T IVESTOCK CAN PROFITABLY be kept on pasture for six or. L seven months of the year, or even longer, if the pasture is good,

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1 By W. L. BURLISO,Professor of Crop P roduction T IVESTOCK CAN PROFITABLY be kept on pasture for six or L seven months of the year, or even longer, if the pasture is good, productive, and well managed. The problem usually is how to provide good pasture for that length of time. One way is to have a grass pasture that lasts for several years and to supplement it with temporary pastures that will be green when the long-time pasture is unproductive. Another way is to work several rotational pastures into a sequence. Also a reasonably long pasture season can be obtained from a single pasture alone if it is made up of a good proportion of legumes and grasses. However it is worked out, a long-season pasture can be a very profitable investment for any farm where livestock are kept. Good wellmanaged pasture is a source of economical feed. A long grazing season sometimes means the difference between profit and loss on a farm. CIRCULAR UNIVERS I TY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE 682 EXTENSION SERVICE IN AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS

2 Pasture calendars help in planning A good place to start in planning a long pasture season is with the calendars on pages 4 and 5. These calendars show about when grazing can be started on different kinds of pasture and how long it can be continued. Only a few of the more common pastures are given in the calendars, but from them it is easy to estimate the grazing season for other comparable pastures. The grazing periods shown are only approximations, of course, for the time when anyone pasture can be grazed will depend on a lot of things - such as the weather, the type of livestock, and the fertility of the soil. In general, the grazing periods shown are the most common. It is not difficult to plan a combination of rotational pastures that will provide a long grazing season if some general points are kept in mind. Winter grains are usually chosen to supply very late grazing in the fall and very early spring grazing. Grasses are more productive in May, June, late September, and October. Legumes are the usual basis for green summer pasture, yielding best during June, July, and August. Mixtures of grasses and legumes are more uniform throughout the season than either one alone, and have a higher protein content than grasses alone. Examples of combinations Combinations like the following might be used: Winter rye until the end of April; then a bromegrass, Ladino, and alfalfa mixture until early October; then winter rye again. Tall fescue until mid-june; lespedeza until mid-october; then tall fescue again (this would be in southern Illinois only). Orchard grass from mid-april to mid-june; then a mixture of orchard grass, Ladino clover, and red clover until late November. Winter grains until late May; second-year sweet clover until it dies; then a grass mixture. Winter grains until grass pasture comes on; legume pasture during the summer; grass pasture again in the late fall. [ 2 ]

3 With careful management a single pasture can give a longer pasture season than might be expected. Alfalfa-bromegrass, for example, is good for about six months out of the year. Some legumegrass mixtures are good even longer, especially in southern Illinois. For early pastures Winter rye, either common or Balbo, grows faster in the spring than any of the other crops. It is ready for grazing in March or April, depending on the location in the state and the season. Balbo rye is leafier than common rye and the leaves grow more upright. It should be about 8 to 10 inches high before grazing is started. Winter wheat makes excellent early spring pasture and ranks next to rye in usefulness. For late spring and early summer pasture Spring oats are good pasture for all classes of livestock. Rape can be sown with the oats for beef cattle, sheep, and hogs, being especially good for hogs. Oats and field peas seeded together make a high-quality mixture, but it is not widely used because of the high cost of the field-pea seed. Spring-seeded ryegrass grows rapidly and is good to use in combination with oats. It does not remain palatable long and should be grazed as soon as it is 5 or 6 inches high. Long-lived grass pastures are usually the basis for late spring and early summer grazing. The pasture may be Kentucky bluegrass, bromegrass, orchard grass, tall fescue (Alta or Kentucky 31), meadow fescue, redtop, and timothy. An early top-dressing of manure or nitrogen fertilizer will stimulate extra-early growth of these grasses and make it possible to turn livestock on them two weeks earlier. For summer pasture Alfalfa, Ladino clover, red clover, sweet clover, alsike clover, and Korean lespedeza, all legumes, form the basis for summer pastures. Alfalfa alone makes an excellent pasture the year following seeding. [ 3 ] (Turn to page 6)

4 GRAZING PERIODS IN NORTHERN HALF OF ILLINOIS Spring seedings of many of t he following pastures can be made with 4 to f pecks of oats (or barley, rye, or wheat, where they are adapted) to help estab lish them. Crop and seeding rate Winter rye 6-8 pecks, seeded in August Winter wheat 6-8 pecks. Grain crop harvested. Observe fly-free date Oats 4-8 pecks Alfalfa 12 lb Alfalfa 8 lb, bromegrass 5 lb Timothy 4 Ib, red clover 8 Ib Bluegrass 5 Ib, redtop 3 lb, timothy 3 Ib, Ladino 1 lb, red clover 3 Ib Tall fescue 5 Ib, timothy 2 Ib, alfalfa 4 Ib, red clover 3 Ib Ladino 2 lb. Use two fields First-year sweet clover 12 lb. Pasture lightly Second-year sweet clover 12 lb. Keep well grazed Sweet Sudan grass 25 Ib Alfalfa 4 Ib, red clover 4 lb, sweet clover 4 Ib, alsike 1 Ib, bromegrass 3 Ib, timothy 2 Ib (or 4 Ib of either grass) Alfalfa 6 Ib, Ladino 1 Ib, bromegrass or timothy 4 Ib Ladino 1 Ib, red clover 4 lb, plus 4 Ib of timothy, orchard grass, or tall fescue Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov /11.11I/ l/ut r.w/(. I11..lJ..J. lll.lu. iii/iii II {II.I - ~I/. Iii 'I ij.1jj '.J..iLWl ' il'lllilff Mb/II.! ' /, I Ll/IIII '(,111 I/"flJl JI 1/111 1,11. I 'I ' I II, 1/,\,/ / LlliJ II/I 'I til (/1\ IIIfJ1.J1L ~"'llff ~ ~. ~~ i6i ~!l1 111\111 f r. rlll.ii." II,,/. I.. ~ 11,/1111./, ill 1,"/ 11.11/.1 11I1 IliJlII/! rli \.\\\\ If.lil II I \11 I I. III II /1 III Ihl! 'III/II III! , Itil lui/lid,//1111 rl.l/llll t t111lijjl tljtilu II I ili11 I I I I [ 4 1

5 GRAZING PERIODS IN SOUTHERN HALF OF ILLINOIS Spring seedings of many of the following pastures can be made with 4 to 6 pecks of oats (or barley, rye, or wheat, where they are adapted) to help establish them. Crop and seeding rate Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec Winter rye 6-8 pecks, seeded in August Winter wheat 6-8 pecks. Grain crop harvested. Observe fiy-free date Alfalfa 8 lb, bromegrass 5 lb Ladino lib, tall fescue 5 lb Ladino 2 lb. Use two fields Lespedeza 5 lb, bluegrass 2 lb, timothy 4 lb, redtop 2 lb Lespedeza alone 15 lb Alfalfa 4 lb, Ladino lib, red clover 2 lb, lespedeza 5 lb, timothy 3-4 lb First-year sweet clover 12 lb. P asture lightly Second-year sweet clover 12 lb. K eep well grazed Alfalfa 4 lb, Ladino lib, timothy 2 lb, bluegrass 2 lb, redtop 2 lb Sweet Sudan grass 25 lb Ladino lib, lespedeza 5 lb, redtop 2 lb, tall fescue or timothy 4 lb Alfalfa 4 lb, Ladino lib, red clover 3 lb, timothy 2 lb, lespedeza 3 lb, bluegrass 3 lb, redtop 2 lb. For well drained soils Alfalfa 4 lb, Ladino 1 lb, lespedeza 5 lb, orchard grass or tall fescue 4 lb (or 2 lb of each). For well-drained soils [ 5 ]

6 Bromegrass or timothy seeded with alfalfa lessens the danger of bloat. Red and alsike clovers in combination or alone will provide an abundance of good green pasture during June, July, August, and September. Sweet clover usually dies about August 1. Ladino is an excellent summer pasture. The best way to manage it is to have two fields and to graze them alternately by keeping the stock in one field while the clover in the other field is recovering. Korean lespedeza, an annual legume, is one of the better summer pastures for southern and central Illinois. It is tolerant of acid soils and provides excellent pasture from July until frost. Though tolerant of acidity, it does even better with soil treatment. Sudan and sweet Sudan grass are summer annuals. They are very productive and are recommended for emergency and supplementary pasture and hay. It is often a good plan to seed a few acres of these crops as insurance or hedge against severe drouth. If not used for pasture, the Sudan grasses can be cut for hay or ensiled. Sweet Sudan usually grows more uniformly than ordinary Sudan, matures later, and is more resistant to lodging. For fall grazing With the cooler weather and fall rains, the grasses, particularly bluegrass, orchard grass, and tall fescue, renew growth and can again be pastured. Winter rye seeded in August can be pastured in October and November. Winter wheat will not usually be ready for grazing until spring. It is well to remove livestock from legumes like alfalfa and sweet clover during September and part of October to give these tap-rooted plants an opportunity to store food materials for new growth during the following spring. Lespedeza should be grazed as long as possible in the fall. Winter pasture Few pasture plants remain green in Illinois during the winter months. One that is potentially a good winter pasture in southern Illinois is tall fescue (Alta or Kentucky 31). Although somewhat [ 6 ]

7 coarse and less palatable than timothy and bromegrass, tall fescue does remain partly green during the winter and is good for winter pasture. It is hardy enough to withstand grazing during winter months and is in fact benefited by the removal of some of the top growth. Winter rye and wheat are often used for winter pasture in southern Illinois during periods when trampling will not be detrimental to the crop. When they are used, however, they should be pastured lightly, especially winter wheat. How much pasture? It is not difficult to calculate how much pasture will be needed if the number of livestock to be pastured is known. One mature dairy cow or a two-year-old steer eats about 125 to 150 pounds of green forage a day (equivalent to about 25 to 30 pounds of dry forage). A one-year-old steer eats about 80 to 100 pounds of green forage (16 to 20 pounds of dry forage). A mature ewe sheep eats about 25 to 30 pounds of green forage a day (5 to 6 pounds of dry forage). A 200 pound pig eats about 10 to 15 pounds of green forage a day, or 2 to 3 pounds of dry forage. The amount of forage from an acre of pasture throughout the pasture season varies greatly, depending on the kind of pasture, the fertility of the soil, and many other factors. Some yields that might be expected, however, are given below. They may suggest what can be expected from some other species and mixtures. Note that these figures are for dry forage. Pounds of dry forage per acre Unfertilized grass pasture ,500 Sudan grass on fertile land ,000 Fertilized alfalfa-bromegrass ,500 Lespedeza-grass on fertilized land ,500 Lespedeza-grass on unfertilized land ,600 Clovers (red, sweet, and alsike) plus timothy, rotation pasture, on fertilized land ,000 Ladino-bromegrass mixture on fertilized land ,500 [ 7 ]

8 Take care of the pastures Pastures' are not likely to yield well if they are not handled well. Ladino clover, for example, needs to be given a chance to recover from grazing. In fact all legumes and most legume-grass mixtures will persist longer if they are grazed rotationally. Grass and legunle combinations should be pastured rather closely during the early part of the season to keep them succulent and to keep the grasses from competing too much with the legumes. Permanent pastures benefit greatly from the application of fertilizers. Sometimes they need to be clipped to keep the weeds down or to keep the grass from getting too high if the livestock are not eating it close enough. Mowing is helpful too because it keeps the grasses from going into the reproductive stage, when they are low in palatability and low in nutrients. Details of pasture management are given in a number of other Illinois publications. These include: Supplementing and Improving Dairy Pastures. C-553. Sweet Clover for Illinois. C-559. H ow to Get Good Yields of Alfalfa. C-560. Lespedeza - Its Place in Illinois Agriculture. C-561. Red Clover for Illinois. C-627. Pastures for Illinois. C-647. Ladino Clover in Illinois. C-650. For copies of any of these publications, write to the COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, Urbana, Illinois. (Acknowledgment is due DAVID H EUSINKVELD, G. E. McKIBBEN, and W. B. NEVENS for assistance in checking this publication. Cover picture by W. F. PURNELL.) Urbana, Illinois Cooperative Extension Work in.agriculture and Home Economics: University of Illinois, College of Agriculture, and the United States Department of Agriculture cooperating. H. P. RUSK, Director. Acts approved by Congress May 8 and June 30, June, M