Hay & Forage Grower - March 2024

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In the native grass niche

Keith and Andrew Tuck of central Virginia, as well as Miller Adams in the southern part of the state, are sold on growing native warm-season grasses to overcome slow growth of other forage species during the summer.

Despite differing from typical field practices, the standard fall dormancy test has proven to accurately measure the trait. There’s

Dwight Stoltzfoos implements several grazing strategies on his 100% grass-fed dairy in southwest Pennsylvania.

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Jason and Karen Noyes posed for a quick photo one morning last August while waiting for their cut alfalfa to lose another point or two in moisture before baling. The Toston, Mont., couple grow nearly 2,000 acres of pure alfalfa, which is marketed to dairy and beef farms. Read more about this Big Sky Country operation starting on page 22.

Photo by Mike Rankin

Mike Rankin Managing Editor

Donkey madness

HERE we are — in the throngs of March Madness. I was never much of a basketball player in high school, being too slow and prone to fouling. I only “played” my freshman year and made the third string. I recall we wore different colored jerseys than the top 10 guys. It didn’t matter; we rarely got whistled in.

Little did I know back then that my freshman experience wouldn’t be the end of my pathetic basketball career. A call for my hardwood services came again many years later.

“Do you want to be on the celebrity donkey basketball team?” asked the young caller on the other end of the phone. I didn’t think a county extension agent fell into the celebrity category, but I was flattered nonetheless. I couldn’t say “no” to this brave FFA member who got hung with making such phone calls. Besides, how hard could it be to ride an unmovable object?

When I showed up for the event, my first but not only inclination that this might have been a mistake was when the owner of the donkeys gathered us “players” to sign an injury waiver. This was a document that exceeded the length of a nearby world history textbook and encompassed every malady known to the medical community. I skimmed through the document, noticing words such as nonliable, bone breakage, and brain trauma, which was particularly concerning.

Next came the rule explanations. “You must be on the donkey or have hold of its lead rope to touch the basketball,” asserted the owner, who also served as the referee. “If you fall off, get back on immediately. Don’t try to lead the donkey; that will be an exercise in futility.”

We were set to play the much younger FFA-member team. Other than the possibility of death, I tried to remain focused. My celebrity teammates included such well-known community leaders as the police chief, an area A.I. technician, the feed store manager, and a local rendering truck driver, who thankfully had showered. I figured the latter was invited in case it was the last rodeo for one of the donkeys . . . or perhaps one of their riders.

Before the tipoff, the donkey owner introduced his herd. They had names such as Crash Gordon, Bucky, Petunia, and Widow Maker. I volunteered to be one of the starting five and would soon learn that this was a critical mistake. Showcasing my best Michael Jordan gait, I took to the floor. The

owner pointed me to my donkey, a rather timid looking beast named Eeyore, but I would soon learn that looks and names can be deceiving. At the sound of the whistle, my burro just stood in place. This was as I had hoped. What I didn’t anticipate was the referee running around with a little whip, which he used to hit the floor behind a donkey when it didn’t move. At the sound of his weapon striking the hardwood, my mount took off like it was the Kentucky Derby. Holding on for dear life and with no interest in finding the basketball, we raced to about half court. It was at this point that my steed went from 60 to zero in one second while simultaneously dropping its nose to the floor.

In a flash, the laws of physics were put on full display as I launched over the animal’s front end, going airborne for what seemed like a commercial flight from New York to Los Angeles. The words “injury waiver” came to mind as I hurled through the air, all to the delight of the open-mouthed audience. Even Orville and Wilbur would have been satisfied with the distance.

As I hit the hard maple and skidded to a halt, my hope was for at least a foul call. None came, so I brushed myself off, grabbed the lead rope, and reluctantly jumped back on for another round in what had now been transformed from a basketball court to a gladiator pit. Once again, my donkey stood motionless, and once again the referee and his whip ensured such docility would not be tolerated.

It was only by God’s good graces that I wasn’t carried out from that gym on a stretcher. Fortunately, I had nothing more than multiple contusions and a sore everything. Hobbling to the parking lot, I heard one sadistic local farmer tell his wife that he would have paid $100 for the event instead of the requisite $10 fare.

Several years later, I got another call from a young FFA member. “Would you be interested in playing donkey basketball?” he asked. “It would really help boost ticket sales.”

“Sure I will,” was my response. “Just make sure I get Petunia.” •

Happy foraging,

This Could Be You! This Could Be You!

“We’re gaining 15% leaf in those “We’re gaining 15% leaf in those bales in the field consistently… bales in the field consistently… We’ve paid for 2 machines in one We’ve paid for machines in one year.” year.”

“Everybody is scared of the “Everybody is scared of the sticker price of what the steamer sticker price of what the steamer costs, but it will pay itself back costs, but it will pay itself back 10-fold.” 10-fold.”

“We love the steamers not only

“We love the steamers not only because of our labor savings and because of our labor savings and our cost savings, but also believe our cost savings, but also believe we’ve gained 5-10% [bale weight] we’ve gained 5-10% [bale weight] based on no leaf loss and based on no leaf loss and consistent moisture.” consistent moisture.”

“The startup cost can feel like a

“The startup cost can feel like a lot, but in our first year, we lot, but in our first year, we estimate that in the bale weights estimate that in the bale weights alone, we gained $90,000. That alone, gained $90,000. That was in the bale weights alone.” was in the bale weights alone.”

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is just

IN THE NATIVE GRASS NICHE

by Amber Friedrichsen, Associate Editor

SEVERAL out-of-state license plates cruise through Moneta, Va., in the summertime as drivers head toward Smith Mountain Lake for a weekend getaway. As they near the scenic vacation spot, tourists likely pass by several pastures of beef cattle. One such herd belongs to Keith Tuck, whose farm is sandwiched between the small town and the lake’s shoreline. Tuck was born and raised on the farm his grandfather purchased in 1962. Back then, the family primarily grew tobacco and had a small beef herd. In 2000, the labor demands of tobacco production became too tiresome, so Tuck turned his focus to forage. He established permanent pastures of Kentucky-31 tall fescue on about 250 acres and his vision for a rotational grazing system slowly came to fruition. With support from Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS) costshare programs, Tuck built exclusion fences around his streams and waterways. Then he put up a fence around the perimeter of his property and created 8to 12-acre sections within the pasture. He also installed water troughs between every two to four paddocks. “I couldn’t start my rotational grazing system until I had all of this infrastructure,” said the former president of the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council. “Then I just expanded from there.”

With the infrastructure in place, Tuck started to improve his grazing practices to boost his beef production efficiency. He began stockpiling forage in the fall to minimize hay feeding and frost seeded red and white clover to dilute the toxic tall fescue. Tuck also converted some of his acres to native warm-season grasses to bolster summer forage supplies. By combining these strategies, he has been able to graze cattle approximately 300

days a year and was a regional winner of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s 2023 Environmental Stewardship Award Program.

Filling the gaps

With help from his son, Andrew, Tuck maintains a fall-calving herd of about 80 Angus-cross cows, and they raise all of their own replacement heifers. In early September, he moves cattle to designated paddocks and starts to stockpile forage. Meanwhile, he unrolls large round bales of hay for cows to strip graze during the calving season. Tuck stopped making his own hay years ago because he finds it more profitable to buy it from local producers.

“I feed hay at this time so I can keep cattle on one or two fields when it isn’t too wet and they don’t tear the ground up as much,” he said. “The temperatures are comfortable when I unroll hay and I’m out checking for calves every

All photos: Amber Friedrichsen

Seeding switchgrass into silvopasture

one way these Virginia farmers utilize native warm-season grasses.

day anyway.”

Sometime in November, Tuck begins strip grazing the stockpiled tall fescue. He gives cattle enough forage for about one to two days before moving the line of polywire ahead. This lasts animals through winter and early spring until pastures green up in April.

“When I start grazing again, the grass is coming up kind of slow, so I flash graze each field. I just take cattle through and let them nip the grass off quick before moving them to the next paddock,” Tuck said. “By the time they come back around, I can slow down the rotation because the grass is really starting to grow well.”

This steady spring growth comes to a halt when tall fescue hits its summer slump. While Tuck used to feed hay when forage production tapered off, he discovered an alternative approach to meeting feed demands by grazing native warm-season grasses.

“We usually get really dry in July and August, and the lake seems to change the weather pattern so that any precipitation skips around me,” Tuck said. “The native grasses give me a lot of grazing days because they grow when there is little rain and it’s really hot.”

Establishment year

To convert parts of his pastures to native warm-season grasses, Tuck terminated three existing tall fescue fields one year in the fall. Instead of planting a smother crop, he let the field fallow and then sprayed regrowth and weeds again in late March just prior to planting.

Tuck seeded one 16-acre paddock to switchgrass and two other 20- and 7-acre paddocks to a mix of big bluestem, little bluestem, and indiangrass. Once the seedlings were established, he waited another year before grazing cattle on the new forage to ensure it developed a strong root system. Tuck did not apply fertilizer to the new stands, but he did clip pastures one time to eliminate competition from weeds and allow more sunlight to reach the young plants.

The following year, Tuck introduced cattle to the switchgrass stand in late May. The growing points on switchgrass stems are much higher than that of tall fescue, so he moved animals along in the grazing rotation when plants were 8 to 10 inches tall. “That was hard to do because you think,

After cattle graze tall fescue into the summer, they are rotated to native grass paddocks.

‘Man, they are leaving a lot out there,’ but you have to do it because the plants won’t survive if you graze them too close,” Tuck said from experience.

Cattle then worked their way through the mix of big bluestem, little bluestem, and indiangrass as well, completing a total of four rotations through the native warm-season grass stands that summer. These species start to go dormant by early September, which brings Tuck back to stockpiling tall fescue and unrolling hay.

Another adopter

Before proceeding with planting, Tuck invested in a drill specifically designed for native grass seeds since they are especially small and fluffy. He made a point to buy a seeder that was only 8-feet wide and would fit on the bed of his trailer so he could haul it to other farms and helping his friends establish stands of their own.

One of Tuck’s first custom seeding clients was Miller Adams. The area forester for Charlotte County grew up farming alongside his father and grandfather in Red Oak before attending Virginia Tech to study forestry. Then Adams returned home from college to help expand his family’s beef operation and develop a better grazing system.

Tuck made the two-hour drive from Moneta to Red Oak with his seed drill in tow to help Adams plant roughly 15 acres of big bluestem among three fields that were previously rooted in tall fescue. Instead of incorporating the

forage into his grazing rotation, though, Adams planned to harvest the big bluestem for hay.

“I was trying to develop that land as an area where I could harvest hay outside of the timeframe that we would harvest tall fescue hay. Our windows of opportunity to do so are so small in the spring because we can have a thunderstorm come out of nowhere. I thought moving toward a native warm-season grass might be a good idea,” the problem-solving producer said.

Adams’ family transitioned away from growing tobacco and raising dairy cattle to grazing beef cattle about 30 years ago. Like Tuck, he now has a herd of approximately 80 crossbred cows that calve in the fall. Adams uses polywire fences to create temporary paddocks in his 200 acres of pasture, and even though the asphalt road that cuts across his property might seem like it would interfere with his grazing goals, he has learned to use the dividing line to his advantage.

Around the end of August or early September, Adams corrals his cattle to the

Keith and Andrew Tuck have an 80-cow beef herd and raise all of their replacement heifers.

north side of the road and starts stockpiling tall fescue to the south. Cows continue to move through paddocks before he begins feeding them hay as calving season commences. Adams used to unroll large round bales of hay but has recently been leaving bales intact and setting several of them upright across the field.

“It has been a tremendous benefit to put bales out there ahead of time compared to having to get in the tractor and carry hay sometimes twice a day,” Adams affirmed. “I put out six or seven bales at a time, which lasts the herd about two and a half days. I watch them to see when they need more forage, then I take down the fence and give them a new section.”

By January, calves are big enough to follow the cows back across the road to strip graze the stockpiled forage to the south, and this lasts them until spring when they can begin rotationally grazing fresh forage again.

Switchgrass in silvopasture

In addition to baling big bluestem and stockpiling tall fescue, Adams has

started grazing cattle on switchgrass in a silvopasture system. In 2016, he purchased a plot of land that was partially planted to loblolly pine trees for timber production. He converted the open grassland to a novel-endophyte variety of tall fescue and experimented with silvopasture management in the wooded areas.

Adams contracted a logger to harvest alternating 50-foot corridors across about 20 acres of the tree stand. The logger also performed a heavy commercial thinning in the remaining trees to reduce the stand density by about one-third so sunlight could reach the forest floor. Adams then administered several prescribed burns to manage the accumulated debris and remove the duff layer, and he hired the use of a forestry tiller to grind down the stumps that were left behind after the tree harvest.

Once the corridors were prepared for planting, Adams opted to seed switchgrass because of its ability to withstand the sweltering summers of southern

Virginia. In fact, he was inspired to plant the native warm-season species because of the persistence of a patch of grass in his front yard.

“Just to the side of my mailbox, there is some switchgrass that is naturally occurring,” Adams said, pointing to the prolific plants. “One time we had a dry fall and all of my pastures turned brown, but that switchgrass continued to stay green with very little water.”

The refined forester also knew switchgrass would be better suited to the soil properties below the silvopasture as opposed to an improved variety of tall fescue. Although the soil would likely be very acidic after years of tree production, the native warm-season species is adapted to low soil pH.

Since its inaugural grazing event, Adams has integrated the switchgrass stand into his grazing rotation in the summer. In addition to its ability to grow in the heat and humidity, switchgrass has been shown to improve wildlife habitat. He noted its tight bunching growth pattern provides an ideal environment for ground-dwelling

Despite their different approaches to growing native warm-season grasses, both Tuck and Adams can attest to the value they bring to the table. Between filling the gaps in summer grazing and securing greater hay supplies, the two farmers have seen significant improvements in their beef production by integrating these species into their

“I have had people ask, ‘Where did you get all that grass?’” Tuck laughed. “The native species help me rest my pastures and give the grass more recovery time. My cows look nice and plump because they have plenty to eat.” •

Miller Adams grows native grasses for grazing and making additional hay.

Shift alfalfa goals with high corn silage diets

CONSUMERS have a way of changing agricultural trends. For example, in the grocery store, more sustainable food products are often chosen if given a choice.

Dairy and beef cattle can also be thought of as consumers — but for forage growers. Dairy and beef cattle consumer preferences are also influencing agricultural trends, though in a slightly different way than humans. Changing dairy and beef cattle diet preferences are affecting growers’ cropping strategies.

More corn silage

Dairy herds across the U.S. and the world are continuously gaining in feed conversion efficiency. Herd management and genetics are impactful, but some of the realized gains can be attributed to improved nutrition programs such as more consistent diets and nutrient supply. Greater corn silage inclusion rates have contributed toward this consistency gain. With dairy and beef cattle consumer preferences changing, the forage component in dairy diets is now made up of more corn silage than ever before. This shift toward greater corn silage levels is having an effect on alfalfa feeding rates, and potentially shifting alfalfa grower goals and harvest strategies.

Alfalfa hay or haylage contributes to both structural and energy requirements in dairy diets. The importance of each corresponds to the relative amount of alfalfa in the diet. With more alfalfa, the energy value becomes more important. With less alfalfa, the structural fiber component becomes equally or more important than energy contribution. This latter case is where dairy diets are trending, along with greater corn silage feeding rates.

It’s now common for dairy diets to be made up with 22 to 30 pounds corn silage and 5 to 10 pounds alfalfa hay or haylage on a dry matter basis, with alfalfa inclusion rates between 10% and 20% of the total diet dry matter.

With higher dietary alfalfa feeding rates, I’ve advocated for shortening harvest intervals to boost energy value. This

was because the energy value in alfalfa substantially influenced dry matter intake and milk production potential at higher feeding levels. Now, for the reasons discussed above, we’re pivoting in the opposite direction and entertaining discussions about stretching out alfalfa — in both cutting intervals and height. To arm your farm with more insight to help drive decision making with today’s diet trends, let’s compare and contrast two harvest strategies separated by about five days in harvest interval.

Harvest a bit later

Lengthening the interval between cuttings will boost yield, lower quality, and likely extend stand life. The relationship between alfalfa yield and quality is fairly well understood. For example, in a February 2017 Hay & Forage Grower article titled “Managing the yield and quality trade off,” we graphed out how yield and relative forage quality (RFQ) are inversely related. Learning from others and referencing a bit of research, I’ve come to believe that RFQ declines about 5 units and yield rises roughly 150 pounds of dry matter per acre for each added day alfalfa grows. Let’s work with these benchmarks in our comparison.

Table 1 details quality and yield ramifications associated with a five-day difference in cutting interval. Stretching out the cutting interval is projected to boost yield per acre by around 1.5 tons for the year, assuming four cuttings. We give up about 25 points in RFQ in this scenario. With alfalfa fed at only 5 to 10 pounds of dry matter per cow, the projected

milk production is only a half-pound different per cow per day. The 150 RFQ alfalfa will also contribute a bit more structural fiber relative to the 175 RFQ alfalfa, which can be valuable in higher corn silage diets with finely processed corn silage. Further, the positive impact on stand life associated with a longer cutting interval should be considered an added benefit above and beyond what we discuss here.

Alfalfa quality clearly has a lesser impact on dairy performance when fed at lower inclusion rates. Cows’ preference for consistency has driven alfalfa out of diets. With less alfalfa in diets, fewer acres are needed for hay or haylage; however, alfalfa will still be in the cropping rotation for most producers. Hence, for these alfalfa acres, gaining 1 to 2 tons in yield and giving alfalfa a few more growing days to contribute to root carbohydrate reserves are strong positives.

Dairy and beef cattle diet trends will continue to evolve, and your harvest strategies for growing forage can as well. If you’ve been pushing higher corn silage diets, consider the alfalfa concepts and projections covered here as you head into the next growing season. •

Table 1. Hay or haylage quality, yield, and milk

cutting strategies

GAIN GRAZING FLEXIBILITY

by Eric Bailey

DROUGHT is on farmers’ minds across Missouri and other states. Monthly precipitation has been below average 17 of the last 22 months in Columbia, Mo. I am concerned that grass growth this spring will be below average because precipitation is the number one predictor of forage production in grassland systems.

An evaluation of precipitation data revealed Columbia has received less than 80% of its average annual precipitation once every 4.3 years. Drought is more frequent than many are willing to admit, and we should account for that in our business models. This month, I will share ideas on how to adapt a forage-based beef cattle operation for enhanced drought resilience.

A beef cow requires feed every day of the year, but forage does not grow continuously. Consequently, we stockpile forages during periods of excess growth and utilize the surplus during periods of limited growth. However, few recognize the missing piece in this puzzle: The proportion of the farm stocked with beef cows significantly influences the ability to stockpile forages for lean times.

Utilizing 100% of forage acres for cows necessitates feeding hay during periods of reduced forage growth. Conversely, stocking 50% of the acres with cows and allocating the other 50% for an alternative enterprise opens the potential for more acres per cow during winter and drought.

For a Missouri-specific example, a 320-acre farm supports 100 cows and feeds hay for 90 to 120 days in the winter. Currently, forage growth in the spring exceeds cows’ needs during those months and most farms cut it for hay to feed during the winter. Reducing cows from 100 to 50 head opens acreage to be used for an additional enterprise. I propose reducing the herd to 50 cows and adding 200 head of stocker or backgrounder calves. The 50 cows would be on the farm year-round, and the stockers would be on the farm from April 1 to July 1 each year. Stocker cattle enterprises offer flexibility that beef cow enterprises lack. We use livestock to harvest vegetative forage rather than waiting for it to mature and lose quality. Stockers do not depreciate during drought as they can be shipped to a feedlot, and stocking rate decisions can be made in advance based on forage conditions. For nine months out of the year, you are now running 50 cows on 320

acres. I speculate that you will not have to feed much hay to cows in this system. Perhaps bringing new cattle onto your farm is unpalatable. There are risks of biosecurity, a greater need for improved cattle handling facilities, better stockmanship, and the ability to identify and treat sick cattle. Luckily, there is a flexible grazing unit already on your farm. Let’s take a closer look at using home-raised heifer calves in this way.

Keep the heifers

In a commercial beef cattle operation, every male calf is destined for a grocery store case, and its value determined by market conditions. A heifer, on the other hand, can become a brood cow, and her value is not set in stone. Many producers select replacement heifers at weaning based on phenotype. The nonreplacement heifers are sold at a discount relative to steers. But does the beef industry do a good job of selecting replacement females?

A dataset from the Meat Animal Research Center in Nebraska reported less than 50% of bred heifers produce four calves before culling. Economists estimate a beef cow must have five to six calves to pay for herself. In other words, most replacement heifers will

Mike Rankin

lose money during their lifetime.

A heifer calf undergoes an “appreciation-depreciation” cycle. We can make a heifer more valuable by growing her or breeding her. When a heifer fails to conceive, she depreciates significantly. The worst-case scenario is paying $2,500 for a bred heifer, culling her after she raises one calf, and selling her for $1,250. Depreciation is a silent killer of profit in the beef business.

I propose that you keep all replacement heifers, background them on pasture, and expose them to a bull for a short breeding season or administer one round of timed A.I. Best-case scenario, you will have more bred heifers than you need, and the extra bred heifers can be sold at an auction.

Given where we are in the cattle cycle, it is likely that bred females will command a premium in the next few years. So, you force appreciation on a 1,000-pound heifer. If sold as a feeder calf, she is likely worth up to $1,900 today, depending on weight at sale. As a bred heifer, she gains $600 in value. The drought resilience comes in when

you make your heifer development program forage based. We recommend heifers reach 65% of mature body weight by breeding, yet there is ample data showing acceptable conception rates when heifers are grown to 50% to 55% of mature body weight. In essence, you are selecting heifers that breed in an environment similar to mature cows. This system may require supplementation for heifers, but it will be less than 1% of body weight per day. Heifers will still graze for much of their feed.

Adjust as needed

If you lack feed resources at weaning, select replacement heifers and sell the rest, effectively reducing the stocking rate. If feed is abundant, keep all heifers for development. You also have the choice to breed all the developed heifers or to perform another cut at any time before breeding. This provides multiple opportunities to partially destock pastures, but unlike the traditional model, heifers can go into the feeder cattle market and not be depreciated the way cows are when everyone is trying to sell

THE HIGHEST QUALITY FORAGE

them during drought. Like the stocker cattle scenario, this will require a downsizing of the cow herd to accommodate the heifer development enterprise. Maintaining fewer cows than your land can support helps avoid two profit killers in the beef cow business. During drought, the price of beef cows drops, pitting farmers in a losing scenario of selling low and buying high. Additionally, the price of feed (hay and grain) often spikes when drought conditions are widespread. Thus, farmers are faced with a lose-lose scenario of selling cows for less than they are worth or buying expensive feed to maintain cows during these lean times. Be creative with your grazing platform and diversify your allocation of forage resources. •

ERIC BAILEY

The author is an assistant professor and extension beef specialist at the University of MissouriColumbia.

by Matt Akins

Heifers harness high-fiber forage

HIGH-quality corn silage and alfalfa and grass forages are staples on dairy farms; however, these feedstuffs provide inadequate fiber and excess energy for breeding-age and pregnant dairy heifers.

High-quality forages are well-suited for young heifers up to 8 months old due to these animals’ lower feed intakes and higher energy needs around 62% to 65% total digestible nutrients (TDN). Yearling and pregnant heifers have higher feed intakes, so their diet energy needs are lower at about 58% to 60% TDN, which is far less than the typical 65% to 75% TDN that corn silage and alfalfa haylage can provide.

Ideally, large-breed heifers like Holsteins should gain 1.8 to 2.2 pounds of body weight per day to meet target weight goals. But studies show that feeding a diet of corn silage and alfalfa haylage with 45% neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and 65% diet TDN causes heifers to gain 2.5 pounds per day or more, leading to greater fat deposition.

To remedy this, researchers at the University of Wisconsin (UW) Marshfield Agricultural Research Station have evaluated options to control heifer growth for several years. Pat Hoffman, a retired UW dairy management specialist, compiled data from over 9,000 daily pen intakes and found heifers across a weight range of 300 to 1,500 pounds ate approximately 1% of their body weight as NDF each day due to the nutrient having a filling effect in the rumen (Figure 1).

For example, a 1,000-pound heifer is estimated to eat 10 pounds of NDF daily. If that diet contains 45% NDF, the heifer will eat 22 pounds of dry matter (DM); however, at 50% NDF, she will eat 20 pounds of DM. At 55% NDF, the heifer will eat 18 pounds of DM. With this information, we can use higher fiber forages to formulate diets to control feed intake and weight gain in dairy heifers while also reducing feed costs.

We have found using various forages to elevate the diet NDF to 50% to 55% and keeping energy levels at 58% to 60% TDN has allowed gains of 1.8 to 2 pounds per day for bred and preg-

nant heifers. The type of forage used really does not matter with a variety of options available and species selection dependent on the individual farm.

Wait for bloom stage

Although we want to make the highest quality forage possible, there is a case to be made for allowing a cutting of alfalfa or grass to become more mature at specific times of the year. Having a staggered harvest schedule with a longer growing interval for one summer cutting — 35 days or more at 50% bloom instead of 28 days at bud stage — may be beneficial for the plants and for forage yield.

A longer interval allows plants to better restore root or stem reserves and improves later regrowth and yield. Also, forage quality decreases more quickly during the summer, favoring its use in heifer rations. This strategy likely would be implemented on select acres, such as older stands, to meet inventory needs for high-fiber forage by getting more yield. It could also possibly be practiced across additional acres to promote a stand’s lifespan. A useful resource on alfalfa harvest strategies is available at bit.ly/HFG-alfalfa-harvest.

Try warm-season annuals

Forage sorghum, sorghum-sudangrass, and millets are becoming more

Holstein – Jersey heifers

commonly grown. Conventional varieties have ideal fiber and energy contents to blend with a moderate-quality haylage in pregnant dairy heifer diets to meet animals’ nutrient needs. Harvest strategy has a big effect on yield for these forages, with a single harvest producing 1.5 to 2 times more biomass than a two-cut system.

At the UW Marshfield and Hancock research stations, conventional forage sorghum and sorghum-sudangrass planted in early June and harvested in October or early November yielded 6 to 8 tons of DM per acre, while two-cut plots had yields of 3 to 4 tons of DM per acre, although this forage had higher digestibility and protein.

Any producer who has worked with forage sorghum knows moisture content at harvest can be a challenge. A conventional variety should mature and be ready to harvest by mid- to late October, but photosensitive varieties will need to be frost killed and dried over one to two weeks, which brings a risk of lodging. To minimize the risk of lodging, harvest the crop prior to or after corn silage harvest using a cut and wilt strategy. This is a good option for either conventional or photosensitive varieties. An earlier harvest also opens opportunities to apply manure and establish a cereal grain crop for harvest the following spring.

Potential for perennials

The use of perennial warm-season grasses by dairies is minimal due to low forage quality; however, this makes them ideal for feeding heifers or dry cows. Switchgrass has been a focus for biofuel research and can be grown in various soils and climates.

Newer varieties with faster establishment to improve first-year growth and reduce weed competition are being developed by Roger Samson with the Resource Efficient Agriculture Production-Canada.

Canadian researchers have found that after the establishment year, switchgrass yields can be over 6 tons of DM per acre with a single harvest in early fall. Canadian producers are currently using switchgrass forage for replacing straw in dry cow rations and also for bedding, which may offer additional cost saving opportunities.

Eastern gamagrass is another option, and these plants have had persistence over multiple years at the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station. Using a mid-September harvest, yield was maximized at 3 to 4 tons of DM per acre with forage quality of 75% NDF and 5% to 7% protein. Dry matter content was 30% to 40%, so minimal to no wilting time was needed prior to harvest. Potassium content of single-harvest

warm-season grasses is generally low at 1% to 1.5%, making them suitable to replace straw in dry cow rations. Perennial warm-season grasses also have the advantage of lower establishment costs with stands expected to produce for several years.

Roughages like straw and stover can also work well in heifer rations, so producers have several options to produce higher fiber forage. Before managing a new species, get advice from your agronomist, extension staff, nutritionist, and other producers about best management practices and estimating forage inventory needs and diet formulation. •

The author is a dairy scientist at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center in Marshfield, Wis.

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Is your pasture old enough?

DO FRESH, newly planted pastures provide better nutritional quality for grazing livestock than older pastures? Are pastures worn out with age? How old is old enough for an effective pasture on your farm? Do pastures need to be renovated because they’ve served several generations of brood cows?

Some of these questions can be rationally answered and acted upon, while others may require an epiphany, or maybe just random action.

Long-term research trials comparing pasture management strategies are rare in the U.S. Such trials require dedicated investments of time, labor, and inputs. One of these trials was conducted in northern Georgia during the 1990s and 2000s. Russell Bruce, John Stuedemann, and Stanley Wilkinson initiated a Coastal bermudagrass study to compare the effects of forage utilization and nitrogen fertilization on cattle productivity, forage production and quality, and soil health.

In the study, forage was managed along a gradient from not utilized (simulates conservation reserve) to grazed lightly to grazed intensively to harvested frequently for hay. Nitrogen input treatments were inorganic nitrogen only, crimson clover cover crop plus reduced inorganic nitrogen fertilizer, or poultry litter only. After five years of observations, management systems were changed in some of the treatments. Additional observations were made over the next seven years when Georgia-5 tall fescue was successfully overseeded into the bermudagrass sod. Many useful results were produced from the trial, and it took a football team-sized effort to get it all done.

Better with age

Nutrients: With nearly annual sampling over a dozen years of management, we found that phosphorus, potassium, manganese, zinc, and copper levels increased in soil to almost double initial values or greater. The requirement for lime with high inorganic nitrogen fertilization levels led to elevated calcium and magnesium levels. Grazing

Source: Franzluebbers, A.J., & Stuedemann, J.A. (2010). Soil

of forage and return of feces to the land led to higher soil potassium while haying caused a decline in soil potassium due to forage removal.

Soil phosphorus accumulated noticeably to a 5-inch depth during the first five years when fertilized with poultry litter. Significant lateral redistribution of phosphorus also occurred, with shade and water areas having greater soil phosphorus levels than farther away.

Soil organic matter: Soil organic matter is typically measured from the amount of carbon in a soil sample. Soil organic matter contains 58% carbon. Over time, soil organic carbon increased in all pastures. The rate of change was faster during the first five years and slower during the next seven years. However, this result was not necessarily due to differences in botanical composition or treatment changes, but more likely due to a three-year drought that limited forage production but kept soil microorganisms from decomposing.

There was a loss of soil carbon that occurred during years 6, 7, and 8. Because this experiment was terminated at the end of 12 years due to funding limitations, we don’t know if soil organic carbon would have rose further or would have stabilized in balance between carbon inputs and outputs.

On average, soil organic carbon accumulated at a rate of 0.48 metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide (CO2) per acre per year when left unharvested

 Inorganic only  Organic + inorganic

Organic only

as conservation reserve, 0.93 MT of CO2 per acre per year when grazed lightly, 0.89 MT of CO2 per acre per year when grazed intensively, and 0.11 MT of CO2 per acre per year when hayed frequently. Grazing pastures was highly beneficial for soil organic matter accumulation! Hay removal was placing carbon into a cattle diet elsewhere on the farm and not returning carbon contained in feces back to the hay ground. Nitrogen cycling: Organic nitrogen increased during the 12-year period at rates of 27, 63, 68, and 7 pounds per acre per year when unharvested, grazed lightly, grazed intensively, or hayed frequently, respectively. While fertilizing with nitrogen aimed to improve forage growth and quality, it was also reinvesting in soil fertility that could help pastures remain productive over time.

Other approaches to getting reasonable and reliable estimates of soil organic carbon and nitrogen accumulation will be explored in a future issue. Until then, consider whether your pastures are too old or just right. •

ALAN FRANZLUEBBERS

Figure 1. Soil carbon changes over 12 years of pasture management

Fall dormancy testing: IS IT STILL RELEVANT?

by Scott Newell

FALL dormancy of alfalfa is an important trait to consider when selecting a variety, but how relevant is it to farmscale production?

Fall dormancy is described as the physiological response of the alfalfa plant causing a slowdown and cessation of regrowth. The primary response factor is shorter day lengths, though temperature and light quality also come into play. This response is consistent and, having experience with dormancy trials on the Mexican border in El Centro, Calif., can be quite surprising. Even as the weather would seem perfect for plant growth, with temperatures in the low 80s, you will see the most dormant varieties with nearly no regrowth in the winter months. This demonstrates how strong and consistent the dormancy response displays itself.

Fall dormancy rating (FDR) is the number assigned through a trial and is a quantitative measure. Fall dormancy class (FDC) is a discrete integer clas-

sification of 1 through 11 for the fall dormancy of a variety. Essentially, FDR will be calculated in a trial and rounded to the nearest FDC. These terms are often used interchangeably, and collectively are colloquially referred to as the fall dormancy of a variety, with the most dormant (least fall regrowth) being a FDC 1, and the least dormant (most fall regrowth) being FDC 11.

A standard test is used

Fall dormancy is a directly measured trait governed by a standard testing procedure established by alfalfa scientists (public and private) through the North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference (NAAIC). The standard test procedure outlines a test that has been proven across the U.S. to provide consistent dormancy rankings.

This standard test is performed in space-planted plots where plants can be established by direct seeding and thinning, but is usually done by transplanting, at a 1-foot spacing on 30- to 36-inch centers. There are 11 “check” varieties that span across the fall dormancy

spectrum from FDC 1 to 11. These varieties have been shown through much previous study to be consistent across locations in their relative dormancy response and are used to establish a regression for estimating FDC of new varieties. The standard test dictates that four replications of 25 plants each be established at each location.

In the fall, when day length is shortening, a final cut is taken from the trial. Twenty-five to 30 days later, individual plant heights are measured. These heights can range from 2 to 25 inches, depending on the variety’s degree of dormancy. The heights measured for the check varieties, along with their known dormancy class, are used to establish a relative regrowth response equation in that environment. That equation is then used to predict the dormancy class for new varieties under test at the location.

Testing the standard test

Keen-eyed readers will realize this system of testing spaced plants is not exactly an accurate reflection of how

alfalfa is grown on farms and may question its relevance. If you look at any cornfield, you can see a good representation of the edge effect and the difference that population density can make on plant height.

A group of alfalfa and forage scientists at the University of Wisconsin; University of California, Davis; and Cornell University chose five field locations across the U.S. to represent the breadth of latitude and longitude of most alfalfa growing regions. Locations were in El Centro, Calif.; Davis, Calif., in the Central Valley; Tulelake, Calif., near Oregon; Arlington, Wis.; and Ithaca, N.Y.

At each location, paired trials were established. One trial followed the fall dormancy standard test, transplanted at 1-foot spacings, while the other was direct seeded in 4- by 8-foot plots at typical seeding rates, four replications within each treatment. Twenty varieties were seeded in these trials, comprising 11 standard checks and nine experimental or commercial varieties. These fields were managed similarly, following the same cutting schedules through the growing season. At each location, a suitable final cutting date was chosen based on previous experience, being sure to cut with enough time before a killing frost that could interfere with characterization in Northern locations. In the space-planted plots, individual plants were measured in accordance with the standard test. In sward (solid-seeded) plots, a technique was devised to randomly measure plants in 12 places.

Little difference in dormancy rating was attained between locations and planting methods (see Figure 1). Depending on location, the correlation between the two methods for all 20 varieties ranged from 0.89 to 0.99. When all locations were considered together, the correlation between the two methods was 0.99 (see Table 1). It should be noted that higher correlations were seen when considering 11 standard check varieties alone, showcasing the nature of these check varieties to perform true to type.

Opens up options

This knowledge has advantages for both the seed buyer and seller. For the farmer, you can be assured that the seed you are buying will perform as expected in field conditions, despite the nature of the standard fall dormancy test being so different from field practices. As a result of this study, standard test procedures

were updated to include the use of sward plots as an alternative testing method to classify fall dormancy. This opens the possibility of including dormancy testing with alfalfa yield trials, as an example. For the alfalfa breeding company, this reduces the cost of determining alfalfa fall dormancy and may allow for multiple-location testing.

At present, one location and year is sufficient to certify the fall dormancy of an alfalfa variety. This is likely a compromise due to the onerous nature of the standard test. However, yield testing must be done over multiple locations and years. Combining fall dormancy with yield testing could prove feasible and lead to higher standards of testing, resulting in better characterization of varieties.

A recent trend has been to report fall dormancy with an accuracy to 0.1 (for example, FDR=4.3). The difference in fall regrowth between each FDC is, on average, about 2 to 2.5 inches, depending on location. Therefore, a tenth of a dormancy class is less than a quarter inch in the fall, which equates to about 0.03 tons of dry matter per acre of yield. In truth, management practices and careful

machinery adjustments will make a bigger difference to yield in the fall than will a tenth of a dormancy class rating. Perhaps some intermediate values could prove useful, but more stringent testing procedures should be agreed upon. Fall dormancy continues to be an important trait to consider when selecting a variety for use, along with many other factors, including disease and pest resistance and winter survival rating. It is critical to know that what you are buying will generally perform as advertised. •

The results of this trial were published in Grassland Research and can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/HFG-FDR

SCOTT NEWELL

Figure 1. Fall dormancy ratings (FDR) for sward versus space-planted trials

Back to dairy’s grazing roots

by Jason Cavadini

IN 2015, the average price of raising a dairy heifer in Wisconsin was $2.77 per day. In 2023, farmers reported paying as much as $3.15 per day. The result — in addition to other expenses and lower milk prices — has been a trend of diminishing profits. The million-dollar question is: Can anything be done to stop this trend?

If raising replacement heifers is such a large expense and over 50% of those expenses come from feed costs, the question should be: How can we reduce the costs of producing quality feed for dairy heifers?

While improvements in forage yield, quality, and harvesting efficiency can have direct impacts on the milking herd, these factors don’t necessarily transfer to the heifer program. In many cases, prioritizing high-quality forage production can add unnecessary costs to heifer production. So, what if the greatest opportunity to address the high cost of heifer raising involved taking a step back to the dairy industry’s grazing roots?

Curb the high costs

Our attention has turned to what’s below the soil surface, from nitrogen-fixing crop roots to cover crops creating root channels and the continuous living roots of perennial forages. While these types of roots all carry potential to create resilience into our farming systems, there are roots of a different kind that are just as critical to the long-term success of our farming systems — the metaphorical roots of raising livestock on the land.

Domestication of grazing ruminants was one of the first forms of agriculture, and managed grazing is an efficient form of agriculture. We don’t have to dig too deep into history to recall a time when nearly all dairy cattle spent summers on pasture, but a drive through today’s countryside will show that most dairy farms don’t graze cattle anymore. The push for greater milk production and efficiency caused grazing to fall out of favor to more precise methods of feeding dairy cattle. But perhaps there’s still a place for grazing.

The practice of well-managed graz-

Perennial ryegrass Orchardgrass

ing has the potential to unlock ecological and agronomic functions belowground and aboveground. In other words, managed grazing can produce sufficient forage yield and quality at a lower cost while nourishing livestock, protecting our resources, and ensuring profitable margins.

Focus on the forage

Research has shown that it’s possible for dairy heifers raised on pasture to meet the performance standards set for those raised in confinement while improving environmental outcomes and farmer profitability. Managed grazing begins with establishing a forage base that is well-suited to the land. While orchardgrass and smooth bromegrass once dominated the dairy landscape, today’s farmers have access to a greater

While the high cost of raising dairy heifers has largely been accepted as the cost of doing business, putting heifers on pasture for a portion of the year is a viable cost-reducing option worth considering. In fact, UW-Madison’s Dairy Heifer Compass (grasslandag.org/tools/) estimates that moving a dairy heifer to pasture for 180 days could save a farmer $1.67 per head per day. That’s a 47% cost reduction!

Figure 1. Average and maximum cool-season grass yields across four growing seasons near Marshfield, Wis.

Michael King

selection of improved grasses and legumes. Not only do some species thrive under grazing conditions, but plant breeding efforts have boosted forage yield and quality potential of some varieties to the extent that heifer nutrient needs can easily be met on pasture.

Cool-season grasses are often underronmental stressors. Grazing sooner than this, or repeated overgrazing, can deplete carbohydrate reserves and reduce overall forage productivity.

For example, a typical grazing season in Wisconsin spans from early to midMay through early November. These are months when heifers are feeding themselves and spreading their own manure. The savings are not only in feed costs, but in labor, fuel, and equipment use.

on grass compared to a mixed ration, building fences, and converting cropland to pasture. But farmers are finding innovative ways to take advantage of this cost-saving practice that also benefits their land and the environment. Annual cover crops and crop residues provide alternative opportunities to

The

succumbs to the fumigant which spreads down the tunnel and through the soil.

Paddocks can withstand high stocking densities for a short duration, but adequate pasture acreage must be available to allow for at least a 30-day rest period between grazing events.

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FROM WANNABE VETS TO SUCCESSFUL ALFALFA GROWERS

by Mike Rankin, Managing Editor

WHEN one door slams shut, fortune will usually open another . . . or so the old saying goes. Jason and Karen Noyes probably wouldn’t argue, although they’d also say that second door doesn’t always constitute a perfectly smooth ride.

The couple met in college as animal science majors in the mid-1990s and had their sights set on becoming veterinarians. There was just one problem: Montana State University didn’t have a veterinary school. There was a program offered by the state of Montana for five students attending a college

within the state to attend an out-ofstate veterinary college at an in-state tuition level, but the competition was stiff with 100 applicants per year. After applying, the couple would learn that they both made the alternate list. Close, but not close enough. They decided to kill a year working on Karen’s parents’ home farm near Toston, Mont., and reapply the following year. They did, but both were again informed of the same alternate list fate. “That was the point where my wife and I decided to make farming our career,” Noyes said.

In 1998, the year that the Noyeses joined the family operation, the farm only grew small grain crops. “We

needed something to break the rotation,” Noyes recalled. “We tried canola for a while, pinto beans, and even chickpeas. Nothing really solved the rotation problems we were fighting with the grain-on-grain situation. My fatherin-law, Leonard, had experimented with hay years earlier, but he had little interest or patience for making hay. It was evident to me, by watching the neighbors, that alfalfa was a good commodity in this valley and the five-year break in fields was exactly what our grain crops needed,” he added.

Noyes planted the first 90 acres of alfalfa in 2003 and produced about 250 tons. Twenty years later, they now cut an average of 1,800 to 2,000 acres and

One of Jason Noyes’s three 3x4 large square balers operates near Toston, Mont., last August. He sells most of his production to dairy farms, so forage quality is a high priority.

market close to 10,000 tons of irrigated alfalfa hay and 4,000 tons of barley and wheat straw.

Not without challenges

The initial foray into alfalfa hay wasn’t without a steep learning curve for Jason and Karen, as their previous experience was limited. “One of the hardest struggles in the beginning was not having a direct mentor who could lend advice on how to make quality hay,” Noyes said. “I didn’t have a father or grandfather who had been putting up hay for years like a typical family operation. My father-in-law was a successful grain farmer. He disliked hay for the fact that you could never be guaranteed a time for sale and income. It was unlike a bin full of grain and knowing any day you can haul a load to an elevator and get payment for it. Hay simply doesn’t work that way.”

Noyes relied on reaching out to neighbors and his wife’s uncle for advice. “I made a lot of mistakes and baled a lot of hay those first years that turned brown or worse in the stack because the moisture wasn’t correct. Trying to develop markets from scratch was also an obstacle that took time to overcome.”

Fortunately, circumstances have changed for the better. These days, it’s the neighbors who call Noyes for advice. Noyes’s alfalfa acres have expanded to comprise about one-third of the farm’s nearly 6,500 acres. The operation is spread out, spanning 28 miles from one end to the other, which Noyes asserted can sometimes be a challenge and cause a lot of “road time.” The other two crops grown on the farm are wheat and malting barley.

Caters to dairy markets

Currently, Noyes only grows stands of pure alfalfa. “We’ve debated bringing some grass in,” he said, “but our market has predominantly been with dairy farms. We sell a lot of beef-cow hay, too, but it’s still straight alfalfa.”

Noyes surmised that being in Montana is a blessing because they can ship hay in a lot of different directions. He explained that their dairy markets may vary slightly from year to year, depending on regional demand. “One year we may go west to Idaho and Washington, and the next year we may ship more hay to Wisconsin. Of course, we have some dairies in Montana that we take care of every year. About 60% of our

customer base buys hay from us on an annual basis,” he added.

The operation does its own trucking within state. Out of state, Noyes looks for backhauls to move hay. “In 2021 and 2022, Montana was under a severe drought and we sold virtually all of our hay within state, but those years were exceptions. We’ve never had to sit on hay; it all gets sold, even if I get less money than I would have liked toward the end of spring. We don’t have cattle, so there’s nothing we gain by holding on to it.”

Noyes’s hay marketing strategy has evolved over the years. It took time to build a client base, and that meant more advertising was needed in those

All photos: Mike Rankin

Bales are picked up and stacked by a custom service using Stinger units.

early years.

“We currently do some advertising in papers and on social media to move hay, but not a lot,” Noyes said. “A number of years ago, I put a ‘Quality Alfalfa Hay for Sale’ sign out on the highway, and you wouldn’t believe how much hay we’ve sold from that sign alone and picked up a lot of truckers who were looking for a load. In the hay business, word of mouth sells a lot of hay, too. Of course, that can go both ways if you don’t develop a good reputation,” he added.

With so many dairies as customers, all of Noyes’s hay gets tested and is stored outside under a tarp. “I’d love to have some big hay sheds, but we’re so spread out in the valley that we’d end up trucking hay all season,” he explained.

Makin’ hay

Alfalfa is seeded at 16 pounds per acre into a tilled seedbed during spring. Noyes sticks to nontraited varieties, choosing to limit his glyphosate applications to the farm’s grain crops and keeping his options open for the export market if the opportunity arises. Two cuttings are made the seeding year, then three cuttings each year after. Alfalfa fields remain productive for

five years, including the seeding year. “I start looking for a cutting window beginning in mid-June, then we typically take our second cutting in early August and the third during mid- to late September, which often offers the best quality hay made each year,” the veteran haymaker said.

Alfalfa is cut with two Massey Ferguson 9980 16-foot disc mowers, then is put into windrows with Vermeer basket-type rakes. Baling is done with three Massey Ferguson 3x4 large square balers. A custom service with Stinger units is contracted to pick up and stack bales. All of the balers are equipped with Gazeka moisture testers. Any bales that are over 18% moisture are marked at the baler. Noyes generally likes to bale at 14% moisture or less. No hay preservative is used; rather, he just prefers to be patient and

wait for an acceptable baling moisture. Noyes typically budgets for a yield of 6 tons of hay per acre, although he noted that in years two through four, they often will get closer to 7 tons per acre. Each hayfield is soil tested every year and the farm has its own fertilizer storage and blending facility. Phosphorus is the nutrient that comprises the bulk of the alfalfa fertility program.

“Our ground here is naturally high in potassium,” Noyes explained, “but we still have to put some on, just not a lot.” He added that they are fortunate not to have to invest much for insect control, only occasionally spraying for weevils, grasshoppers, or cutworms.

Good help and future

In addition to three full-time employees who help with both the hay and grain operation, a nephew who is now employed full time, and Karen’s parents, the Noyeses’ four children have all been active on the farm. The oldest, Tyler, recently graduated from Montana State University (MSU) and is a high school agriculture teacher in Montana. Their daughter, Taylor, graduated from MSU this past December with a degree in animal science and is currently employed in the embryo transfer industry in Texas. Colton, a sophomore at MSU, is majoring in plant science and plans to come back to the farm after graduating, while their youngest daughter, Kaitlyn, is a sophomore in high school.

In addition to the never-ending farm work, members of the Noyes family have all dedicated themselves to numerous different community groups and volunteer roles. That includes being active and taking leadership roles in their local 4-H and FFA programs. Additionally, Jason has been on the school board for the past six years and has served as chairman for the most recent five of those.

The future remains bright for haymaking activities on this Montana operation, and it all started with two people who couldn’t quite beat the 5% odds of getting into veterinary school. It’s doubtful there are too many regrets, though. In summarizing the operation’s journey, Noyes reflected, “Alfalfa was originally intended to simply enhance the grain operation, but it has recently taken over as the farm’s highest net income per acre commodity. Making hay is what I love to do.”•

This highway sign has sold a lot of hay and attracts truckers looking for loads.

It’s all hands on deck when the 2,000 acres of alfalfa hay is ready to cut and bale. From left to right: Tyler, Karen, Jason, and Colton Noyes.

Shredding pastures is rarely a solution

SHOULD I shred my pastures?”

This is a question asked by many beef cattle and forage producers. To answer this, one must consider the potential impacts of shredding pastures on animal performance, forage quality, forage yield, weed control, and any other factors specific to the situation.

While shredding immediately improves pastures visually, it is generally not extremely effective from a weed or brush control standpoint. Shredding may kill some annual weeds, but the damage from those weeds was likely already done. They will be dying at the end of the growing season anyway. Moreover, the efficacy of shredding pastures to control perennial weeds and most brush species is generally even less.

From a forage yield perspective, the appropriate use of herbicides is more advantageous than shredding pastures. Weeds reduce forage yield by competing with desirable plant species for water, sunlight, and plant nutrients; however, herbicides kill weeds when they are small. This greatly minimizes the impact of weeds on forage yield. Additionally, herbicides with residual activity can continue to kill new weeds as they germinate. Shredding only cuts off the top portion of the weeds that are currently growing in the pasture and has no effect on the weeds that are below the blade height or weeds that will germinate in the near future.

Shredding also has a direct negative effect on forage yield. Some forage is lost when pastures are shredded, but the amount of lost forage will vary depending on the height at which plants are shredded, the primary forage species, and the amount of forage currently in the field. If there is a large amount of cut forage left in the field after shredding, it can slow plant regrowth by blocking sunlight.

From a forage quality standpoint, consider how forage quality changes throughout the canopy from the top to the bottom. The newest growth will be

the highest quality forage. For most grass species, the majority of this new growth is found in the top one-third of the canopy.

For instance, take an actively growing bermudagrass stand with a canopy height of 12 inches. The highest quality forage would be found in the top onethird of the canopy, whereas the oldest

growth and lowest quality forage is in the bottom one-third of the canopy. The forage in the middle third of the canopy would be intermediate in quality to the top and bottom. If this field were shredded to a height of 6 inches, then all the best quality forage and half of the intermediate quality forage would be removed. This would leave less, lower quality forage for cattle to graze until sufficient regrowth has occurred. During this time, animal performance would be reduced.

Some shredding exceptions

Shredding might be necessary in some situations. Selective shredding may provide better access to recreational areas. Shredding might also be desirable to keep grass shorter around buildings or other structures for safety reasons. If pastures or hayfields are surrounded by highly sensitive plants or located near neighborhoods, then shredding may be desired over the use of herbicides. In these scenarios, the

alternative benefit would be prioritized over cost, forage production, or forage quality considerations.

Another situation when shredding might prove beneficial is if there is a tremendous amount of dormant forage or weeds that are preventing active growth of the other species. In this case, shredding will only be worthwhile if it stimulates new growth of the desired forage. The most practical use of this approach is in fields that have not been hayed or grazed for a year or more.

The time requirements and cost of shredding compared to using herbicides for weed control vary. At 3 miles per hour (mph), a 12-foot shredder could cover 4.36 acres per hour. At the same 3 mph, a sprayer with an effective spray width of 28 feet could cover 10.18 acres per hour. To shred a 100-acre pasture, it would take almost 23 hours, but that same field could be sprayed in about 10 hours.

In most situations, sprayers can operate at faster speeds than shredders. If the 100-acre field were sprayed at 5 mph, it could be covered in about six hours. Therefore, spraying would save a tremendous amount of time and diesel fuel compared to shredding. The tractor would also be operated at lower revolutions per minute (rpm) for spraying compared to shredding, saving even more diesel.

For a full economic comparison, the cost of the sprayer, shredder, and herbicide products would need to be considered. In most cases, the cost of the sprayer and herbicide will be less than the shredder, especially when the added diesel and labor are accounted for.

So, that brings us back to the original question: Should I shred my pastures? Shredding is not advantageous if enhancing animal performance, weed control, or forage yield is the focus. However, it may be the solution in some cases for safety or aesthetic purposes. •

Mike Rankin

JASON BANTA

The author is a beef cattle specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension based in Overton, Texas.

Mechanically removing weeds and forage seedheads is not usually cost-effective.

IN MY last column, I had discussed how to train your grazier’s eye to conduct ongoing pasture inventories. In this article, I’ll explain how we can use a pasture inventory to help us make better grazing decisions. The basic role of a pasture inventory is providing information on what you have available to work with today and what you can expect to have available in the future.

When doing a pasture inventory, look at every pasture on the farm or ranch. Visually estimate the available animal-unit days per acre (AUD/A) in every pasture. Available AUD/A translates to what we would be willing to harvest from that acre today, leaving appropriate postgrazing residual. For a pasture that has just been grazed, an appropriate residual can be zero. That means the

The road to better pasture decisions GRASS

pasture was appropriately utilized, but we wouldn’t want animals to take another bite off that pasture.

What if we moved the livestock off and thought, “Uh oh, I took a little too much off this pasture.”? Then we might give a negative inventory value — something like -5 or -12, depending on how much we thought we had overutilized the paddock. If it looks like animals could have stayed a little longer, maybe the inventory value might be something like 7 or 18, depending on how much extra residual was left behind. If we thought it was grazed perfectly, that is what a “0” (zero) looks like.

Stay vigilant

In productive environments, I recommend conducting a full inventory every two weeks. Feed availability can fluctuate quickly during the peak

growing season but might change more slowly as it gets hotter and drier. We need to know the rate of change taking place in our pastures when really trying to optimize our grazing utilization and effectively allowing for adequate recovery periods.

Besides providing us with information on what we have available for feed today, two successive inventories can be used to determine what the average growth rate has been over the intervening time between two inventories. Once a few years of inventory numbers are in our database, we can build a chart for typical growth rates with biweekly intervals across the entire growing season. This becomes a powerful tool to help us determine what the appropriate recovery period needs to be for a pasture grazed at a particular date.

SHORT ON WATER!)

UP TO YOUR SHOULDERS

The cost to take out an old stand of alfalfa and re-establish a new stand is GREAT! What if you could plant a varity of alfalfa that would last 10 years and still test well?

That variety is Greenway 360-D. It has been on the market over 30 years, and we know it’s longevity. If you plant 30 lbs/acre, 360-D will test well. It’s Proven!

5 1/2 Ton/1st Cutting (AND WE’RE SHORT ON WATER!)

*Jerry Hoagland, Seven High Ranch, Reynolds Creek, Owyhee Co, Idaho

We run out of creek water about June 1, and Macbeth still kicked out the tons. We had to raise the swather to get through it!

James Willis: Willis Ranch Cokeville, WY 5 1/2 Ton/ 1st Cutting (AND

Of the five meadow bromes on the market, Macbeth is the only one that excels on dryland or low water. A meadow brome will always be your highest yielding grass! Macbeth will have leaves about as wide as barley.

TESTIMONIAL

Here’s What Growers Are Saying:

“We planted 30lbs/acre of 360-D. It tests well, and after 5 years, it is our highest yielding pivot on the hay ranch.” Kennon Forester - Railroad Valley Hay Co., Nyala, NV

“We planted 360-D back in the 80’s. To the best of my recollection, it lasted between 12-14 years.” Clare Olson - Corral, ID (Camas Praire)

“The Macbeth did extremely well! We take only one cutting and graze the rest, but it always cuts 3 1/2 ton which is excellent for 6,200 ft.-elev. We normally put 2 windrows together for bailing, but could only bale one windrow on the Macbeth.”

“Our area has been in drought for several years. Everyone here is short on water. We only pump 400 gal. on 120 acres. That’s why we planted 360-D. Under that short water, we still yield near normal and the quality is excellent because we plant 35lbs/acre” Dan Sawyer - Clarendon, TX

We run out of creek water about June 1, and Macbeth still kicked out the tons. We had to raise

Of the five meadow bromes on the market, Macbeth is the only one that excels on dryland or low water. A meadow brome will always be your highest yielding grass! Macbeth will have leaves about as wide as barley.

*Jerry Hoagland, Seven High Ranch, Reynolds Creek, Owyhee Co, Idaho

I-84 (Westbound) - Farewell Bend, OR - 150 Acres

Most graziers with a moderate level of experience understand that the length of the recovery period needs to be adjusted as growing conditions change. Unfortunately, most simply react as they see things “going south” on their farms. With a better understanding of just how much our growth rate is changing over the season, it becomes easier to manage in advance of the expected change in growth rate. The more years of data we can collect from our own pastures, the more robust our information resource becomes, and the more effectively we can manage our resources with an actual grazing plan in place.

Something else that is important to understand in developing a grazing plan is that not all pastures are created equal. There are inherent differences in productivity of particular pastures depending on soil type, landscape position, and plant community. One of the reasons calendar-based rotations don’t

work well is that not all pastures grow at the same rate.

Do not fall into a pattern of always grazing a series of pastures in the same succession with the same expectation of number of days the stock can stay on that pasture. If you get into a calendar-based rotation, it’s inevitable that some pastures will be overutilized while others will be underutilized. Recovery periods will probably not be appropriate for the existing conditions. When a pasture inventory is available as a guideline, you will do a better job of moving the livestock to the pasture that is most appropriate for grazing at a certain point in time. Avoid getting into patterns of paddock rotation and base your moves on grazing readiness, not calendar date.

It’s not time consuming

Once you have your grazier’s eye trained to visualize AUD/A in your pastures, conducting a pasture

inventory doesn’t take much time. For example, to cover 450 acres of pastures divided into 26 paddocks usually only took me about 35 to 40 minutes traveling by all-terrain vehicle (ATV). It took another 10 minutes to enter data into a spreadsheet that would then generate a grazing wedge and the optimal grazing moves for the next two to three weeks.

The pasture inventory is a powerful tool to help take your grazing decisions to the next level. It doesn’t take that much time to execute and provides a positive return on the time invested. •

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.

CONSIDER

CONSIDER THIS!

The cost to take out an old stand of alfalfa and re-establish a new stand is GREAT! What if you could plant a varity of alfalfa that would last 10 years and still test well?

Here’s What Growers Are Saying:

“We planted 30 lbs./ acre of 360-D. It tests well, and after 5 years, it is out highest yielding pivot on the hay ranch.”

Kennon ForesterRailroad Valley Hay Co., Nyala, NV

“We planted 360-D back in the 80’s. To the best of my recollection, it lasted between 12–14 years.”

Clare Olson - Corral, ID (Camas Praire)

“Our area has been in drought for several years. Everyone here is short on water. We only pump 400 gal. on 120 acres. That’s why we planted 360-D. Under that short water, we still yield near normal and the quality is excellent because we plant 35 lbs./acre.”

The cost to take out an old stand of alfalfa and re-establish a new stand is GREAT! What if you could plant a varity of alfalfa that would last 10 years and still test well?

in Caldwell, ID

That variety is Greenway 360-D. It has been on the market over 30 years, and we know it’s longevi-

The cost to take out an old stand of alfalfa and re-establish a new stand is GREAT! What if you could plant a variety of alfalfa that would last 10 years and still test well?

That variety is Greenway 360-D. It has been on the market over 30 years, and we know it’s longevity. If you plant 30 lbs/acre, 360-D will test well. It’s Proven!

That variety is Greenway 360-D It has been on the market over 30 years, and we know it’s longevity. If you plant 30 lbs./acre, 360-D will test well. It’s Proven!

“We planted 30lbs/acre of 360-D. It tests well, and after 5 years, it is our Kennon Forester -

Here’s What Growers Are Saying:

“We planted 30lbs/acre of 360-D. It tests well, and after 5 years, it is our highest yielding pivot on the hay ranch.”

Dan SawyerClarendon, TX

Kennon Forester - Railroad Valley Hay Co., Nyala, NV

“Our area has been in drought for several years. Everyone here is short on water. We only pump 400 gal. on 120 acres. That’s why we planted

“We planted 360-D back in the 80’s. To the best of my recollection, it lasted between 12-14 years.” Clare Olson - Corral, ID (Camas Praire)

“Our area has been in drought for several years. Everyone here is short on water. We only pump 400 gal. on 120 acres. That’s why we planted 360-D. Under that short water, we still yield near normal and the quality is excellent because we plant 35lbs/acre” Dan Sawyer - Clarendon, TX

TX

Railroad Valley Hay Co., Nyala, NV

Clare Olson - Corral, ID (Camas Praire)

360-D.

Dan Sawyer - Clarendon,

(Westbound) - Farewell Bend,

360-D (Dryland/Low Water Alfalfa)

Mutual trust and benefits define a good hay broker relationship

by Haley Ruffner

FOR a hay producer or user, the decision to work with a broker can feel like a last resort — everyone has a horror story about a crooked broker. However, dealing with an honest broker who is wellversed in the market can have many advantages that can save a farmer or customer time, resources, and money.

The core of a broker’s role is to move products to market, which requires empathy, a deep understanding of the market, and transparency to both producers and buyers. Asking good questions, considering all factors, and doing the appropriate research are necessary first steps in choosing a suitable hay broker.

A successful producer-broker relationship should benefit both parties. Rather than having to delve into the marketing and sales side of their hay, farmers can focus on production. While selling direct to customers can sometimes translate into a higher price per ton, the trade-offs of time spent lining up deals and taking on the financial risk of selling to new customers will often cancel out the potential extra profit margin. When dealing with a brokerage, the producer’s scope of responsibility is reduced to accurately grading and communicating the quality and quantity of the product they are looking to sell.

A trust-built relationship

In building a new producer-broker relationship, transparency on both sides is key. The producer must be able to trust the broker to know the market, get them a fair price, have access to the market, follow through on payment schedules, and move the amount of hay they have committed in a timely fashion. The broker must be able to trust the producer to honor any commitments made on inventory and quality of the hay and to communicate effectively on loading times and paperwork requirements.

Producers must also be able to trust a

Honesty and trust are critical components of a broker–producer association. Successful and longterm relationships result in benefits for all parties involved.

broker’s judgment of market price, time frame needed to move a certain quantity of product, and the follow through. A good broker will be able to provide an honest assessment of these factors and hold to them, even if they aren’t the answers a farmer is looking for. Relationships that involve both parties’ livelihoods will inevitably be high-stakes and can feel charged, so starting small, asking for references, and keeping lines of communication open are all key in making sure the relationship will be mutually beneficial.

Do your homework

For a producer vetting a potential new broker, learning about where and how they operate is an appropriate first step to discern if they are a good fit. Which areas of the country do they do the most business in? Do they specialize in the export market, horse market, or dairies and feedlots?

For example, a broker with experience exclusively in the feedlot market may not be able to accurately grade and market horse-quality hay. While a locally based broker may have the bulk

of local customers and more experience with regional products, a more generalized broker will be insulated from changes within a local market.

Finding out how long a broker has been in business and getting references from other producers they work with will also mitigate risk. What are their typical payment terms and do they stick to them? Will they only be able to move your hay during years the market works in their favor, or are they in it for the long haul?

For all its scope, the hay world can be a tight-knit place, so maintaining a good reputation is key for brokerages and producers alike. While doing the appropriate research on potential new business relationships will weed out poor candidates, ultimately the only way to build trust is to consistently execute on commitments.

Service comes with a cost

Many of the same principles apply for buyers or end users deciding if they want to work with a hay broker. How much time does the customer typically invest in finding the type of

Mike Rankin

hay they want and setting up freight and delivery? Are they able to find the products they need locally, or do they often have to supplement with hay from feedstores?

Going through a broker may not be the cheapest option, but the quality of hay and the service may be worth it. For small businesses like feed retailers or equine operations, owners often do not consider the cost of their time. Even if they are able to save $1 per bale on a load of hay they sourced directly from the producer, the hours spent calling farmers to find the hay they want and setting up logistics to ship it may mean that they don’t come out ahead.

There is a certain level of security that comes with using a broker to buy hay as well. Quality brokerages will offer an option to reject loads and/or apply discounts if hay arrives that does not match a customer’s expectations. One cornerstone of a broker’s job is negotiating, so if the price of a load of hay needs to be reworked with a farmer or trucking company because of quality issues or damage during shipping, that responsibility falls squarely on the broker to advocate for the customer and make it right.

For customers looking for products that do not grow locally, the ability to rely on a broker for quality control is another benefit. Where it may not be feasible for a customer in Florida to fly to Arizona to look at hay before buying, most brokers do travel to gauge hay quality for themselves before selling it.

Clearly describe hay needs

Equally important for hay buyers working through a broker is to assess their priorities in order to communicate them clearly so that the best possible match can be found. The cheapest hay won’t be the best hay, and “good hay” means something different to each individual. The more specific and straightforward a customer can be about their unique needs, the better their experience working with a broker will be.

Are delivery dates and times flexible or is there a strict schedule? Do they need high relative feed value (RFV) hay, does it need to have fine stems, and how important is the cutting of the hay? Is the customer feeding high-end performance horses, cattle in a feedlot, or exotic animals in a zoo? Using

specific terms to describe the desired qualities of the hay rather than simply asking for “premium” or “good” hay will help to avoid misunderstandings. Be clear about other aspects of the service needed, such as loads per year needed, price range, time frame for shipping, and any additional requirements like an unloading crew or the type of truck that can be offloaded. Clarify these items before any real negotiation starts so both parties are well informed.

While the title of “hay broker” often has a negative connotation, brokers have a vested interest in doing right by their customers in order to sustain business and gain long-time relationships. Many brokers are also livestock or horse owners, so finding one with experience in or knowledge of a customer’s type of operation can make them better able to empathize with those needs and challenges.

Anyone entering an exploratory conversation with a potential new

hay broker should come away feeling as though they have a better understanding of the hay and forage market, the broker understands their priorities, and they have a clear idea of the broker’s experience and how they operate. As with any new business relationship, finding a broker who will take the time to listen to and understand a producer’s or customer’s needs often rates higher in importance even than years of experience or loads sold. The desire to provide excellent service and commitment to moving product to market separates average brokers from great ones. •

HALEY RUFFNER

The author is a hay broker with Aden Brook, a nationwide supplier of hay. Ruffner specializes in the horse hay market and is based in Alamosa, Colo.

Closing the alfalfa yield gap

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.

WHILE alfalfa may be a key element of sustainable agricultural systems due to its well-known environmental and ecosystem benefits, the reported average yield of alfalfa for U.S. farms is well below the potential of what growers could produce. To help answer the question of “How do we close that alfalfa yield gap?” Nicole Tautges, agroecologist at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, along with the University of Wisconsin’s Valentin Picasso, was awarded funding from NAFA’s Alfalfa Checkoff to identify critical relationships between alfalfa yields, management practices, and soil fertility and health indicators.

“It all stemmed from this realization that alfalfa yields in controlled research trials — at a university research station or at a company research farm — are significantly higher than average yields on farms,” said Tautges. “While that’s not atypical for crops, the yield gap for alfalfa is a lot higher than for other crops. The question is, ‘Why is that going on, and how are people managing their alfalfa?’ That was what spurred this study.”

The project was intended to build upon a Midwest Forage Association-funded management survey that identified farms with high alfalfa yields and the production practices they used by adding a soil fertility and health assessment to on-farm data collection activities; compiling a database that combines alfalfa production, management practices, and soil parameters; and identifying critical relationships between alfalfa yields, management practices, and soil fertility and health.

Specific goals for the project were to identify alfalfa management practices associated with high yields, generate data that makes the case for alfalfa as

a soil health crop, and demonstrate the importance of managing alfalfa for soil health and economic gains.

Start stands right

“The biggest message we gleaned from the survey data was that management in the establishment year really matters and has an effect on stand health throughout the life of the alfalfa stand,” Tautges said. The management practices that maximized alfalfa yields most were the number of cuts, tillage

type, and manure application, as well as the use of potassium (K) and sulfur (S) in the first year, suggesting that nutrient application in the establishment year is positively associated with greater alfalfa yields throughout the life of the stand (see Table 1).

Additionally, strong positive relationships emerged between soil carbon pools (SOM and POX-C) and critical soil components for alfalfa growth, including pH, K, S, calcium (Ca), and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Overall, these

• The fields with higher yield presented positive association with number of cuts, tillage, and added fertility in the first year.

• There was a strong positive yield association for soil organic matter (SOM) and active carbon (POX-C), several macronutrients important for alfalfa growth (N, Mg, K, Ca, and S), clay content, CEC, and pH.

• Nutrient application, particularly K and S, in the establishment year is positively associated with greater alfalfa yields throughout the life of the stand.

• Soil results suggest a fertile and healthy soil condition characterized by balanced nutrient availability, active microbial communities, and positive interactions among soil components, indicating a favorable soil environment for alfalfa productivity.

NICOLE TAUTGES

findings highlight the significance of maintaining a good nutrient supply to ensure higher alfalfa yields throughout the stand’s life and suggest that a fertile and healthy soil characterized by balanced nutrient availability, active microbial communities, and positive interactions among soil components can provide a favorable soil environment for alfalfa productivity.

Tautges added, “I think we feel rel-

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atively confident in the management practice findings that we have for fertilizing in the first year, but that cutting intensity signal is pretty high from what we can parse from the data. That is a major outcome. All farmers who are growing alfalfa should plan on that unless it’s a drought year. Otherwise, you are not getting the most economic benefit that you can from your alfalfa.

“I think the next step in this research

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There’s no place like the pasture

by Amber Friedrichsen, Associate Editor

THREE-story farmhouse with stone walls and a wrap-around porch sits at the heart of Springwood Organic Farm. It is where Dwight Stoltzfoos grew up, and it is where he and his wife, Brenda, are currently raising nine children of their own. After moving away for a while as a young adult, the fourth-generation dairy producer returned to the outskirts of Gap, Pa., to help his parents, Roman and Lucy, run the farm. Then Stoltzfoos moved back into his childhood home with his family in 2014 and acquired majority share of the operation in 2022.

Roman began implementing organic practices in 1982, but it wasn’t until 1996 that the farm became one of the first four certified organic dairies in Lancaster County. Stoltzfoos continued to feed cattle organic grain until 2012 when grain prices got too high. Then another approach to crop production piqued his interest.

Industry buzz about sprouted barley suggested the crop would enhance dry matter value in dairy rations. That was enough to convince Stoltzfoos to eliminate grain from his feeding plan

and build a new barn that housed a hydroponic system to grow sprouted barley. Unfortunately, he did not see a return on his investment with virtually no improvement in milk production and only about a 0.1% gain of butterfat.

“We were digging a hole into the ground financially,” Stoltzfoos recalled. “The output was 3 wet tons of barley sprouts per day, and it was stressful to operate the system and control the environment to keep mold out. I look back on those days and I am glad we figured out a more holistic lifestyle since then.”

Now, Stoltzfoos’ cattle are 100% grass-fed. All of the milk is processed by Organic Valley, and in 2016, the farm joined the organization’s GrassMilk campaign in partnership with CROPP Cooperative. A portion of the milk stays at the dairy where it is made into cheese on-site, but no matter the end product, milk production at Springwood Organic Farm is ultimately anchored in a comprehensive forage program.

Lay of the land

The farm comprises about 165 grazeable acres that are broken up into several permanent pastures. Stoltzfoos

further divides these pastures into 2- to 3-acre paddocks with polywire, and a roadway of gravel lanes connects each pasture to the cattle yard to limit compaction from heavy hoof traffic. The lanes also serve as a trail for his all-terrain vehicle (ATV), which is an essential piece of equipment for checking paddocks and implementing rotational grazing.

Cattle are milked twice daily and move to a new paddock after each milking. Instead of always returning to the same area they occupied before parading to the parlor, though, Stoltzfoos adheres to two different rotation schemes. He sends the herd to paddocks of fresh grass that are father away from the farmstead during the day and keeps them closer to the barns at night. Not only does this boost efficiency from a labor perspective, but it also reduces stress on animals.

“We follow both rotations partly because I don’t want to move the cows so far late at night or early in the morning, and partly because I don’t want them to have to walk that distance twice a day,” Stoltzfoos explained from the driver’s seat of his ATV.

Most of the pastures contain a combination of grasses and legumes,

All photos: Springwood Organic Farm

including meadow fescue, orchardgrass, perennial ryegrass, red and white clover, and alfalfa. Stoltzfoos has also added festulolium to recent seedings. His biggest concern is that all of his stands are highly diversified even if each pasture has a different proportion of forage species, which is another reason he separates his grazing rotations.

“I don’t like to run a drill with less than seven or eight species going into the ground,” Stoltzfoos asserted, assessing the composition of his paddocks. “Quality will vary from pasture to pasture, so if you have two rotations, I have found it balances everything a little better.”

Silvopasture shade

Diversity doesn’t stop with forages at Springwood Organic Farm. Between 2019 and 2020, Stoltzfoos planted more than 3,000 trees to establish about 65 acres of silvopasture. The cost-share program that provided funding for the first 1,800 trees required they be planted at a dense rate of 100 trees per acre, whereas the next 1,200 trees were planted at a more moderate rate of about 30 trees per acre.

The tiny red and white oak, black locust, and persimmon saplings were planted in neat arrays across the landscape and protected from livestock with plastic tubes wrapped in barbed wire that still hug their trunks today. While the trees are currently only 6 to 8 feet tall, they will eventually be able to provide ample shade for animals, which is Stoltzfoos’ main objective for planting them. He plans on adding another 600 trees on about 20 acres in the spring of 2024.

“Managing heat stress is a big deal, and that is why we are moving to silvopasture,” Stoltzfoos emphasized, looking out across the rows of small saplings. “Keeping milk volume up is not easy when it is hot and you have fly pressure. When you’re organic, your fly sprays are more like fly repellants. It can be a challenge.”

Graze, graze, graze

Summer pastures tend to provide a steady supply of forage, but plant growth starts to dwindle when the seasons begin to change. Stoltzfoos offers his herd greater amounts of stored feed when they come in for milking during the fall to stretch forage availability into the winter. He

knows completely resting pastures this time of year could encourage better plant growth the following spring, but he doesn’t have the facilities to house cattle long term.

“Our policy in the wintertime is if it’s freezing and there is something falling down from the sky, the cows will come in. Otherwise, they will stay in the pasture,” Stoltzfoos asserted. “We always pray for the nicest and driest weather in December. That is when I have the whole herd, and I am running 240 cows through the parlor.”

The majority of the cows are Ayrshires, along with some Norwegian Reds. Stoltzfoos has also been introducing Fleckvieh cattle into the herd because of their sturdy frames and affinity for grazing. He said these cows

are more feed efficient than conventional dairy breeds, and they have relatively low maintenance requirements. Stoltzfoos also switched from A.I. breeding to bull breeding a few years ago, and he raises his own bulls and replacement heifers with nanny cows in a rented pasture.

When cattle in the milking herd start to dry off in January, he relocates them and his replacement heifers to a hayfield on another property a few miles away where the animals strip graze stockpiled forage. Doing so enhances forage utilization and promotes a better distribution of manure in the field. It also reduces feed, fuel, and labor costs.

“It’s cheaper to truck cattle to feed than to truck feed to cattle,” Stoltzfoos said. “If you have the infrastructure to handle the cattle in the pasture, it’s by far the best way to do it as far as money goes.”

By February, nearly 65% of the herd will dry off before calving season

begins in early March. While these dry cows and the replacement heifers keep grazing stockpiled forage, Stoltzfoos continues to rotate the remainder of the milking herd through winter pastures at the home farm. To supplement the lower quality forage found in both systems, he unwraps and unrolls baleage in the fields.

Hay in a day

Stoltzfoos prefers to make baleage over dry hay because the process can be executed in a single day. He harvests hayfields throughout the summer, cutting 80 to 100 acres of forage every 28 to 30 days.

Mowing begins at the crack of dawn — sometimes even before sunrise — and all of the hay is laid out in wide swaths by 10 a.m. If a stand has a high percentage of legume species, he will run a tedder through the windrows to speed up dry down.

Regardless of moisture content, Stoltzfoos schedules his custom harvester to merge forage around noon or shortly after. The round baler follows closely behind the merger, and bales are wrapped with an in-line wrapper a few hours later. Stoltzfoos wraps about 95% of the forage he harvests, and although plant moisture varies from one crop to the next, the baleage consistently boasts a relative forage quality of 170 or higher.

“I love making hay in a day because it is easy. I only need one day of good weather,” Stoltzfoos beamed. “It might get baled at 60% moisture or it might dry down to 30% moisture. Cows like it best when it is about 50% moisture, but I will take whatever I can get.”

Since starting to make and feed baleage, he has seen a significant improvement in milk production, and thus, profit margins. What’s more is the stored forage provides flexibility in his feeding plan when pastures are low in yield or quality, which is problematic for any grazing herd, but especially a grazing dairy.

Stoltzfoos is able to meet almost all of his cows’ requirements through grazing and feeding baleage with occasional supplementation. Similar to how his involvement in the operation — and his residence in the farmhouse — has come full circle over time, so have his efforts to maintain an organic grazing system that can support 100% grass-fed cows. •

The Stoltzfoos family includes (from back left) Ian, Jewel, Ava, Brenda, Dwight, Aleah, Savannah, Andre, (front left) Liam, Elayna, and Evan.

There’s good news and bad news

S WE get into the new year, a lot of farmers are concerned about cash flow on their farming operations. With inflated interest rates, a higher cost of production, lower commodity prices, and rising equipment costs, it’s tougher to squeeze that quarter out of a penny, or however the saying goes, but you get the idea.

I haven’t given you my thoughts on equipment values and where they are heading in a while, so I figured this might be a good time to look into the new year and what it may mean for future equipment purchases.

Make no mistake about it, we will feel the effects of slower production brought on by the pandemic for years to come. Never in our history have we seen such an abrupt slowdown in manufacturing of equipment and parts.

Brighter days ahead

Fortunately, we should again start to see equipment line up on dealers’ yards this year. The manufacturers are already starting to ask for more orders from their dealers, which means they do not have all of their production slots full for 2024. This was not the case two years ago. Manufacturers were turning

down orders, as they could not fill them. In the past, when the equipment manufacturers were searching for orders, this would be a good thing for the end user. It would lead to higher incentives to purchase new equipment and drive more used equipment into the market. Now, the large amount of used equipment being traded in is at least 5 years old and has higher hours and bale counts. The search for low-hour, 2- or 3-year-old units is still tough sledding. The previous normal number of units is just not there.

Some of the larger manufacturers are back to pushing the multi-unit discount (MUD) deals to move a larger portion of their new inventory. These multideals were really hard to come by two years ago. Thus, the inventory of these 2- and 3-year-old units is not out there. With the low-hour units being hard to find, this has led to the older machines having elevated pricing relative to the actual market.

Larger machines like choppers and big square balers are going to be set up for a big difference between new and used later this year. When the manufacturers start offering lower interest rates coupled with some incentives to purchase

new, this will lead to some new sales with trades coming into the market.

High interest adds to cost

I think the trouble will be finding the buyer for the used chopper that may cost $400,000, and this customer will have to finance it at 6.5% for five years. Such a scenario will almost certainly add $70,000 just in interest to the cost of the used unit. So, as a used machinery customer, when you know that you have to possibly add $50,000 to $100,000 to the purchase price for interest, I think that will be a major factor into what a customer is willing to spend on a used unit.

There will still be the exceptions at auctions and farm sales, but for a lot of smaller farmers, they are starting to have flashbacks of the late 1970s and early 1980s. In those days, you didn’t (or couldn’t) finance everything and tried your best to make cash purchases. I think this mentality will surface once again, though with the cost of equipment today, we may not be able pay for the entire unit, but rather try to put 50% to 75% down to get the payments affordable and limit the interest portion of the transaction.

Look for a new deal

If you are looking to purchase equipment this year, I think there will be some deals to be had on new equipment, which will be coupled with reduced interest rates. On the used side, I still believe that patience will win out. Do some homework on the values of the used equipment you are looking for. Finally, don’t be afraid to purchase something from far away. Use your local dealership that you trust to help you purchase and inspect the used unit. Most dealers would rather keep you as a customer for parts and service than lose you because they’re upset you didn’t purchase a used unit from them. Being honest and upfront has always worked best for me. •

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

Pattern

Great Lakes Forage & Grazing Conference

March 7, St. Johns, Mich.

Details: bit.ly/HFG-GLFGC24

Appalachian Grazing Conference

March 7 to 9, Morgantown, W.Va.

Details: wvagc.com

Central Plains Dairy Expo

March 19 to 21, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Details: centralplainsdairy.com

Novel Endophyte Renovation Workshops

March 19, Greenville, Tenn.

March 21, Batesville, Ark.

March 26, Kearneysville, W.Va.

Details: grasslandrenewal.org/events

Forage & Grazing Management Conference

April 11 and 12, Raymond, Miss.

Details: bit.ly/2024ForageConference

Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference

April 15 to 17, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Details: tristatedairy.org

Kentucky Fencing School

April 23, Morehead, Ky.

April 25, Mayfield, Ky.

Details: forages.ca.uky.edu/events

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

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

HAY MARKET UPDATE

Herd size and hay exports spell trouble

Two factors pulling on hay prices are the nation’s shrinking cattle herd and low export sales. As of January 1, both beef and dairy cow inventories were slightly smaller than last year, and respective heifer inventories were at long-term lows.

Drastically reduced exports to major markets in 2023 continue to wreak havoc on Western hay prices. Excess rainfall has also interfered with hay sales in that region, but dryness dominates the extended forecast.

The prices below are primarily from USDA hay market reports as of mid-February. Prices are FOB barn/ stack unless otherwise noted. • For weekly updated hay prices, go to “USDA Hay Prices” at hayandforage.com

(south central)

(north central)

In the native grass niche

Keith and Andrew Tuck of central Virginia, as well as Miller Adams in the southern part of the state, are sold on growing native warm-season grasses to overcome slow growth of other forage species during the summer.

Despite differing from typical field practices, the standard fall dormancy test has proven to accurately measure the trait.

Dwight Stoltzfoos implements several grazing strategies on his 100% grass-fed dairy in southwest Pennsylvania.

MANAGING

ASSOCIATE

ART

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Rankin

L. Yurs

ONLINE MANAGER Patti J. Hurtgen

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING John R. Mansavage

ADVERTISING SALES

Kim E. Zilverberg kzilverberg@hayandforage.com

Jenna Zilverberg jzilverberg@hayandforage.com

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR

Patti J. Kressin pkressin@hayandforage.com

W.D. HOARD & SONS

PRESIDENT Brian V. Knox

EDITORIAL OFFICE

28 Milwaukee Ave. West, Fort Atkinson, WI, 53538 WEBSITE www.hayandforage.com

EMAIL info@hayandforage.com

PHONE 920-563-5551

Jason and Karen Noyes posed for a quick photo one morning last August while waiting for their cut alfalfa to lose another point or two in moisture before baling. The Toston, Mont., couple grow nearly 2,000 acres of pure alfalfa, which is marketed to dairy and beef farms. Read more about this Big Sky Country operation starting on page 22.

Photo by Mike Rankin

DRIER HAY, FASTER.

Any producer who has worked with forage sorghum knows moisture content at harvest can be a challenge. A conventional variety should mature and be ready to harvest by mid- to late October, but photosensitive varieties will need to be frost killed and dried over one to two weeks, which brings a risk of lodging.

To minimize the risk of lodging, harvest the crop prior to or after corn silage harvest using a cut and wilt strategy. This is a good option for either conventional or photosensitive varieties. An earlier harvest also opens opportunities to apply manure and establish a cereal grain crop for harvest the following spring.

Potential for perennials

The use of perennial warm-season grasses by dairies is minimal due to low forage quality; however, this makes them ideal for feeding heifers or dry cows. Switchgrass has been a focus for biofuel research and can be grown in various soils and climates.

Newer varieties with faster establishment to improve first-year growth and reduce weed competition are being developed by Roger Samson with the Resource Efficient Agriculture Production-Canada.

Canadian researchers have found that after the establishment year, switchgrass yields can be over 6 tons of DM per acre with a single harvest in early fall. Canadian producers are currently using switchgrass forage for replacing straw in dry cow rations and also for bedding, which may offer additional cost saving opportunities.

Eastern gamagrass is another option, and these plants have had persistence over multiple years at the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station. Using a mid-September harvest, yield was maximized at 3 to 4 tons of DM per acre with forage quality of 75% NDF and 5% to 7% protein. Dry matter content was 30% to 40%, so minimal to no wilting time was needed prior to harvest. Potassium content of single-harvest

The Power of Good Bacteria.

SILOSOLVE® FC is a unique, dual-action inoculant that improves aerobic stability and at the same time improves dry matter recovery over a broad range of dry matter and forages. It has consistently yielded silage preferred by dairy cows and promotes rapid, controlled fermentation to ensure that dry matter and nutrients from the field are available. To learn more, scan the QR code.

warm-season grasses is generally low at 1% to 1.5%, making them suitable to replace straw in dry cow rations. Perennial warm-season grasses also have the advantage of lower establishment costs with stands expected to produce for several years.

Roughages like straw and stover can also work well in heifer rations, so producers have several options to produce higher fiber forage. Before managing a new species, get advice from your agronomist, extension staff, nutritionist, and other producers about best management practices and estimating forage inventory needs and diet formulation. •

MATT AKINS

The author is a dairy scientist at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center in Marshfield, Wis.

“UNLESS YOU MESS UP”

If you knew the breeding of this alfalfa you would buy it immediately! EliminateBuy$3.75/lb.Direct!the Middlemen!

We are a non-GMO seed house! Never a positive hit for GMO

It is common knowledge that you can cut heavier 1st and heavier 3rd or 4th cuts with a class 5 alfalfa, but they usually die out in colder areas. Not so with 360-V!!

This unique variety has an unbelievable winter hardiness rating of 1!! (The highest W.H. rating available!)

A bigger haystack of 3rd or 4th cutting will make you more money.

HERE”S WHAT GROWERS ARE SAYING: (More testimonials available on our website)

“The best stand ever. Best alfalfa we’ve planted in 15 years. No rain from May 15-June 20 and we still made 5 ton with 4 cuts. 180 RFV, dries quick, holds traffic, fast recovery.”

John Martin - Williamsburg, IN

We cut 360-V at 25 days! RFV is testing at 170-185. Our 5th cutting was knee high.” Dean Cammes - Darlington, WI

360-V is a very heavy yielder. We did 5.4 ton for the season. 3rd cutting was heavier than 1st or 2nd. 360-V yielded considerably more than our Pioneer variety. Scott Bigger - Rockville, IN

“360-V has leaves at every inch of the stem, and the stem is very fine. Best alfalfa we have ever planted!” John Fiereira - Cotta & Fiereira Custom Farming, Stockton, CA This alfalfa has a disease package worthy of the worst Wisconsin diseases!! We grow seed in an area that forbids GMO Alfalfa by Law!

SHORT ON WATER ?

Two Alfalfas in One

Plant On Dryland Plant If Your Pivot Only Pumps 400gal/

On the Market since 1979 (and still unbeatable)

We are a non-GMO seed house! Never a positive hit for GMO

Never a Report of Winter Kill

360-D

Greenway Alfalfa

This Alfalfa has been called a tetraploid anomaly by alfalfa breeders. On the market since 1979, and being improved twice, It remains the highest yielding, low water alfalfa on the market!

HERE’S WHAT GROWERS ARE SAYING: (More testimonials available on our website)

When Planting Dryland Alfalfa always use coated seed! (Let us prove it!)

I swathed the 6 year old 360-D and could barely get through it. I had to shift two gears lower than the adjacent Pioneer variety. Buck Richards for the Lapp Ranch - Hay Center, NE

"360-D outyielded the Pioneer variety by one third! The average yield in our area is about 3.8 ton. 360-D yielded 5 ton. 360-D will be our rst choice in varieties." John Yoder - Hutchinson, KS

"In the future we will plant all of our dryland and part of our irrigated acreage to 360-D. It is a very aggressive variety. With this variety we can now plant our higher, thinner, drier soil!"

Treg Fisher - Beaver City, NE

"We planted 360-D in an irrigated pivot that was very short on water. Side by side was a pivot with normal water. The 360-D yielded with the well irrigated adjacent eld! No di erence in yield!"

Ryan Telford - Richfield, ID

“Our area has been in drought for several years. Everyone here is short on water. We only pump 400 gal. on 120 acres. That’s why we plant 360-D. Under that short water we still yield near normal and the quality is excellent because we plant 35 lbs/acre.”

Alan Greenway Seedsman

Over 50 Years Experience

Greenway Seeds Caldwell, ID

Alan Greenway

208-250-0159 (cell) 208-454-8342 (message)

Dan Sawyer - Clarendon, TX

√ Will produce AT LEAST 80% of crop with 50% of water

√ Will produce a subsequent cutting after water is gone

√ Plant on dryland/ guaranteed to out yield Ranger or Ladak

*

√ Plant under pivots that only pump 400 gal/

√ Plant on elds that have only early season creek water

√ Plant under end guns on pivots

√ Plant in the late fall with your dormant seeded grasses

*Plant in your pivot corners. Two ton bonus per acre per year.

“Modern