Fall Grazing Opportunities
contributed article by Justin Fruechte, Ag Product Expert
Renovo Seed, Brookings, S.D.
Two of my favorite times of the year are getting pairs on pasture in the spring and turning cows on corn stalks in the fall. As cattlemen, the seasons dictate our actions, and these turnouts feel like representations of changing seasons. I love the sense of gratification and contentment on both the cow’s part, and my part, when the first corn cob is rolled around in their mouth. Without question, grazing stalks is the most popular fall and winter feed strategy, but I want to highlight a few other, less popular ideas.
Fall rains in much of the Midwest have boosted new growth and regrowth on forage fields. Optimizing lush growth and minimizing potential risk of regrowth is important. We’re good at managing our herd, but we also need to manage the plants the herd is consuming.
Cover Crops
If you planted a cover crop blend including species like turnips, radishes, rapeseed, and cereal grains, you have a highly digestible high protein diet for your cattle to consume. Cattle will gain weight while grazing these fields, so be mindful of how you prioritize the class of livestock grazing it. Thinner, first-calf heifers thrive in these areas. Or, if fences allow for it, keep your weaned calves here and let them gain well while grazing.
The important management pointer here is to maintain adequate dry matter intake. Brassicas and lush new grass growth have little fiber and are nearing 80 percent moisture levels. Offering access to corn stalks or hauling out a hay wagon of grass hay will allow your cattle to buffer their ration with dry forage.
Warm Season Annuals
Another fall grazing opportunity can come from warm season annuals including forage sorghum, sorghum-Sudangrass, and millets. If planted early, these were likely harvested once and now the millets and Sudangrass hybrids are regrowing. The two common concerns with grazing warm season annuals are nitrate poisoning and prussic acid poisoning.
Millets are prone to high nitrates, but not prussic acid. If a plant is stressed from drought, hail, or extremely fast growth, it can’t properly photosynthesize to convert the nitrogen it is taking in from the soil. Prussic acid is common in forage sorghum and sorghum-Sudangrass. This is most seen when damage is done to the plant, typically after a frost. Cell walls in the plants burst, causing prussic acid to build up in the plant. When this is consumed by cattle it results in cyanide poisoning.
So, for management pointers, don’t graze regrowth until it is over 24 inches in height and wait 10 to 14 days after a frost to graze. Prussic acid is a gas and does dissipate from the plant, so when that 10 to 14 day waiting period has lapsed, don’t be afraid to graze. Testing for both nitrates and prussic acid is available to give you an accurate look at levels.
Obviously, we all want to graze as long as possible to minimize winter feed costs. Strategize placing the correct class of livestock with their forage needs to be efficient with grazing utilization. Taking the time in the fall to manage plants will always payback with less feeding days in the winter.
Photos courtesy Renovo Seed
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Renovo Seed, Brookings, S.D.
The team of folks at Renovo Seed have roots that run deep in farming, agriculture, and in the overall respect for the landscape. They opened their doors in 1987 and continue to walk alongside farmers, ranchers, and landowners across thousands of acres throughout the Midwest.
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