Missouri Farmers Told to Plan Ahead for Fall Forage
US - By stockpiling fall forage, the hay supply can be stretched out by delaying how early hay is fed, advises Pat Miller, University of Missouri Extension agronomist.
16 July 2013
2 minute read
Doing so will also reduce your harvesting costs, advises Mrs Miller.
"Think of it as letting the cows do their own harvesting," she says."Fall fescue pastures have excellent forage quality, running 15 to 18 percent protein."
If you want to get fall grazing or winter stockpiling from your fescue stands, fertilizing needs to be done in late summer, preferably just before a rain.
"Much of the late growth of fescue is made during August and September, so for the fertilizer to benefit the fall growth, it needs to be applied mid- to late July," adds Mrs Miller.
If the stand is primarily grass, 60 to 80 pounds of nitrogen would be plenty. If the stand is thick with legumes, they will provide much of the needed nitrogen. Apply phosphorus, potash and lime according to soil test recommendations to get the benefit of all the nitrogen you apply.
If the stand is primarily fescue, it can also be stockpiled for winter use. For this use, Mrs Miller recommends removing cattle by early August and returning them in early October. Other grasses and legumes do not work as well for stockpiling.
"The best way to utilize this stockpiled fescue is to strip graze or limit graze," Mrs Miller says. An electric fence can be moved each day to give them one day's worth of grazing. This way, the cattle will not trample the grass before they are able to eat it.
"They'll probably be there waiting for you to move the fence," Mrs Miller says.
