Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..
Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
The trampling of available forage in a pasture may cause some producers grief as it represents “wasted feed” that the animals could have consumed.
The trampling of available forage in a pasture may cause some producers grief as it represents “wasted feed” that the animals could have consumed.
RIPLEY, W.Va. (WV News) — The majority of the pastures in West Virginia are dominated by cool-season plant species (i.e. tall fescue, orchardgrass, red/white clover, etc.). This simply means that they typically maximize growth during the spring and fall when temperatures are cool (~60-75˚F) and soil moisture is abundant. However, the physiology of these type of plants becomes less efficient during high temperatures, high humidity and/or dry conditions and plant growth/recovery from stresses, such as grazing. It is important to understand that management during the summer months should reflect the needs of the field to avoid compromising future growth or increasing the encroachment of weeds due to overgrazing. Below are a few tips that may help producers improve the proficiency of summer grazing in their operations
One of the main reasons that growth/recovery from grazing may become slower during the summer is due lower rate of photosynthesis and the plant may rely more on stored nutrients to meet their requirements. Producers may want to move animals quicker through their paddocks to allow more leaf tissue behind (~4 inches) following grazing. This may facilitate quicker regrowth of the plants due to allowing more photosynthetic tissues to capture solar light the plant needs for growth without utilizing their reserves. Removing a large portion of the plant’s tissue at once may also compromise root growth due to the plant allocating growth to the aboveground portions first. Defoliation of approximately 50% at one time typically has minimal effect (5% root loss) whereas greater rates of removal increase significantly (50% root loss). Prolonged severe grazing eventually leads to the plants with shallow roots that are more susceptible to drought conditions.
Divide pastures (if possible) to allow more rest
In addition to leaving more leaf tissue behind, allowing more time between grazing rotations, allows adequate time for the stand to rest in order to replenish reserves and produce additional growth for the fall. Cool-season pastures can recover in roughly 14 days when conditions are optimal, but this may extend to 30-40 days during the summer months. Incorporating additional paddocks is an easier way to accomplish this by creating additional areas for controlled grazing by livestock while also increasing the density of animals on a specific area to achieve a more uniform removal. For large pastures, this may be done by using temporary grazing, such as polywire and step-in post, to subdivide the field. Ideally, the paddock should be large enough to provide grazing for 3-7 days to not compromise regrowth. Producers may also consider finding alternative fields to graze. This would be working out an arrangement with owners of neighboring or underutilized fields or grazing existing hay fields. In the case of the latter, this will also save the cost of producing hay while extending the availability of pasture later into the fall months.
Take advantage of fields with diversity
Many pastures may have a significant portion of warm-season species whose presence increases during the summer months. These forages are excellent for summer grazing as they are palatable to livestock, have a high nutritive value (if managed correctly), and thrive under warm temperatures. Tall growing warm-season species, such as johnsongrass or big bluestem should be grazed before seedheads are starting to form to obtain the highest quality diet to the animal. Animals should be removed when they have grazed the stand to approximately 8 inches to avoid overgrazing these species. Lower growing species, such as crabgrass, may be grazed similar to cool-season species, but never below 3 inches of growth. If pastures lack diversity and contain only cool-season species, producers may want to consider their methods of grazing to increase the presence of warm-season species. Strategic changes to how a pasture is grazed (i.e. altering the stocking density, grazing at different intensities, varying rest periods, etc.) may increase diversity of species in a pasture. The resilience of a pasture to unfavorable growing conditions is typically directly proportional to the number and types of grazable species present in the field.
There is no thing as “wasted” grass
The trampling of available forage in a pasture may cause some producers grief as it represents “wasted feed” that the animals could have consumed. Even though it wasn’t utilized by the animal, this “wasted feed” will go a long way to help the operation. If the trampled material was young and vegetative (i.e. no seedheads) and the field conditions were not overly wet, much of this material will remain active and result in quicker regrowth. More importantly, more residue left behind protecting and improving the soil. Residues that may result from trample help insulate the soil surface from sunlight which decreases soil temperatures and reduces losses of soil moisture to help sustain plant growth. Any plant tissues that result from the trampling decompose to increase soil carbon which improves various aspects of soil quality/health, such as nutrient cycling, water infiltration, etc.
Your comment has been submitted.
There was a problem reporting this.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Get the Jackson Star & Herald Delivered to your email everyday!
Get the Jackson News Weekly delivered to your inbox!
News from around the State and World. What you need to know for today! Don't Miss it!
Special offers from businesses around your area.
Sign up to get our statewide obits delivered to your inbox daily.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription
News from around the State and World. What you need to know for today! Don't Miss it!
Find out what's happening around the state with this weekly email alert sent every Thursday evening!
Sign up to get our statewide obits delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign up to receive our daily newsletter about all things business and politics in West Virginia.
Morgantown News Delivered Each Day!
Morgantown News Delivered to Your Inbox Each Week!
Special offers from businesses around your area.
Get the latest headlines on local WVU, College and High School sports!
Get latest breaking news from around the state when it happens.
Daily News, Sports and Events from The ET.
Sign up for the only WV Government and Business newsletter delivered each week!
This week's most popular news from around the State. Don't Miss it!
Daily News, Sports and Events for Marion County.
Weekly Fairmont news emailed every Thursday evening!
Daily News, Sports and Events for Garrett County and surrounding areas.
Find out what's happening in Garrett County with this weekly email alert!
Get the Jackson Star & Herald Delivered to your email everyday!
Get the Jackson News Weekly delivered to your inbox!
Daily news from the Mineral News & Tribune delivered to your email!
Get the news for Mineral County, Keyser and Frankfort delivered to your email on Tuesdays and Fridays!
Daily News, Sports and Events for Preston County.
Weekly email alert sent every Tuesday and Friday afternoon for Preston County!
Get the River Cities Tribune & Register Delivered to your email everyday!
Get the River Cities Tribune and Register Delivered to your email less frequently!
Daily News, Sports and Events for Weston and Surrounding areas.
Sign up for local job offers sent to your inbox.
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.