has photos and data of a few of past year's attempts at the alternatives described above: http://fairfield.osu.edu/ag/graze/wntrgraz.htm

If your primary needs are forage for grazing, hay, or silage next spring, cereal rye appears to be the best alternative. The opportunity exists to graze it in the late summer and fall; however, the most abundant tonnage will come in the spring. In addition to planting it with the options mentioned above for oats, you may also no-till it after row crop harvest - particularly soybeans and silage corn - this fall. See the OSU Extension Agronomy Fact Sheet AGF-0026-00, entitled Winter Rye for Extending the Grazing Season for more details on growing cereal rye. This publication may be found in OSU Extension offices or on-line at: http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/0026.html

If your primary needs are grazeable forages as soon as possible, consider turnips or a combination of oats and turnips. Previous summers we've seen good results locally when planting a 'grazing turnip' such as Appin in combination with oats. If some precipitation is received shortly after planting, this combination could be strip grazed as early as 5-6 weeks after planting. The oats will provide some additional fiber in this grazing mix, and the Appin turnips will continue to re-grow after being topped off with an early grazing. These web links will show you what this combination looks like after only 5 weeks of spring growth: http://fairfield.osu.edu/ag/beef/OatsTrnp.JPG and also after 6.5 weeks of growth: http://fairfield.osu.edu/ag/beef/OatsTrnp2.JPG

As you review your options, realize that at times seed oats are difficult to purchase this time of year. Contact the Ohio Seed Improvement Association (ph: 614.889.1136 or http://www.ohseed.org) for a list of growers who may have seed oats available. If you take the opportunity to try any of these extended grazing or forage production alternatives, please keep us updated on your progress and success. If you have questions or would like further information, feel free to contact the Fairfield County Extension Office at 740-653-5419 or fair@ag.osu.edu..

[top]FDA Requirement for Tracking Food & Feed Relative to Public Health Security & Bioterrorism Preparedness & Response Act of 2002- Dr. Dan Undersander, Forage Agronomist, University of Wisconsin

There has been some concern caused by recent press releases about the need to track hay and grain sold off the farm relative to the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002. The requirements took effect June 9 for operations with more than 10 employees and Dec 9, 2006 for all other operations. The FDA requirements are stated in a fact sheet at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fsbtac23.html

The National Hay Association and others have checked requirements carefully with the FDA and found that the recording requirements have been vastly overstated in the press. Requirements are "one up and one down" - a person should keep tract of who/where commodities are bought from and who/where commodities are sold to.

Farms are specifically exempt. FDA is pro-posing to define "farm'' in Sec. 1.227(c)(3) in part as "a facility in one general physical location devoted to the growing of crops for food, the raising of animals for food (including seafood), or both.…Some examples of farms include: apple orchards, hog farms, dairy farms, feedlots, or aquaculture facilities". The definition of "farm'' includes: "(i) Facilities that pack or hold food, provided that all of the food used in such activities is grown or raised on that farm or is consumed on that farm; and (ii) facilities that manufacture/process food, if all of the food used in such activities is consumed on that farm or another farm under the same ownership….Facilities that engage in manufacturing/processing, packing, or holding of food that are not described in the definition of "farm'' must register …A farm that manufactures/processes, packs, or holds food is not required to register with FDA, if all of the food used in such activities is consumed on that farm or another farm under the same ownership. For example, a farm that manufactures/processes animal feed from ingredients obtained off the farm for consumption by animals on the farm would be exempt because most farms that raise animals engage in this activity."

Farmers who simply bale hay for sale do not have to register their facilities or maintain re-cords. The FDA does not consider baling hay as processing. All the FDA needs is a receipt in a receipt book showing the person (or entity) that bought the hay and the quantity that was purchased. There is no requirement that hay producers keep track of all the bales and where they go. Records that are maintained for tax purposes which show that a sale was made and to whom the sale was made should be sufficient for compliance. The new FDA rule will not require a farmer to change recordkeeping as long as details of the feed sale are recorded.

Drying hay or grain and chopping for silage are considered post-harvest activities, which would be considered manufacturing/processing. Therefore, the facility drying hay or grain or chopping forage must establish and maintain records of the food's receipt and release as required in 21 CFR 1.337 and 1.345. Those selling silage or TMRs would fall under this requirement.

In particular, there is no need for being able to track lots of hay or grain back to individual fields as some have indicated.

Thus, the news releases have been much ado about nothing. No additional records for hay or grain sales are required beyond what most keep for tax records.