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Prairie hay plays in Emporia
Native bluestem grasses have grown on thousands of eastern Kansas acres for generations. These days, a lot of those acres are cut, baled, and shipped across the U.S. as what is known as prairie hay.
Soil biological products are relatively new. Farmers need to do their homework before and after purchasing. Stocking
This North Carolina farm couple has built a successful beef grazing operation with the use of novel tall fescue and crabgrass.
Bales are picked up with an Arcusin bale bundler during the equipment demonstrations at last fall’s National Hay Association Convention. The field demonstrations were held at Geralds Farms near Munfordville, Ky. The hay farm is operated by Clayton Geralds and his wife, Molly, along with their son, Christopher. They sell small square bales to the equine market.
I’ve used this line multiple times over the years to humorously make fun of my propensity for being late. Being a little late in life’s many offerings usually doesn’t change the tilt or rotation of the earth. In fact, some people view “fashionably late” as the preferred practice in selected instances.
Of course, there are situations when being late might result in negative consequences. I recall once having to meet two co-workers at a rendezvous point so we could carpool to an agronomy field day event. Per usual, I was five minutes late, and when I arrived at the designated meeting point, my co-workers were nowhere to be found. I waited another 10 minutes before deciding that they had deserted me. In driving solo to the event, it occurred to me that one of the co-workers was a career Marine reserve officer. In his mind and training, late was never an option. I didn’t make that mistake again, at least when current or former military personnel were involved.
Being late for dinner or a meeting is one thing, but late farm operations can have significant economic consequences. As we approach the month of May, when the first cutting of forage begins to be made for a wide swath of the country, a late trip with the mower to the field can have a huge impact on the year’s profit margin; it doesn’t matter whether the hay is being sold or fed. This is true from Maryland to California and for alfalfa, tall fescue, or winter rye.
Many regions have experienced some unusually warm weather in the early going of this spring. Harvest equipment may need to be fieldready a bit earlier than normal. Historically, attempts to gauge first-cut forage quality based solely on calendar date or maturity stage have failed miserably because of annual fluctuations in the growing environment.
Forage that grows during the spring is unique in many ways. First, the growing environment is like no other during the growing season. Temperatures during most of the spring growth cycle are likely going to be cool, at least compared to mid-summer. That’s good from a forage quality standpoint, but as harvest time nears, weather conditions can be cool, hot, wet, dry, or some combination thereof. The possible weather extremes as forage approaches harvest makes it difficult to predict forage quality. At mid-bud or early heading stages, forage quality could range
from rocket fuel one year to cordwood the next. Never underestimate the impact of growing environment on forage quality.
Being late in the field for first cutting can result in first-cut fiber digestibility being the worst of the year when it should top the forage inventory. It’s the cooler growing conditions that often make it the best of the season. If you’re late and hot weather sets in, or the harvest is delayed by extended wet weather, the rate of first crop fiber digestibility decline is unmatched, being much more rapid than subsequent cuttings. This makes the optimum spring harvest window for grasses and legumes narrower compared to subsequent growth cycles. Hence, a timely first cut is essential if high forage quality is the primary objective.
For alfalfa or alfalfa-grass mixtures, several approaches are available to estimate forage quality at any given time point. Predictive equations for alfalfa quality (PEAQ), growing degree accumulation, or taking fresh cuttings from the field for lab analysis are all used. None of these methods are perfect, but they do prevent major cutting decision errors.
The first cutting not only offers the potential of the best forage quality for the year, but it also provides the greatest percentage of dry matter yield compared to subsequent harvests. Similar to forage quality that declines at a faster rate than subsequent cuttings, forage dry matter accumulates more rapidly. Cut on time and you have a lot of high-quality forage. If you’re too late, then the result will be mountains of coarse, low-quality fodder. The yield versus quality trade-off is never more relevant than with first-cut forage.
Finally, in the case of perennial forage species, the date of first cutting sets the pace for the rest of the harvest season. It often dictates how many future cuttings will be taken, the interval between cuttings, and how late into the fall the last cutting will be harvested. It’s the only cutting of the year when there is no number of days since the previous harvest.
The decision of when to cut first crop is wide open, but the consequences of that decision are far reaching from a livestock performance and economic standpoint. Don’t be late. •
Happy foraging,
PRAIRIE HAY PLAYS IN EMPORIA
by Mike Rankin, Managing Editor
PERENNIAL forage production takes on many different faces across the United States. It may range from endless acres of tall fescue, to green and growing bermudagrass, to field after field of Western irrigated alfalfa.
On the upland prairie of eastern Kansas, near the city of Emporia, it’s native bluestem grasses that provide the bulk of production for many of those who call themselves haymakers. The thousands of acres of big and little bluestem have covered this area for generations, providing either pasture for grazing cattle or the production of what is simply referred to as prairie hay. Make no mistake; it’s big business.
When John Waechter graduated from high school in 1973, he was offered a football scholarship to Emporia State University. He had grown up as one of 10 children on his parent’s farm outside the rural town of Olpe, about 10 miles south of Emporia. Waechter didn’t take the college offer; he was more interested in getting paid 35 cents a bale to move and stack hay out of neighbors’ fields. A year and a half after high school, Waechter went into the hay business for himself. “I bought some junk equipment and leased 230 acres of prairie grass,” he said of his humble beginnings. “At the time, I was the youngest member to join the National Hay Association.
Starting out was a battle at first, but I just kept advertising, adding, and growing.” One might say that’s an understatement, as today Waechter Hay and Grain Farms Inc. consists of over 11,000 acres of owned land and entails three different enterprises: hay, grain, and commercial trucking, and they all work hand-in-hand. The veteran haymaker is most proud of the fact that he’s been debt free for over 10 years.
Hay in high demand
Waechter’s hay operation consists of over 2,300 acres of prairie grass, 2,000 acres of leased prairie grass, 600 acres of smooth bromegrass, and 250 acres of alfalfa, which is seeded during late summer and persists for four to five years. He also bales a couple hundred acres of wheat straw. “We were growing more alfalfa, but the recent high grain prices prompted us to replace some of those acres with wheat and soybeans,” Waech-
ter explained. “We’ll probably get back to more alfalfa in the next couple of years.” The goal for the prairie grass hay is to harvest 1.5 tons per acre. All of the grass acres are sprayed to control broadleaf weeds each spring using two 120-foot boom sprayers. The prairie grass acres are cut once per year with two New Holland self-propelled 18-foot mowers. “We usually start in early July and just keep mowing until we’re done,” Waechter said. Both the prairie and bromegrass hay are mowed one day, raked the next with two Vermeer basket rakes, and usually baled on the following day. Waechter harvests his production as 4x4, 3x3, or small square bales, depending on the hay type and final market. He noted that a lot of customers like the 3x3 bales because they can be easily handled with a skid loader. Dairies and feedlots take the 4x4 bales while most of the small square bales go to horse owners and stables. Hay is stored in five hay barns that are scattered around the farm’s acreage.
John Waechter operates a multi-enterprise farm that produces prairie and bromegrass hay along with alfalfa.
All photos
Mike Rankin
“The feedlot industry in western Kansas uses a lot of our prairie hay production, but we send it everywhere,” Waechter explained. “The four big feedlots we deal with each take about 150 semitrailer loads per year. In fact, we have to buy some hay from other producers because we don’t have the acreage to meet that demand. Dairies buy our prairie hay for low-potassium dry cow hay, and the horse people like the brome hay,” he added.
Of course, Waechter doesn’t manage over 11,000 acres himself. He employs 30 full-time workers. His two adult children, Johnny and Erica, are also heavily involved in the management of the operation. “We’re not looking to grow anymore,” Waechter noted. “Now, we just want to concentrate on doing a better job with what we have.” You can learn more about the operation at waechterhaygrain.com.
The boys came back
Just northeast of Emporia is Fuller Hay, a family operation that specializes in prairie and bromegrass hay but also has 150 beef cows and operates a 1,000-head feed yard. Brothers Lane and Logan Fuller, along with their mother, Lisa, harvest hay on 2,000 acres of owned land while also renting 1,500 acres of hay ground and custom harvesting another 1,000 acres.
Lisa’s husband, Gary, was killed in a farm accident in 2014. At the time, Lane had just gotten married and was a lineman for the power company. Logan was a freshman in college. It wasn’t long after their father’s death that both boys came back to the farm.
“Gary bought his first over-the-road truck in 1988, and that’s when the hay business started to grow,” remembered Lisa, who was raised on a farm in western Kansas. “We got married in 1989 and started renting hay ground to build that business because Gary’s brother was farming the home acres. There wasn’t enough to support three families.”
The trucking business, which is now overseen by Lane, has grown through the years. It currently consists of three over-the-road trucks, four drop-deck trailers, and two cattle trailers. The elder son also helps with the hay during the summer. Logan manages the hay and cattle operations.
The Fullers’ hay ground is primarily native bluestem prairie grass. They also harvest about 600 acres of smooth bromegrass. “The bromegrass isn’t cut until it ‘smokes’ or pollinates,”
Logan said. “In this way, the grass often reseeds itself if adequate rainfall follows. We fertilize it with about 80 pounds of nitrogen every spring and will sometimes put some phosphorus and potassium on in the fall. We originally seeded all of our stands but have not had to go through and reseed any fields yet,” he added.
Logan said they generally start cutting bromegrass during the second week of June. That harvest takes about two weeks to complete. Prairie grass harvest begins after July 4, starting with the small square bale acreage. Prairie hay baling then continues through August, preferably at 10% to 12% moisture content. “It has to be green and quality, so I don’t risk getting it wet for the small square baled fields,” Logan said. “Later in the season for the feedlot hay, we’ll take some bigger chances on rain.”
The operation makes 3x4 big square bales, small square bales, and large round bales, although most of the latter are done for their custom harvest clients. They mow with a self-propelled 9960 Massey Ferguson, which has steel conditioner rolls. “We trade mowers every two to three years because it does all of the cutting,” Logan said.
A New Holland two-basket rotary rake forms the windrows. The baler lineup includes a 3x4 AGCO 7434 big square baler, an older John Deere 567 round baler, and two small square balers — an older in-line 7110 AGCO and a New Holland 570 Hayliner. “We’re pretty do-it-yourself people, so we tackle all of our own maintenance and repairs,” Lane said. “Keeping the older
equipment in working order hasn’t been much of a problem.”
Last year, the Fullers added a Bale Baron to their line of equipment for bundling and moving small square bales. They feel this has improved their efficiency and reduced labor requirements for removing bales from the field and loading trucks for customers. Prior to last year, they had used a New Holland stack wagon.
For the prairie grass that will be made into higher quality small square bales, fields are burned every spring to eliminate the old crop residue and emerging weeds. For hay that will be baled into 3x4s for a feedlot, burning off the residue is less critical because most of that hay goes through a grinder.
If needed, the Fullers will also spray for broadleaf weeds and forbs. The biggest weed problems are lespedeza, milkweed, musk thistle, and bindweed. “If we do custom work in a weedy field, we’ll clean our equipment before coming back to our fields,” Logan said. He noted that the prairie grass is pretty low management, and like Waechter, they don’t apply any fertilizer, which can encourage unwanted tall fescue.
Loyal customer base
Lane noted that their hay customer base is pretty consistent from year to year. “We truck all of the hay to our customers and generally try to get a backhaul returning to Kansas. A lot of our small squares are delivered to horse owners in Colorado and Tennessee. They pay for premium hay. Most of the bromegrass goes into small square bales for horses in Colorado. The lower quality big squares go to feedlots and beef producers,” he added.
“We try to keep a relatively consistent price, taking a somewhat lower price when the market goes crazy and a higher price when the market is low,” Lisa explained. “I don’t have a problem when there’s hay left in the barn at the start of a new year because you don’t know what’s going to happen or if you’ll need it for your regular customers. We haven’t advertised our hay in 15 years,” she added.
Despite a family tragedy that could have crippled the farm, the future remains bright for Fuller Hay. Like Waechter, the Fullers have no immediate plans to get bigger. “We want to concentrate on getting better with what we have,” Logan asserted. It appears likely that they will. •
The Fullers overcame a family tragedy and expanded to become a successful hay farm. From left to right: Lane, Lisa, and Logan Fuller.
Beat the slump with sudangrass
IN THE Midwest, over the last two decades, both June and September have shown a trend toward warmer average monthly temperatures. This extended summer period prolongs the “summer slump” experienced by cool-season pastures, highlighting the growing need and numerous benefits of incorporating warm-season annual grasses into these systems. Warm-season annual grasses like sudangrass offer a solution to counter the summer slump, providing a much needed break for cool-season perennial pastures during the warmest months of the year.
Most producers are familiar with sorghum-sudangrass as it is known for its high yield potential. However, one of its parents, sudangrass, seems to be almost forgotten about when it comes to annual forage production. This is a shame because sudangrass can be a great option for summer grazing. Sudangrass boasts thinner stems than sorghum-sudangrass and can produce excellent leafy growth. Like other warm-season grasses, it is also quite tolerant of drought conditions. Compared to sorghum-sudangrass, sudangrass is less prone to brittleness and breakage and has a higher tillering potential, ensuring better regrowth after grazing events. Sudangrass also contains less prussic acid than sorghum-sudangrass; however, grazing sudangrass should still be avoided until plants reach at least 15 inches in height.
For optimal production, the recommended seeding rate for sudangrass is about 20 to 25 pounds per acre and plant sudangrass approximately one to two weeks after corn when the soil temperature has reached at least 60°F. Usually, it will be ready to graze about 45 days after planting.
Get a head start
Graze sudangrass early and give it a good trim. Early grazing encourages tillering and will enhance overall forage yield. Ideally, start grazing when the plants are 2 feet tall. We generally suggest the first grazing event be more severe, allowing cattle to graze sudangrass to 3 inches, which will stimulate tillering. Then, target 6
events thereafter.
A common mistake is not initiating grazing early enough because the rate of growth is underestimated. Basically, if you think sudangrass will be ready to graze in a week, it is likely to be ready to graze in a few days. I have been a victim of this misjudgment myself.
Target high quality
Sudangrass grows rapidly, which can be a blessing and a curse. Sudangrass can have exceptional feed value when plants are immature and can support high nutrient requirements like those of lactating cows or growing calves. Last year, we grazed beef cows in peak lactation on sudangrass, and they maintained body condition while their nursing calves gained 2 pounds per day. Hand plucked samples of forage that was 2.5 feet tall at the end of July was 63% total digestible nutrients (TDN) and 20% crude protein (CP). However, when mature, sudangrass can be low quality. To maximize animal performance, manage grazing to keep the forage in a vegetative stage.
Sudangrass fits the bill as a high-quality, fastgrowing forage with exceptional regrowth potential. It’s a good choice to bridge the summer cool-season grass slump.
Keep cattle moving
Rotational grazing allows for maximum production of nutritious forage. A high stocking rate with a quick rotation will improve forage utilization and allow for forage quality to be maintained. It is recommended to have three to four paddocks with the capacity to produce three days’ worth of grazing per paddock. Last summer in eastern Nebraska, a four-paddock rotation sustained one cow-calf pair per acre for 60 days with regrowth exceeding 15 inches within 10 days after grazing.
Sudangrass can be an asset for mitigating the challenges of the extended summer slump in the Midwest. Timely grazing initiation and rotational grazing systems are key to maximizing sudangrass’ regrowth potential and maintaining forage quality. It can be a great option for bridging the summer slump in cool-season pastures, providing high-quality forage and giving perennial species a break to improve their long-term productivity. •
MARY DREWNOSKI
The author is a beef systems extension specialist with the University of NebraskaLincoln.
inches for the end plant height during grazing
Ten tips for evaluating soil biological products
by Matt Yost
FARMERS currently have more options for crop inputs than ever before. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of crop inputs on the market, including fertilizer, seed genetics, pesticides, soil amendments, and more recently, biological and nanotechnologies. Wading through this sea of inputs and knowing which will result in a positive return on investment (ROI) is one of the most challenging parts of farming.
The purpose of this article is to provide 10 tips for considering which biological products to trial and use on your farm. Many of these tips will apply to crop inputs in general and can serve as a guide for approaching and conducting your own on-farm research. Why should we care about soil bacteria and fungi?
Some say they are the most important “livestock” on the farm or ranch. These organisms provide a host of benefits to crop production. Here are just a few:
• Create organic matter through decomposition
• Make nitrogen available to crops
• Improve water infiltration
• Improve soil structure
• Fix nitrogen from the atmosphere
• Compete with pathogens to protect crops
• En hance root nutrient and water uptake
• Degrade pollutants
A large number of players
Given these benefits, improving the health of soil biology should be a priority on all farms. As we approach this conversation about biological soil additives, it is important to cover a few basics of soil biology. A gram of soil can have about 500 million bacteria. There are thousands of known species of bacteria, and they can reproduce in as little as 30 minutes. There are about 900 million grams of soil per acre in the top 6 inches. Taken together, this equates to about 45,000,000,000,000,000 (4.5 x
1016) bacteria per acre.
Now, let’s say a soil biological product recommends a rate of 1 million bacteria per acre. That would represent about 0.0000000022% of the bacteria already present in the soil. This example highlights the challenge of significantly altering the biology of soil by applying bacteria and fungi. Other factors that influence the temperature, moisture, and habitat for soil biology such as tillage, living roots, fertilizer, amendments, and residue management can rapidly and greatly alter the amount and diversity of biology. These factors should be the first focus when seeking to improve soil biology.
It should be noted, though, that the right biological input in the right place can make a large difference. A prime example of this is rhizobium bacteria coated on legume seed. This placement significantly impacts a legume’s ability to nodulate and fix nitrogen. Biological products in the right place can make a difference but will require extreme care to ensure effective outcomes.
A lot to ponder
As you consider which biological products to trial on your farm, it may be wise to remember these 10 tips:
1
Focus on foundational inputs first. With so many new and exciting products on the market, it can be easy to forget or question the value of the foundational inputs of water and plant nutrition. Before exploring new biological products, ensure that your irrigation systems and management (if applicable), fertility program, and agronomic practices are fine-tuned and maximizing your return on investment. If these inputs are limiting, other efforts to improve crop production may prove futile.
2
Feed and water soil biology. It is wise to first fine-tune the practices that influence biology the most. Continuously adding organic matter (crop residues and amendments)
with low carbon-to-nitrogen ratios provide food for bacteria and fosters growth and activity. Biological activity is also promoted by growing healthy plants with healthy roots, reducing soil saturation by avoiding over-irrigation, and having proper soil drainage.
3
Maximize biological activity. Minimizing or eliminating tillage reduces soil disturbance and can maintain higher levels of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Keeping the soil covered and managing residue helps provide a more ideal soil temperature (around 85°F) to support bacteria and fungi activity. Where possible, keep soil pH between 6.0 and 7.2. Avoiding excessive soil salinity will also promote biological activity in the soil.
4
Pay due diligence. There are a lot of biological soil additives or inoculants on the market. It will not be possible to test all of them on your farm. Thoroughly investigate a product before trialing. Check for independent, nonbiased research on the performance of the product and be on the lookout to avoid products with extremely lofty claims, incredible testimonials, and no data on product performance. Ask other farmers for data on how the product has worked for them.
5
Know what’s inside. The first thing to check when evaluating a product is what’s inside. Read and know the ingredients. If a company will not disclose the ingredients, you may want to steer clear. This is especially important for biological products because they are living organisms that can change during handling and storage. Some products claim certain quantities and types of bacteria and fungi that are not present when an independent analysis of the ingredients is conducted.
6
Request or test ingredient analysis. Biological products are living organisms. Living organ-
isms can evolve and die during product development, storage, and handling. Ensure that there is live, desirable biology (bacteria and/or fungi depending on the product) by requesting a product analysis by the manufacturer or by conducting your own independent analysis. Applying a bottle full of dead bacteria or fungi is sure to have no effect on your crop production.
7
Follow storage and application instructions. Many biological products have special requirements for handling and application. This often includes avoiding excessive temperatures and priming the bacteria for a 24- or 48-hour period before application.
8
Do not bet the farm. This saying is used a lot by extension personnel and cannot be overstated. Once you’ve identified reputable products to start testing, it is wise to start small and test products using best
on-farm research practices (see extension.usu.edu/crops/research/on-farmresearch-guide for more details). This includes having replicated treated and nontreated strips or sections of a field with careful yield monitoring to measure how the product influences yield and ROI.
9
Focus on return on investment. If the product costs only $5 per acre, but the yield increase was only worth $3 per acre, then the product is not a good investment. Yield gains alone sometimes inaccurately become the ultimate focus. Be sure to track the cost of the product and the returns to that investment to ensure it is positive.
10
Ask for a second opinion. It can be difficult to know which products have potential and are good investments. University extension services, crop advisers, and other professionals are
available to help you sort through options, connect with resources and previous research results, and conduct on-farm trials. A simple phone call or email can save you a lot of stress and money.
Biological inputs for agriculture are a relatively new frontier. There is still much to learn about how to support and improve soil biology through soil management and biological additives. Following these 10 tips should help as you sift through current and future products. Ensure that you test and invest in those biologicals that will improve your soil and profit margin. •
MATT YOST
The author is an associate professor and agroclimate extension specialist with Utah State University.
The MILK2024 model is finally here
THE University of Wisconsin’s Randy Shaver and his colleagues developed the MILK2006 model nearly 20 years ago. This model proved incredibly useful for a range of researchers and industries, including plant breeders, plant pathologists, agronomists, nutritionists, and dairy and beef producers. Rarely does anything last more than five to 10 years, yet the MILK2006 model did just that. Agronomists and plant breeders built entire programs around the milk per ton and milk per acre benchmarks.
Still today, I regularly get asked for my thoughts regarding a specific milk per ton outcome, but with age and over the past five years, the MILK2006 model has become outdated. While the seed and agronomy industries still partly rely upon the MILK2006 model, nutritionists have moved on. They’ve done so for reasons much like why one would upgrade to a new truck, smartphone, or computer — the old model is lacking key features. As a new truck might offer an updated interior or new drivetrain, the MILK2024 model now has key fiber and starch digestibility input features that nutritionists depend on.
The MILK model has historically relied upon published research and energy models. Originally developed in the 1990s, the 2006 model update was built upon the Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle 7th revised edition (NRC), published in 2001. At the time, this was a sizable advance with the energy model nested in the 2001 NRC being a summative model, largely built by The Ohio State University’s Bill Weiss and colleagues.
This summative energy model approach adds up digestible protein, digestible fiber, fat, and nonfiber carbohydrate. The digestible nutrient amounts are determined by nutrient content and nutrient digestibility. For example, corn silage with 40% of dry matter being fiber, and the fiber being 50% digestible, would then contain 20% of dry matter as digestible fiber. The math is 40 units of fiber multiplied by 50% fiber digestibility equals 20 units of digestible fiber.
The MILK2006 model extracts starch
from the nonfiber carbohydrates and invites users to input a feed analysis starch content. The underlying model then applies a moisture and kernel processing score adjustment to determine starch digestibility and digestible starch contribution
.
Inherent problems
MILK2006 was forward thinking at the time; however, now commercial laboratories analyze and report rumen starch digestibility. Further, fiber digestibility analysis has advanced considerably and beyond what MILK2006 can utilize. For these two reasons, over the past decade, I’ve written various unique equations to estimate total digestible nutrients in different ways as new nutrient digestibility measures come available.
Building upon Weiss and Shaver’s summative energy model approach, I first adapted total tract fiber digestibility (TTNDFD) into a total digestible nutrients (TDN) and energy model to evaluate silage hybrids or alternative feed options. Later, as rumen starch digestibility measures came along, I brought rumen starch digestibility into the TDN equation to differentiate hybrids or feeds that may differ substantially in starch digestibility. I estimated intestinal starch digestibility using equations published by the University of Wisconsin’s Luiz Ferraretto’s lab.
Of note, I believe this is an area where we can still make sizable strides. While leading commercial laboratories are measuring rumen starch digestibility, there is not a general consensus as to what rumen procedure is ideal. Corn grain and silage rumen starch digestibility data distributions appear to differ between laboratories. At this point, exercise caution when comparing starch digestibility results between laboratories.
In with the new
Circling back to the MILK model, the next update is upon us thanks to the efforts of Ferraretto and his graduate student Cole Diepersloot. Similar to the 2006 model, the MILK2024 approach incorporates published energy equations into a corn silage evaluation model. This 2024 update brings the
energy model from the 8th revised edition of the Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle, authored by a committee commissioned by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The acronym NASEM is regularly used to describe this new energy model and biology within nutrition discussions.
The NASEM model differs substantially from the one in 2001 NRC and departs from the summative approach that easily worked to estimate feedstuff energy value. One of the major advances with the NASEM approach is that nutrient and ingredient interactions are now modeled.
Digestion and metabolism interactions are a fact within dairy and beef nutrition. For example, excessive grain and starch in the diet can negatively impact rumen pH and subsequently depress fiber digestion. The NASEM approach actually discounts fiber digestion with increasing starch; however, the entire diet must be known and entered for the model to function. This fact is problematic for the MILK modeling approach, where only a corn silage analysis is inputted. Ferraretto and Diepersloot worked around this by including a standard lactating dairy cow diet behind the scenes, which helped model the corn silage milk per ton output effectively. The MILK2024 model also permits users to dynamically model fiber and starch digestion, which is a necessary advance given today’s carbohydrate measures.
Ultimately, the MILK2024 model is an exciting advance for all of those involved in the dairy industry. Commercial laboratories will begin reporting MILK2024 outputs in the near future. We’re now upgraded to the latest model, just like that new truck or phone with all the current features. •
JOHN GOESER
The author is the director of nutrition research and innovation with Rock River Lab Inc., and adjunct assistant professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Dairy Science Department.
Desertification and human-induced climate change
IT SEEMS many people in the farming and ranching communities are still having a hard time coming to terms with the concept of climate change and what role human beings might play in this process. We speak of climate on different levels. The “macroclimate” describes continental or worldwide conditions, while “microclimate” describes localized conditions and situations.
Microclimate may be what happens differently on a south-facing slope versus a north-facing slope. It can be even down to the level of what happens inside the hoofprint of a cow versus what happens outside of a hoofprint. I want to talk about the things falling in between the worldwide climate and a single cow hoof imprint.
Let’s start with a look at the term “desertification.” The most commonly used definition of desertification is the process by which productive land becomes desert and is usually attributed to deforestation, inappropriate agricultural practices, and/or drought. Human-induced desertification has been taking place for thousands of years.
A classic example of desertification is the degradation of ancient Mesopotamia, the so-called Fertile Crescent and Cradle of Civilization, into the deserts of modern Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and other regions of the Middle East. Other areas of Africa, Central Asia, Australia, and the American Southwest provide further examples of desertification. The fact that humans have caused these transitions of productive land to desert is well documented.
I want to put forward another definition of desertification that is becoming more widely used and is more easily recognized by modern agriculturalists. The basic reality is that desertification is the loss of carbon from the soil. Those ancient lands that were once productive experienced massive carbon loss in response to the advent of tillage and overgrazing associated with the transition from nomadic herders to settled
agriculture. It took a few thousand years for this process to happen.
Since 1970, the annual rate of desertification worldwide has increased by 30% to 40%. As we have industrialized agriculture, our efficiency for land degradation has accelerated. In 2023 alone, about 30 million acres of land worldwide moved from a productive state to desert status. That is an area approximately the size of Pennsylvania being lost in a single year. How much longer can we stand this?
Bringing it home
I want to bring this down to a local level. If we accept that desertification is essentially the loss of soil carbon, we can see desertification happening under our own feet. Whether you live in Maryland, Missouri, or Montana, farming and grazing practices that reduce soil carbon on an ongoing basis are slowly but surely transitioning your farm or ranch toward a desert state.
Do I expect that Missouri is going to look like Arizona next year? Obviously not! Change does not come that fast. What we do see is declining productivity in individual pastures on individual farms, even in high rainfall environments. Many times, I hear a farmer or rancher say they just don’t get the rain they used to. Is that reality or perception?
Most of the Midwest has become somewhat wetter in terms of total precipitation received over the last 100 years. Many of these specific locations where I hear farmers and ranchers talk
about increasing drought are actually receiving ample rainfall. The problem comes from poor infiltration and reduced water storage capacity in the soil. Both of these failing water cycle functions are the result of declining soil carbon levels. We are creating our own localized droughts through the ongoing process of microclimate desertification. When enough of our neighbors experience the same sort of land degradation, then we begin to see the broader effect of reduced precipitation and wider spread desertification taking place. With a large area holding less water, the relative humidity of that area begins to decline, and we do in fact see a reduction in annual rainfall.
There is a fix
The flip side of that process is that as more and more of us and our neighbors implement strategies that boost soil carbon levels, we begin to reverse the flow of desertification at the local level. Ultimately, that results in greater amounts of precipitation across our region, and we maintain the health and productivity of our landscape. Whether or not you choose to believe that human-induced climate change is real, I do not think anyone can dispute the simple fact that adding more carbon to our soils can and will improve the health and productivity of a farm or ranch. The key point we need to understand is that climate change is not causing desertification. It is the desertification process that is driving climate change. Addressing climate change is the matter of addressing soil carbon loss at our own local level. •
JIM GERRISH
The author is a rancher, author, speaker, and consultant with over 40 years of experience in grazing management research, outreach, and practice. He has lived and grazed livestock in hot, humid Missouri and cold, dry Idaho.
These aren’t your granddad’s
NOW that warmer weather is upon us, everyone starts to get that itch to dust off the equipment and pull it out of winter storage. For some, the warm weather came unusually early this year, which had equipment out of storage before the end of March. It’s this time of year when we remember the issues we had last fall before our equipment was put away for winter. That’s when the internal discussion starts on whether to upgrade the machine or just fix it and run it for one more year.
We discussed in a previous column the current state of the equipment industry. One of the actions I suggested was to be patient with your new purchases and give your dealer time to hunt for the best deal for your situation if it’s not already on their yard. This process requires that you know exactly what you want and what you can live without when it comes to equipment options. Let’s discuss a few options on newer round balers that you need to consider when upgrading your current machine.
A smaller, denser package
Today’s round balers, though they may be similar looking to previous models, have made tremendous strides in achieving higher bale densities. One of the useful features is being able to adjust the density of the bales from the
round balers
cab and the ability to vary the density in different sections of the bale. Why would you want to vary the density?
Current balers can make a bale so dense that you can’t stick a fork in it; however, you can now make the core slightly less dense so it’s easier to spear. If the hay is a little damp, a less dense core can help reduce spoilage in the center. If a bale is going to mold from moisture, it always starts at the core of the bale. This is why I recommend to some customers that they entertain the idea of owning a fixed chamber baler, or soft-core baler, as some people refer to them as. If you sell your hay by the bale to horse owners, it’s a win for both parties. You have slightly less hay in each bale, and the buyer gets a better product that’s easier for their animals to consume!
When it comes to the size of the bale, most farmers want them as big as possible. I have suggested that with these new density systems you can purchase a smaller, less expensive baler and achieve almost the same bale weights you get with an older, larger unit. This is an effective way to save a little on a new purchase. I’ve had a lot of farmers in my area who have always owned 4x6 balers downsize to a 4x5 baler. In the South, the main determining factor is bale weight, and with some of these
new generation balers, a farmer’s equipment is not capable of lifting the larger, denser bales on a routine basis.
Precutters add value
One aspect that adds weight to the bales are the knives, or the precutter as they are sometimes called. This is by far the most popular new feature buyers are adding to new balers. This is mainly due to the greater popularity of baleage, but the precutter also offers benefits for dry hay production. By sizing the crop before it gets into the chamber, it further improves bale density. It also helps with the digestibility of the forage and reduces feeding waste, although it does boost the horsepower required to pull the baler. Precut bales also work better if they are used in a mixed ration. Personally, after owning a chopping baler, you could not pay me to go back to a regular baler to put up feed for my cows. The drop floor under the rotor itself is worth the money the whole system costs.
Net savings
Some customers still debate the cost of net versus twine on a per bale basis. Yes, net is substantially more expensive, but the productivity improvement is almost priceless. Savings in tractor hour depression alone can make up the difference. Twine tying can take up to four to five times longer to secure a bale. I understand that in the North twine can be easier to remove after bales get iced in the winter. I have experienced this myself firsthand, but other than that, it’s really hard for me to justify twine with the capabilities of the new generation balers. No matter which options work for your operation, there have been drastic improvements in the round-baler segment in the last decade. It’s worth considering this year if it’s time to upgrade. Just do your homework and allow your dealer time to find the perfect baler for your operation at the best price possible. •
ADAM VERNER
The author is a managing partner in Elite Ag LLC, Leesburg, Ga. He also is active in the family farm in Rutledge.
Mike Rankin
by Alan Franzluebbers
The changing nature of soil
IN THE March 2024 issue of this column, it was questioned whether pastures were just right in maturity or too old and in need of renovation. Many features of a pasture need to be considered to make a renovation decision.
Desirable botanical composition is a key consideration, as well as overall productivity of the pasture to meet farm needs. Farm goals, landscape features, timing, weather conditions, and economics will be important, too. However, if we focus just on accumulating as much soil carbon and nitrogen as possible, then it might be that older pastures are a desirable feature and renovation is not really necessary.
The last column focused on observations from a 12-year research experiment at a single location. In this issue, I offer a perspective of soil changes while using observations from many farms across several states with a wider range of pasture ages. This survey approach can lead to large variations due to uncontrolled historical management interacting with a diversity of soil types from different physiographic regions within a multistate assessment. However, a large number of observations can overcome some of these concerns and lead to a more general assessment. Let’s explore the details.
A large sampling domain
A total of 92 tall fescue pastures were sampled to assess the nitrogen supplying capacity of soil. Fields were mostly in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge regions of North Carolina and Virginia, but a few were in Georgia, South Carolina, and West Virginia.
Soil organic matter is continually exposed to competing processes of accumulation from plant material deposited on soil (dead leaves and stems, dung, and organic amendments) and in soil (roots) and loss from decomposition by soil microorganisms that feed on these organic materials. The balance between these accumulating and decomposing processes is the organic matter measured at any one point in time. Ups and downs can occur due to variable weather conditions and the seasonality of plant inputs. The 92 pastures were sorted by age
based on farmer knowledge. The curves in the figure illustrate the generalized response of soil organic carbon and total soil nitrogen in the surface 4 inches as a function of pasture age. Soil organic matter is primarily composed of carbon, generally 58%. As carbon accumulates, so does nitrogen because of natural linkages in biochemical transformations. Soil organic matter generally has 10 to 15 times as much carbon as nitrogen, independent of soil type and where in the world it is found.
The trend can be reversed
Agricultural soils in the United States have generally been depleted of soil organic carbon and nitrogen due to the historical use of intensive tillage and low levels of plant carbon inputs to maximize economic return of commodity feed grains. After decades of soil disturbance, soils stabilize to a low level of soil organic matter. The exact level depends on climatic conditions, typical management practices deployed, and inherent soil characteristics, like textural composition.
Changing the trajectory of soil organic matter decline starts when we stop disturbing it and allow soil microbial communities to feed slowly on plant residues to build soil aggregates and form soil organic matter. The quantity, quality, and timing of plant residues offered to soil bacteria, fungi, and various soil-dwelling animals can
change how soil organic matter accumulates over decades when recovering from soil depletion.
In this evaluation of tall fescue pastures in the eastern U.S., clear evidence was found that soil organic carbon and nitrogen accumulated as a function of pasture age (see graph). Therefore, soil under forages could be considered a sink for carbon that otherwise accumulates in the atmosphere. Nitrogen is also being stored in soil organic matter, acting as a reservoir for current and future needs to support pasture productivity. Remember, these elements are not simply sequestered but continually cycled based on plant inputs and the feeding of soil microorganisms.
Humans certainly have a role to play in the ever-changing nature of the world in which we live. Have you been taking your part seriously? •
Data from Franzluebbers, A.J., & Poore, M.H (2021). Tall fescue management and environmental influences on soil, surface residue, and forage properties. Agronomy Journal, 113, 2029-2043.
ALAN FRANZLUEBBERS
The author is a soil scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Raleigh, N.C.
Double down on stocker systems
by Eric Bailey
IT IS common to hear from university faculty that stocker cattle and Kentucky 31 tall fescue are a bad combination due to the forage’s fungal endophyte and its impacts on animal performance. Indeed, there are 50 years of research data — and compelling pictures — supporting this claim. But what if we have been thinking about a stocker cattle business model in the Fescue Belt that is out of date?
The United States produced 33.6 million beef calves last year, which was the smallest calf crop since 1948. When there were ample calves to choose from, cattle buyers had leverage to be picky about size, type, and their management system. These buyers historically wanted 800- to 900-pound yearlings that were on pasture with minimal supplement to take advantage of a concept called compensatory gain, in which cattle gain weight at a faster rate than expected after a period when growth is below genetic potential. With beef demand expanding and calf crops shrinking, buyers no longer have that luxury.
I believe it is time to re-evaluate our mental model of stocker cattle production in the eastern United States. I have been conducting research for the past five years that suggests Kentucky 31 tall fescue can, in fact, be the forage base in a stocker cattle business.
Focus on the first half
In the 1970s, Clenton Owensby and Ed Smith were faculty members at Kansas State University who investigated stocker cattle production in the Flint Hills. The classic stocker production system in this region began when cattle were turned out to pasture around the first of May and lasted for six months. They observed that two-thirds of the weight gained by cattle occurred in the first half of the grazing season. Based on this observation, they began experimenting with “double stocking” pastures. In this system, twice the number of cattle were turned out on the same acreage for half the time.
This system was evaluated over a 10-year period in a research article published in 2018, which found that
gain per head was 299 pounds for cattle that grazed pasture for six months and 199 pounds per head for cattle that grazed pasture for three months. However, due to having twice the number of cattle in the latter scenario, cattle weight gain per acre rose by 33% in the double-stock grazing system.
Tall fescue grows rapidly in the spring, but once a seedhead emerges, the plant goes dormant over the summer months.
A six-month stocker system in the Fes-
cue Belt requires cattle to graze forage during the summer slump. Therefore, implementing a double-stock grazing system may be an effective way to improve stocker cattle productivity. More gain in less time
In our latest research project, we set out to test an 84-day double-stock system against a 168-day season-long system on Kentucky 31 tall fescue pastures. Across the pastures, 88% of fescue
tillers sampled contained the toxic fungal endophyte, and we do not overseed clover, which is a strategy known to improve performance in forage systems anchored in Kentucky 31 tall fescue.
We turned out 500-pound heifers at rates of 2.4 head per acre for the double-stock system and 1.4 head per acre for the season-long system. Heifers in each group grazed the same pasture for the entire project. All heifers were turned out to graze on March 31, 2023, and pastures were fertilized with 40 pounds of nitrogen per acre earlier that month.
Table 1 contains the results of our project. After 84 days, heifers assigned to the double-stock system were weighed and removed from the project while heifers in the season-long system stayed on pasture for another 84 days. During the first 84 days, double-stocked heifers gained 1.76 pounds per day, whereas season-long heifers gained 1.81 pounds per day. Over the second half of the project, the season-long heifers only gained 0.33 pounds per day.
Overall, heifers assigned to the double-stock system gained 148 pounds per head while season-long heifers gained 152 pounds per head. On a gain per acre basis, pastures assigned to the double stock treatment had 349 pounds of body weight gained per acre and pastures that were grazed all season had 255 pounds of body weight gained per acre. The season-long heifers only gained 28 pounds in the latter 84 days of the project. The difference between the treatments is a function of stocking rate; we had more heifers on the double-stocked pastures.
Ongoing observations
My lab has only begun to scratch the surface of this concept. In 2024, we are testing a complementary forage, sunn
hemp, to fill the summer slump forage gap for stockers. We are also going to evaluate the ability of feed supplements to improve weight gain of stockers while grazing.
Dilution has long been one solution to fescue toxicosis, but perhaps the best advice is to simply avoid grazing Ken-
is another option that we are interested in evaluating.
The big picture is that we must think about matching forage growth rate and cattle feed demand. When we create grazing systems that require conservative stocking rates to stretch forage supplies beyond the vegetative stage, we are giving up performance in the system. A successful stocker cattle business is highly dependent on weight gain. Kentucky 31 tall fescue pastures can provide that weight gain in the spring so long as cattle are removed from pastures after seedheads emerge and forage goes dormant. •
ERIC BAILEY
The author is an assistant
Fall herbicide shows benefit
Hay & Forage Grower is featuring results of research projects funded through the Alfalfa Checkoff, officially named the U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Research Initiative, administered by National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA). The checkoff program facilitates farmer-funded research.
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S DEMAND for quality alfalfa continues to rise, managing weeds remains a critical and ever-present component of successful production, according to Leslie Beck, extension weed specialist at New Mexico State University (NMSU). “Since I started my position at NMSU, I was consistently told by farmers that difficult-to-control perennial weeds such as plantain and field bindweed were not only highly impactful to production and profitability, but there really weren’t any effective methods of control . . . even with herbicides,” Beck said. In order to address the problem, Beck was awarded funding through NAFA’s Alfalfa Checkoff for her project that would address the issue. “In 2017, we learned of a recent label for the herbicide Sharpen (saflufenacil) for applications in dormant season alfalfa,” Beck explained. “This, coupled with the knowledge that the best timing for an effective herbicide application in difficult-to-control perennial weeds was traditionally in the fall, started the process of evaluating Sharpen as a potential tool for late-season control of both plantain and field bindweed.”
Beck’s initial studies showed single late-season applications of Sharpen enhanced herbicide injury to plantain with no observable decline in alfalfa biomass in the spring compared to the nontreated control. However, injury to the plantain with all the herbicide treatments was still limited enough to allow for eventual recovery but not control. The follow-up study focused on an evaluation of applications of Sharpen alone or tank-mixed with other products such as Butyrac 200 and Roundup alone, or Butyrac 200 tank-mixed with Pursuit for greater control potential.
“We also wanted to evaluate whether
the addition of sequential applications made the following spring, traditionally the second-best timing for herbicide applications to perennial weeds, improved injury, and weed control for plantain leading into the next growing season with minimal negative impacts to alfalfa biomass,” Beck said. “Additionally, since previous studies were
showing potential promise with plantain, we also wanted to see how the tank mixes and herbicide application timings impacted field bindweed using the same methods as the plantain research.”
The study found that herbicide application timings are critical for effective management of difficult-to-control perennial weeds. Sharpen, tank-mixed
Alfalfa dry biomass weights (ton/A); average total of first two cuts, in response to applications of initial and sequential tank-mixes of Sharpen combined with other commercially available herbicides at the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Leyendecker Plant Sciences Center (Las Cruces, N.M.) and the NMSU Agricultural Science Center (Los Lunas, N.M.) from 2021-2022.
PROJECT RESULTS
• Applications of Sharpen tank-mixed with other commercially available herbicides may provide adequate injury of plantain and field bindweed when applied during accelerated fall growth of weeds.
• Applications of Butyrac 200 alone and tank-mixed with Pursuit and applications of Roundup tank-mixed with Sharpen helped lower plantain and field bindweed coverage with fall and sequential spring applications.
• Applications including a tank-mix with Sharpen or Pursuit seemed to have some residual impacts to prevent seed germination of plantain seed later in the growing season.
• Spring sequential applications of Sharpen alone or tank-mixed with the other herbicide treatments negatively impacted alfalfa biomass, as did all treatments that included Roundup since the treated alfalfa was not Roundup Ready.
LESLIE BECK
Alfalfa biomass as influenced by herbicide treatment
with other herbicides such as Butyrac 200 and Roundup, as well as Butyrac 200 tank-mixed with Pursuit, reduced the populations of both plantain and field bindweed when applied during active, root-targeting growth in the fall.
Another key take-home message is even though Sharpen doesn’t have a label for spring applications in actively growing alfalfa, it’s efficacy, which is comparable
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to the other herbicide treatments, shows the potential for effective late-season weed control in fallow or grass forage rotational cropping systems.
In future research, Beck would like to observe the impacts of changing the spring sequential to a preemergent herbicide to prevent seed germination. “No herbicide treatment or timing was able to prevent field bindweed from
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For further information on results of Alfalfa Checkoff-funded projects, visit NAFA’s website at alfalfa.org/ research.php. •
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STOCKING UP ON THEIR GRAZING SKILLS
by Amber Friedrichsen, Associate Editor
THERE is something charming about the colorful contrast of red cattle against the backdrop of green grass and a bright blue sky. At least that’s what Kim Woods thinks every time she sees her Red Angus and Hereford cows out on the pasture.
Kim and her husband, Chad, own and operate Spring Crest Farm located just south of Hurdle Mills, N.C. It is where she was born and grew up with dairy cattle after her family transitioned out of tobacco farming in the 1960s. A second transition came in the 1990s when Kim and Chad were married and their family decided to sell the cows and make small bales of orchardgrass hay for horses in the area.
“We are not far from Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill where there is a fairly large population of equine and folks to purchase high-quality hay. We had the land, we had the equipment, and we had the storage, so it just made sense,” said Kim, who is an area extension agent with North Carolina State University.
The Woodses continued down this path of production for nearly 20 years before it became too difficult to find labor and maintain their haymaking business. Once again, the open-minded couple sought out a different farming opportunity and started raising pasture-based beef cattle for direct-toconsumer sales. They have since settled into a rhythm of production yet continue to tweak their grazing tactics to overcome challenges like harsh weather
patterns and market swings. It goes without saying that the Woodses are not afraid to try new things.
A change of base
The couple currently has about 65 acres that were converted from orchardgrass to a novel-endophyte variety of tall fescue. They opted for this forage base to avoid the toxic effects of Kentucky-31 tall fescue. “We were a little skeptical that it wouldn’t make that much of a difference, but it has in terms of cattle performance and stand persistence,” said Chad, who works for the Carrboro Fire Department when he is not on the farm. “It has gone through some really high heat, some really cold winters, and some really dry spells, but it just keeps hanging on. I’ve been tickled with it.”
All photos: Amber Friedrichsen
Instead of renovating all of the orchardgrass acres at once, the Woodses made a deal with a local row crop farmer to incorporate portions of the pasture into his corn and soybean rotation. It was a piecemeal process that took place over several growing seasons, but after the second harvest of each two-year rotation, the land was ready to be seeded to novel-endophyte tall fescue.
“It’s a unique situation with the row crop farmer,” Kim said. “It has worked out well to be able to plant our grass behind those couple of crops, and the farmer does a really good job. He uses Roundup Ready corn and soybeans, which helps with the weed pressure that can come up with the forage seedlings. We may have to adjust soil fertility a touch, but he does a good job with that, too.”
The Woodses still make hay on about 30 acres of novel-endophyte fescue that they feed to cattle in the fall. At the same time, they stockpile tall fescue fields to facilitate winter grazing. They
set up polywire fences to divide stockpiled fields into 1- to 2-acre paddocks and then start strip grazing cattle at one end of a paddock by moving another line of polywire forward 30 to 40 feet per day.
“Strip grazing is the key to stockpiled fescue,” Chad declared. “And by that time of year, our calves have been weaned and the cows don’t have as great of a need for high-quality feed, so they can really make gains on the stuff.”
Spring stockpile trial
In 2023, the Woodses tried spring stockpiling for the first time. They removed their cattle from a 22-acre field of tall fescue in February to let the forage grow. New shoots started to emerge out of the trampled plants, but instead of rotationally grazing the fresh grass like they typically would, the couple implemented the same approach to stockpiling tall fescue that they do every fall.
“From March, April, and May, the
tall fescue is beautiful and green. Then in September, October, and November, it’s beautiful and green again. It grows well those six months of the year, but the awesome thing is when we stockpile it, the nutrition stays,” Chad said.
By the middle of summer when the tall fescue was golden brown and headed out, the Woodses started to strip graze cattle on the stockpiled acres. This time, though, they created larger strips in the paddocks with polywire than they did in the winter — about 1/8 of an acre — to prolong the length of each grazing period and reduce the grazing pressure on the forage.
One morning in late June, Kim counted her steps out to the pasture on her way to move the herd forward to another strip of grass. Even though it took her longer to walk there than to complete the task at hand, it gave her time to consider the benefits of this type of intensive grazing management.
continued on following page >>>
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“It gives me the chance to assess the pasture and the cows as I’m walking out there. Do we still have good ground cover? Have we had many cases of pinkeye? And since we move the cows every other day, they are calmer and more easy-going,” Kim said. “Also, I need the exercise, so I’m not complaining,” she laughed.
Crazy for crabgrass
To boost their herd’s crude protein intake and overall forage quality, the Woodses leave the gate to a crabgrass field open for cattle while they occupy the spring stockpile. Animals have free access to the annual warm-season species and tend to retreat to this shaded part of the property when the sun hangs high in the afternoon sky. The couple noted the crabgrass is quite persistent, very palatable, and relatively easy to manage — especially because it does not require high input costs.
“When we were in the hay business, we hated it. Now it has become kind of a miracle forage for us,” Chad said. “We have tried other annuals, but they are not always a sure thing. For instance, last year and this year have both been too dry and we couldn’t risk spending money on the seed, time, and fuel. If it didn’t rain, it wasn’t coming up.”
Kim added, “What’s nice about crabgrass is that it doesn’t use a lot of fertilizer, and fertilizer prices the past few years have been crazy. Between fertilizer prices and the dry planting
seasons we’ve been having, it’s not worth the risk to plant anything else. We have put some crabgrass seed out there, but we try to manage it so that it reseeds itself. It just comes back.”
The Woodses also supplement livestock diets with spent brewers grains they receive from breweries in Chapel Hill, one point of the Research Park Triangle, along with Raleigh and Durham, which are homes of North Carolina’s three major universities. In addition to breweries, Chad said the Triangle is riddled with small restaurants and eateries that emphasize local produce and pasture-based meats on their menus, including beef from Spring Crest Farm.
Farm-to-table focus
Having red-hided cattle was as much a nostalgic choice for Kim as it was a strategic one for the operation. “I grew up with Guernseys on our dairy, so I wanted to have red cows predominately on our farm,” she said. “We also took into consideration a red hide for grazing, knowing those cattle would tolerate the heat better than black-hided cattle,” Chad chimed in.
With that said, the Woodses also knew animals with red coats would receive a discount if sold at the local stock market. So, rather than sell their steer calves and cull cows to the stockyard, they decided to tap into direct sales. They soon discovered Firsthand Foods — a startup business that is committed to connecting small-scale
farmers to customers in the community — and they have worked with the company ever since.
Firsthand Foods buys the Woodses’ live cattle, has them processed, and then distributes the beef to local retailers. The company also provides retailers with information about individual animals and the farmers who raised them. “It’s all about traceability,” Chad said. “If they sell a rib eye at a restaurant and somebody says, ‘This is the best rib eye I’ve ever had,’ they can trace the meat back to the specific cow.”
If that specific cow belonged to the Woodses, they will be notified about the food review. “We get that feedback and can tweak our operation to improve the eating experience for those customers,” Kim explained. “We can potentially improve our genetics or our forages or fine-tune the feeding program that we are following.”
One thing that makes the Woodses stand out among other farmers who partner with Firsthand Foods is that their cows calve in the spring. Since most other operations in the area have fall-calving herds, the couple can market their beef at the opposite time of year and fill gaps in the company’s supply chain. This points back to their pasture base. With novel-endophyte tall fescue, the Woodses can graze cattle throughout the summer breeding season without fescue toxicosis threatening conception rates.
Along with Firsthand Foods, the Woodses occasionally sell beef to friends and family. They have also sold steer calves to other farmers who finish the beef, and they have sold heifers to neighbors who want to grow their own herd. “We do a little bit of everything. It just depends on what the market is doing and the opportunities that arise,” Kim said with a shrug.
This outlook might explain the history of the Woodses’ ever-changing operation; however, the couple will stay in the beef business for the foreseeable future. They want to continue to convert their remaining pasture acres to novel-endophyte tall fescue and eventually phase out of haymaking. They will adjust their stockpiling schedules and strip grazing strategies, and they will keep grazing crabgrass in the summer. And overall, the Woodses plan on maintaining their herd size of about 20 cows — 20 red cows, that is. •
Kim and Chad Woods have adopted a grazing system using novel endophyte tall fescue and crabgrass. Animals from the springcalving herd are direct marketed to a specialized local food distributor.
PUT YOUR FORAGES TO THE TEST
Forage growers across the country are invited to participate in the 2024 World Forage Analysis Superbowl. Awardwinning samples will be displayed during Trade Show hours in the Trade Center at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, October 1 - 4. Winners will be announced during the Brevant seeds Forage Superbowl Luncheon on Wednesday, October 2.
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Crop/plant/sample specifications
August 222024 Dairy Hay >75% legume; grown by active dairy producers
August 222024 Commercial Hay >75% legume; commercially grown and sold in large lots off the farm
August 222024 Grass Hay >75% grass
Samples analyzed for (expressed on a dry matter basis):
All hay samples: Must be from a bale, any type or size; use of a preservative or desiccant is allowed. Hay, Baleage, Haylage: Dry matter, crude protein, acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD), relative forage quality (RFQ) and milk per ton.
August 222024 Baleage Any mixture of grass/legumes Baleage: Must be processed and wrapped as baleage and show signs of fermentation.
August 222024 Alfalfa Haylage ≥75% legume
August 222024 Mix/Grass Hlg <75% legume
July 102023 Standard Corn Silage (non-BMR) Must be whole plant, recommended chopping height 6”-8”. Must contain >75% standard variety.
July 102023 BMR Corn Silage Must be whole plant, recommended chopping height 6”-8”. Must contain >75% BMR variety.
All silage samples: Must be ensiled in a normal preservation process and show signs of fermentation. Use of a preservative is allowed. Additives affecting fiber content or any other adulteration will disqualify the sample.
[RFQ is a ranking of forage quality based on NDFD and should not be confused with or compared to Relative Feed Value (RFV).]
WARM-season annual forages are fast-growing, high-quality species that can supplement production and quality to support animal performance. In the Southeast, they are typically planted from April through June and can be managed for baleage production, greenchop, or grazing.
Since most livestock operations in the region are based on perennial grasses, such as tall fescue and bermudagrass, summer annuals are good complementary forages. For example, these species can support nutritional requirements for stocker cattle during the summer months. Thus, due to their fast growth and stand establishment, summer annuals can help fill the gap of forage production for dormant tall fescue stands or on operations impacted by unfavorable weather conditions.
Warm-season annual forages can be grown either in a monoculture or in mixtures. They require specific soil pH and fertility, and they need adequate site preparation ahead of planting. The most common annual warm-season grasses in the Southeast are crabgrass, pearl millet, sorghum, and sorghum-sudangrass.
Crabgrass is highly productive, can be managed for reseeding at the end of the season, and can have a crude protein (CP) concentration around 15%. Pearl millet is high yielding with roughly 15% CP and has higher drought tolerance than sorghum and sorghum-sudangrass.
Sorghum and sorghum-sudangrass are also high yielding with about 16% CP; however, they require proper grazing management to avoid issues with prussic acid poisoning or nitrate toxicity, mainly when drought or frost events occur. Sugarcane aphids can be an issue in these species as well, and if left uncontrolled, the pests will reduce forage yield and quality.
Look to legumes
With the rising costs of off-farm inputs and growing environmental concerns, the incorporation of legumes into
Table 1. Percentage of grasses, legumes, and weeds
Table 2. Annual forage yield and root biomass
Pe arl millet, crabgrass, sunn hemp, forage soybean
Pearl millet, sunn hemp, cowpea, forage soybean
grass stands can add organic nitrogen into the system while improving forage quality and soil fertility. Cowpea, sunn hemp, forage soybean, and hairy indigo are summer annual options for mixtures with grasses.
When using forage mixtures, it is necessary to adjust seeding rates to allow the species to establish and grow well. These forage legumes can all have over 18% CP and can tolerate grazing, but rotational grazing will allow for more controlled forage removal and provide longer rest periods for plants to recover and regrow.
Avoid overgrazing summer annual legumes to preserve the growing points of plants and maintain adequate leaf residual biomass for proper regrowth. For example, sunn hemp can be grazed around 45 to 60 days after planting when plants are 1 to 3 feet tall, whereas cowpea is low growing and requires different management to remain active during the growing season since its growing points are more vulnerable to overgrazing.
Measure forage biomass to adjust the stocking rate and rotation length during the grazing season. A pasture ruler or grazing stick is recommended to determine forage height and esti-
mate forage availability. On average, summer annual forage production ranges from 5,000 to 10,000 pounds per acre, depending on fertilization.
Comparing combinations
To assess the agronomic and environmental benefits of summer mixtures, an ongoing research trial is being conducted in South Carolina that includes a grass-only stand (pearl millet and crabgrass) and two grass-legume mixtures.
Paddocks were planted in May 2023, and 50 pounds of nitrogen were applied per acre. Phosphorus and potassium were applied according to soil report recommendations, and no additional nitrogen was applied throughout the season.
Due to weather conditions, grazing started in early July. These forage systems were managed under rotational grazing, and forage production and quality were determined, among other variables.
Preliminary results showed legume proportions in legume-containing mixtures doubled after the first grazing cycle (Table 1), which reflected greater forage production compared to the grassonly stand. The annual forage yields
ranged from 5,140 to 6,670 pounds of dry matter per acre (Table 2), with 13% to 17% CP protein during the season.
Researchers also assessed the root systems of these mixtures and found 15,450 to 18,440 pounds of roots per acre (Table 2). The root systems directly contribute to nutrient release and carbon supply into the soil when the plant biomass is decomposed. In this context, these contributions will support soil fertility and health improvement in the long term.
Grazing guidelines
Grazing management is crucial to keep the plants in the vegetative stage over time. Letting plants get overmature will cause higher trampling and waste of forage biomass and can shorten the growing season. Generally, due to changes in temperature and weather conditions, summer annual forages tend to play out in mid- to late September in the Southeast. Once the majority of the plants enter the reproductive stage and produce seedheads, overall forage production is compromised, and this signals the end of the grazing season.
Avoid grazing summer annuals too low so that the growing points for regrowth are preserved and adequate leaf tissue remains.
Proper grazing management is also critical during the season to promote adequate animal excreta distribution, especially in low nutrient input systems. The nutrients returned to the area will be recycled and used by the plants growing during the season but may also promote residual nutrient availability for the next crop in rotation.
Warm-season annual mixtures may
help provide more high-quality forage during summer months in the Southeast. These forage systems may alleviate reliance on off-farm inputs such as inorganic nitrogen fertilizer and feed supplementation to meet higher nutritional requirements of livestock.
The incorporation of legumes into grass-based forage systems may also boost forage yield and quality, species diversity, stand resilience, and sustainability of forage-based livestock systems while enhancing soil health over time. Producers can contact their local extension agent or specialist to identify the best forage species and management practices to implement on their operation to achieve optimum results. •
The author is an extension forage specialist and assistant professor at
Amber
Friedrichsen
LILIANE SILVA
Don’t let feedbunk strategies limit profitability
SMALLER margins due to higher feed costs and lower milk prices have been forcing dairy managers to find opportunities to reduce expenses. Often, dairies overlook the potential impact of feedbunk management on the overall profitability of the operation. Are we short changing our herds by our lack of feedbunk management? As we head toward warmer temperatures, it will become more critical to control spoilage and provide fresh feed for the herd.
Let’s start with the ingredients. Do you have excellent forages and quality commodities? Pay attention to the wet feeds and minimize spoilage. Often, new commodity deliveries are placed in front of old inventory. This results in longer storage times for the older feed, leading to more spoilage and shrink. This is especially true for high-moisture ingredients like wet distillers grains or corn gluten. Older feed needs to be removed from the bay before unloading the fresh feed.
Silage face management is also an important factor in reducing spoilage and shrink. With warmer temperatures, microbial activity ramps up, resulting in unstable feed that limits the dry matter intake of cattle. Check silages entering the feeding area for heating. Silages that are heated prior to feed mixing can result in an unstable total mixed ration (TMR) with a shortened feedbunk life. This will cause more refusals, thus reducing intake and milk production. With that said, proper use of silage inoculants at harvest can enhance feedbunk life and inhibit secondary fermentation.
Meet moisture targets
The next step in feedbunk management involves tracking the accuracy of feed mixing and delivery. Various software programs track the loading of ingredients, mixing times, and delivery to pens. While this data is helpful, dairies often do not correctly estimate the dry matter of wet feeds. Test silages
Achieving optimal milk production begins at the feedbunk. Keep to a firm push-up schedule and ensure the ration that is formulated is the one being fed.
and wet by-products on the farm for dry matter content daily, and utilize a fiveday rolling average to determine the amounts needed for mixing rations.
Weather events must also be considered, as rain or snow may affect feed moisture content. Adjusting for these changes will ensure proper mixing each day and that the correct amount of dry matter is delivered to the feedbunk. This will also reduce refusals due to incorrect ration formulation.
Other questions to ask include: How closely does the feedbunk need to be managed? What are the stocking densities of the pens? As we raise stocking densities above 100% of the available feedbunk space, we must intensify feedbunk management to ensure all cattle can consume fresh feed. This involves feed distribution along the feedbunk and feed push up.
Feed needs to be distributed evenly along the entire feedbunk. Individual cattle tend to eat from the same area of the feedbunk, and if they move to other areas when feed is limited in their normal space, they may experience a drop in intake. Observing how feed is distributed and consumed from the feedbunk will provide insight into feeder training and feedbunk loading.
Sometimes it is necessary to load one area of the feedbunk with a greater amount to match the feeding behavior of the cattle.
Stick to a schedule
As we move into summer, keep in mind that cattle will generally eat more during the cooler hours of the day. Thus, more feed should be delivered during the evening hours. Many farms will feed about 40% of the ration in the morning and 60% in the late afternoon or evening during the summer months. This will generally match the feeding behavior of cattle. Delivering fresh feed at least twice a day is also recommended. This will stave off secondary fermentation in the feedbunk, improving dry matter intake.
Feed push-up between feedings needs to be addressed as well to promote better intake and milk production. Some studies have shown an uptick of 8 pounds of daily milk production when farms pushed up feed compared to when they did not. How often does feed need to be pushed up? This will depend on stocking density and feed delivery. As stocking density increases, so does the need for feed push-up. Cattle engage in more feeding after fresh feed
Mike Rankin
is delivered, which generally occurs right after milking. This can encourage competition among animals for space at the feedbunk.
If animals are unable to eat, then there will be waves of feeding; however, those animals in the second wave of feeding also need fresh feed. Pushing up feed every 30 minutes for the first two hours after feeding will ensure that all animals have the opportunity to consume fresh, unsorted feed.
Feed generally needs to be pushed up every two hours during the day and night. On smaller farms, this may be difficult between midnight and 6 a.m. because of labor. Autonomous robotic feed pushers are a game changer for small and large dairies because they allow feed push-up to be based on a set schedule throughout the night.
Dig into the data
One of the challenges with feedbunk management is collecting data. Trail
or game cameras, or other types of recording devices, can be valuable to document the activities around the feedbunk. Without this, it is difficult to know what is happening at 2 a.m. Many dairies suffer from a lack of feed between midnight and the first delivery of the day; however, lactating dairy cattle need access to feed for at least 22 hours a day.
With the push to reduce feed costs, dairies are striving to reduce refusals to less than 1% in most pens. If we have a 200-cow pen, this is only about 250 pounds of feed distributed over 400 feet of the feedbunk. In other words, this is an empty feedbunk. When does the feedbunk run dry on your dairy? This is another reason why cameras are a necessary tool to understand the condition of the feedbunk throughout the day. Summer may bring additional challenges to feedbunk management. Cleaning feedbunks daily will ensure that fresh feed is not delivered on top of
spoiled and heated feed, and this will prevent secondary fermentation and boost feed intake.
Finally, how much should you invest in improving feedbunk management? Every additional pound of feed consumed can result in an additional 3 pounds of milk production. If milk is worth 20 cents per pound, this is 60 cents per cow per day. Yes, feed costs will be higher, but better milk production will more than offset this expense. Don’t overlook feedbunk management as an opportunity to improve margins on your dairy. •
MIKE BROUK
The author is a professor and extension dairy specialist with Kansas State University.
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Alfalfa in the South Workshop
May 7, Tifton, Ga.
Details: georgiaforages.com
Management Intensive Grazing School
May 7 to 9, Appleton City, Mo.
Details: shorturl.at/afwQX
Florida Beef Cattle Short Course
May 8 to 10, Gainesville, Fla.
Details: animal.ifas.ufl.edu/events
2024 Basic Grazing School
May 14 and 15, Madison, Va.
Details: vaforages.org/events
Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference
June 5 and 6, Dubuque, Iowa
Details: fourstatedairy.org
Southeast Kansas Grazing and Forage School
June 8, Parsons, Kan.
Details: ksfgc.org/upcoming-events
406 Grazing Academy
June 11 to 13, Miles City, Mont.
Details: bit.ly/HFG-406-GA
Silage For Beef Conference
Jun 20, Ithaca, Neb.
Details: bit.ly/LANUNL
Wisconsin Farm Technology Days
August 13 to 15, Cadott, Wis.
Details: wifarmtechdays.org
Farm Progress Show
August 27 to 29, Boone, Iowa
Details: farmprogressshow.com
National Hay Assn. Convention
Sept. 18 to 21, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Details: nationalhay.org
World Dairy Expo
World Forage Analysis Superbowl
October 1 to 4, Madison, Wis.
Corn silage entries due July 10
Hay crop entries due Aug. 22
Details: bit.ly/HFG-WFAS
Heart of America Grazing Conference
October 15 to 17, Elizabethtown, Ky.
Details: forages.ca.uky.edu/events
Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium
December 10 to 12, Sparks, Nev.
Details: calhaysymposium.com
HAY MARKET UPDATE
Hay market off to a sleepy start
Average hay prices have boasted a relatively flat trend line so far this year, which is not helped by delayed cuttings out West. Moreover, the gap between average alfalfa and grass hay prices is the narrowest it’s been since February 2021.
Average prices for high-quality alfalfa hay have shown little movement, and although hay exports have improved since last year’s long-time lows, demand from top export markets remains moderate.
The prices below are primarily from USDA hay market reports as of mid-April. Prices are FOB barn/stack unless otherwise noted. •
For weekly updated hay prices, go
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Instead of renovating all of the orchardgrass acres at once, the Woodses made a deal with a local row crop farmer to incorporate portions of the pasture into his corn and soybean rotation. It was a piecemeal process that took place over several growing seasons, but after the second harvest of each two-year rotation, the land was ready to be seeded to novel-endophyte tall fescue.
“It’s a unique situation with the row crop farmer,” Kim said. “It has worked out well to be able to plant our grass behind those couple of crops, and the farmer does a really good job. He uses Roundup Ready corn and soybeans, which helps with the weed pressure that can come up with the forage seedlings. We may have to adjust soil fertility a touch, but he does a good job with that, too.”
The Woodses still make hay on about 30 acres of novel-endophyte fescue that they feed to cattle in the fall. At the same time, they stockpile tall fescue fields to facilitate winter grazing. They
set up polywire fences to divide stockpiled fields into 1- to 2-acre paddocks and then start strip grazing cattle at one end of a paddock by moving another line of polywire forward 30 to 40 feet per day.
“Strip grazing is the key to stockpiled fescue,” Chad declared. “And by that time of year, our calves have been weaned and the cows don’t have as great of a need for high-quality feed, so they can really make gains on the stuff.”
Spring stockpile trial
In 2023, the Woodses tried spring stockpiling for the first time. They removed their cattle from a 22-acre field of tall fescue in February to let the forage grow. New shoots started to emerge out of the trampled plants, but instead of rotationally grazing the fresh grass like they typically would, the couple implemented the same approach to stockpiling tall fescue that they do every fall.
“From March, April, and May, the
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tall fescue is beautiful and green. Then in September, October, and November, it’s beautiful and green again. It grows well those six months of the year, but the awesome thing is when we stockpile it, the nutrition stays,” Chad said.
By the middle of summer when the tall fescue was golden brown and headed out, the Woodses started to strip graze cattle on the stockpiled acres. This time, though, they created larger strips in the paddocks with polywire than they did in the winter — about 1/8 of an acre — to prolong the length of each grazing period and reduce the grazing pressure on the forage.
One morning in late June, Kim counted her steps out to the pasture on her way to move the herd forward to another strip of grass. Even though it took her longer to walk there than to complete the task at hand, it gave her time to consider the benefits of this type of intensive grazing management.
