Two pastures that were eaten with a short break at the beginning of last autumn have a dry matter of £ 1,500 per morning and £ 3,250 a morning compared to the long relaxation before grazing for the first time. (Victor Shelton)
Columbus, Ohio – I'm glad that May has finally arrived. So far it has been a wet and somewhat stormy source for me. If you haven't done it yet, it's a really good idea to go over your pastures before you let her graze for the first time. You can use your ATV if you prefer it, but I would rather go and watch you closely instead of looking at quick looks and a joyride. It would not hurt to take some pictures to compare the current conditions with other periods.
First, rate how much new growth is actually available in every paddock or in every field. The crowd can deceive unless they actually step into it. Ideally, take a yardstick and measure the average height of the new feed. For most feed for the cool season, I would like to see at least eight to 10 inch growth before grazing. I don't want to sound like a broken plate, but it is important for that Conversion of green vegetative “solar panel” and ensures that energy returns to the roots, since a large part of the initial spring growth has already used it.
As a rule, they notice some growth differences from field to field. This is completely normal and we recently discussed some of these differences. Fields that grazed harder last autumn, especially before the resting concept, are often somewhat delayed in their spring growth. This is expected because grazing reduced energy storage for spring green-up. However, this can be useful if you intersection or frost-serving because there is less competition.
Fields that later grazed in autumn or early winter usually record more growth in spring, unless they were very short, especially in winter. If the plants graze strongly, they rely on their energy reserves to grow them back up, but they also have to use these reserves to grow new roots together with new leaves. A longer close grazing can damage the roots and lead to root mortals. As a result, these fields need time to recover and regenerate both their roots and leaves.
The amount of living roots at a certain point in time corresponds approximately to the amount of living or dormant leaf materials that remain above ground (rest). Larger, well -kept plants typically have deeper root systems, while shorter, tightly grazed plants have flatter roots. At the beginning of the year, especially with a lot of moisture, you may not think about the potential problems with short roots. But when the hotter, drier summer days arrive, the deeper roots play a decisive role in access to moisture and nutrients in the soil profile.
Fields that were stored last autumn were very well -assessed after the distance and not too short in spring and are often among the first fields that are ready for grazing. These finished fields can better require the abuse of wet weather than fields that grazed too early and continued to graze under moist conditions. A short, close grazing in moist conditions often increases the compression, which has a negative impact on new growth in spring. If this happens regularly, these fields can begin to feed, which are more tolerant compared to grazing and compacted soils such as Bluegrasse and white Dutch clover. In fact, if you are compacted, you may find that Bluegrass will sow earlier than usual. Take your time to watch and think – what happened in a certain area?
Fields that have not been stored, but are not allowed to graze much in autumn and are allowed to recover in winter, will probably have the new spring growth. These fields had enough time last autumn to rebuild reserves-maybe from mid-October or longer. Although some areas were drier than usual, the long recovery made it much easier to strain this feed and enabled them to send energy reserves to the roots. The “solar panel” continued to pump into the roots all autumn and helped them grow. If you look at these fields this spring, the food should grow tight, rich and well. When you dig out, you will find many living roots that extend deep into the floor profile. These fields will not only be productive for early grazing, but will also be in a better form to master the hotter, drier conditions that come later – as long as we do not pour them over in the meantime.
I encourage them to take a close look at their pastures. This is a good practice, whether you have not started this year, have already stopped this year or never. Think about what you can do to improve feed growth and quality in this vegetation period. A reasonable recovery before grazing is usually an advantage for increased productivity.
If you have clover clover in established stands at the beginning of this year, a light to moderate grazing can help to release the intersal legumes and to reduce competition by dominant grasses. Careful grazing management helps the clover to integrate into the pasture system and increase nitrogen fixation, which improves the entire pasture power and health of the soil strength. You want to remove just enough competition to open the cancer and enable more light to reach the young cloverlays, and be careful not to pour or remove the new legumes.
Spring is a critical time for the control of weeds on her pastures. Weeds can quickly enter into if the pastures are graze too short or stressed out by overgrown. Dense, healthy feed will of course help to suppress weed growth, but you should proactively develop problems with problems and dealing with problems with problems. Spot -Begrazing can help manage weed movements, and a targeted herbicide application is useful if you have particularly aggressive species. Always pay attention to your general pasture and make sure that weed control methods do not damage any useful plants or the soil quality.
Search for frequent problems such as distresses or multi -year weeds that can exceed your desired feed. If you catch them early, you can prevent you from spreading and spreading in the pasture. However, it is important not to persuade areas with weeds because it can make the problem worse. Healthy pasture management and the practices of the smart Unhed management will reduce weed pressure and at the same time promote strong, productive pastures.
The grass tetanie (hypomagneemia) is a serious disease that can influence the cattle in early spring, especially when they start grazing, new growth. The rapidly growing grass is often top -class and low in magnesium, which can disturb the magnesium absorption and lead to tetany. To prevent grass tetanies, it is a good idea to offer a high degree of mineral preparation (typically 10-20%) until the rinsing of the new feed is over. If you have concerns or need further advice, please contact your local extension or the veterinarian to receive further information on the effective management of Gras -tany.
It is not about maximizing a single pasture event, but optimizing the entire pasture season. Watch, plan ahead and graze on!
– Victor Shelton, retired NRCS Agronomist/Weiden specialist
In Ohio State University Extension Ohio Beef beef letter