Pasture Management. Living n. the Land. Jenifer Cruickshank. Dairy Management Willamette Valley. 22 May 2018

Transcription

1 Pasture Management Living n Jenifer Cruickshank Dairy Management Willamette Valley 22 May 2018 the Land

2 Topics to be covered: Living n Pasturing Principles Grasses, Legumes, Other Forbs Grazing Characteristics Grazing Considerations Grazing Strategies the Land

3 Pasturing Principles 1. DO NOT OVERGRAZE!!!! 2. Fall is the start of the pasture growing season. 3. Pasture contributes high quality and cheap forage IF managed properly. 4. Pastures will harbor many parasites that will infect grazing animals, reducing health and animal response.

4 Pasturing Principles 5. Grazers may select the wrong plant, e.g. poisonous or toxic weed, like tansy ragwort that is toxic to humans and grazers. 6. Internal animal parasites include coccidia (protoza) and helminths (worms). External parasites include flies, lice, ticks, and mites. All cause harm to grazing animals through infection on pastures.

5 Pasturing Principles 7. Some plants are natural anthelmintics that works well in an integrated forage-livestock system, e.g., birdsfoot trefoil and chicory. 8. Grazing is dynamic system that encompasses all aspects of pastures, environment, and economics.

6 Growing vs Grazing Season These are controlled by the owners and Mother Nature: wet, cool conditions change pasture plant growth patterns in spring; dry, hot summer often induces summer slump with reduced growth rate and lower quality. PNW growing season ~150+ days but grazing season >250 days with good management.

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8 Vegetative Stages of grass growth Growth of leaves Living n Elongation Lengthening of stem internodes, also called jointing Boot stage is the end of elongation Reproductive Development of seed head and seed the Land

9 Nutrient content by plant growth stage (lots) (less) (lowest) Living n the Land A B C Adapted from by A. Miller

10 Growing Points Location where cells divide and produce new growth Living n Occur close to the ground early in the growing season Become elevated above ground as the growing season progresses the Land NRCS, Bozeman, Mont.

11 Living n Penn State Univ. 2 tillers developing from the crown of the plant A joint (node) OSU the Land

12 3-4 Living n the Land Adapted from NRCS by A. Miller

13 What makes the fall so special? Shortening day lengths Cooling temperatures Grasses change and respond new roots!! Really, really don t overgraze in fall.

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15 Tall fescue Living n Advantages: Good quality Tillering stimulated through frequent grazing Very winter-hardy Active fall growth Disadvantages: Endophytes in turf varieties Older varieties low palatability stephenville.tamu.edu OSU the Land

16 Orchardgrass Living n Advantages: Good quality Good regrowth Shade-tolerant Disadvantages: Suffers when grazed continually USDA NRCS the Land USDA NRCS

17 Living n Perennial ryegrass Advantages: Very high quality Easy to establish Good tolerance to close grazing Disadvantages: Poor drought and heat tolerance Poor shade tolerance Endophytes in turf varieties Not good for hay the Land

18 Annual (Italian) ryegrass Living n Advantages: High quality Highly palatable Good tolerance to close grazing Establishes quickly Disadvantages: Poor drought and heat tolerance Short lived Endophytes in turf varieties Can be invasive the Land

19 Timothy Living n Advantages: High quality Easy to establish Winter-hardy USDA NRCS Disadvantages: Sensitive to frequent defoliation Poor regrowth Poor summer production Not suited to droughty soils USDA NRCS USDA NRCS the Land

20 Kentucky bluegrass Living n Advantages: Good quality Withstands animal traffic Good tolerance to close grazing Disadvantages: Low yield potential Poor drought and heat tolerance Likes well-drained soil NRCS NRCS the Land NRCS

21 Redtop Bentgrass Advantages: Yields dense turf Well-adapted to wet, acidic soils Seldom summer dormancy Disadvantages: Often considered invasive Only one good cutting if for hay

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23 How legumes grow Living n Vegetative growth Bud stage Flowering NCSU the Land

24 flower leaf stem Living n leaflet stolon Parts of a legume taproot the Land A. Miller

25 Legumes Plants that fix nitrogen from the air Sugars stored in the roots Living n More growth in the hot summer months than grasses Seed needs to be inoculated Watch out for bloat the Land

26 Bloat from wet, highprotein legumes Living n formation of protein film that traps air bubbles in rumen can be lethal Laurie Ball-Gisch the Land

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28 Alfalfa clay.agr.okstate.edu NRCS clay.agr.okstate.edu Advantages: Excellent quality Drought-tolerant 3-5 cuttings of hay Disadvantages: Causes bloat Intolerant of flooding (no wet toes)

29 Living n Advantages: Good quality Easy to establish High palatability the Land USDA NRCS Red clover USDA NRCS Disadvantages: Generally does not persist after two growing seasons Can be invasive USDA NRCS

30 Living n USDA NRCS White Clover USDA NRCS Advantages: Excellent quality Good tolerance to close grazing Withstands continuous grazing Grows best during cool, moist seasons Winter hardy with adequate stubble Disadvantages: Low yielding Not very persistent the Land

31 Birdsfoot trefoil Living n Advantages: Excellent quality Grows in variety of soils and conditions Non-bloat legume Disadvantages: Can graze frequently, but not closely Slow to establish Less palatable with age the LandUIUC

32 Living n Subterranean clover Advantages: Excellent quality Good tolerance to close grazing Does not cause bloat or early lambing Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions Disadvantages: Not cold-hardy Can be invasive Sheep sensitive to estrogens elib.cs.berkeley.edu the Land

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34 Chicory Advantages: Excellent forage quality Good warm-season growth Very palatable Tolerant of low water Smyth Seeds Disadvantages: Not suited for hay Does not fix N Must be rotationally grazed University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture

35 Plaintain Advantages: Excellent forage quality Good warm-season growth Can handle low ph Tolerant of low water Disadvantages: Poor growth with shade Stems have low palatability and nutrient value Must be rotationally grazed Department of Primary Industries, New South Wales Government Smyth Seeds

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37 The optimum height for cattle grazing is 8 inches. At this height they can take 80 bites per minute. Gene Pirelli

38 Sheep can graze much closer to the soil surface.

39 Nature s Seed Horses also graze much closer to the soil surface.

40 Sheep and horses are efficient at overgrazing. Gene Pirelli

41 Michal Thompson / The Argus Goats prefer woody species, upright pasture plants, and new shoots.

42 Jason Bradford, Farmland LP Chickens eat less grass (few nutrients for them) and more insects and seeds.

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44 Forage species typical fructan levels Highest Lowest Perennial ryegrass Tall Fescue Bentgrass Bluegrass Orchardgrass Clover Timothy

45 Pasture-related conditions to watch for bloat grass tetany magnesium deficiency, usually spring ryegrass staggers endophyte fescue toxicosis endophyte internal parasites (worms! --mostly) American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control

46 How to manage for parasites graze younger animals on lesscontaminated pastures (deworm first); mature animals on more contaminated pastures Do not overgraze! dragging manure pats in dry weather can help, but avoid less manured areas sequentially graze different species anthelmintics (dewormers) beware milk/slaughter withdrawal times don t overuse

47 fresh water, an essential nutrient USDA NRCS Needs vary by animal size, reproductive status and weather Amounts consumed: Beef cow or horse: 12 gallons/day Pig: 8 gallons/day Llama: 5 gallons/day Sheep or goat: 4 gallons/day Amounts needed may double on hot days

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49 Dry matter consumption (lb/month) animal forage needed sheep/goats 200 alpacas 100 llamas 300 horses 1000 cattle (1000 lb.) 800 These weights are for actual consumption. When feeding hay, include 10% more to account for waste.

50 Starting point for number of adults/acre, April-October grazing season animal irrigated pasture (good) nonirrigated pasture sheep/goats alpacas llamas 2 1 horses cattle 1 0.5

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52 With overgrazing plants can t recover lost nutrients and will eventually starve and die. a source of cheap, nutritious forage is lost. weeds will proliferate. erosion could become a problem.

53 How does overgrazing usually happen? 1. Turning grazers in too early in spring 2. Leaving grazers on pasture too long 3. Too short of rest periods with grazers returning too soon

54 Prevent overgrazing rules of thumb: Don t graze below 3-4 inches. Each plant will be bitten off once, then allowed to recover. This will preserve growing points reduce animal exposure to parasites Use supplemental feed if not enough pasture is ready to graze.

55 Take half, leave half. Living n USDA NRCS the Land

56 Rapid rotation or short- duration grazing Living n the Land NRCS, Bozeman, Mont.

57 Cell or strip grazing Living n the Land NRCS, Bozeman, Mont.

58 How long do pastures need to rest? Living n Depends upon: Period in the growing season Availability of irrigation water Amount of active leaf area remaining following the grazing period Cool-season grasses recover more quickly in spring and autumn Until they recover! the Land

59 good additional pasture resources seed companies lots of local ones publications in your binder OSU Extension catalog /topic/agriculture/pastures-and-forages especially see The Western Oregon and Washington Pasture Calendar On Pasture Silver Falls Seed Company

60 Content Acknowledgements Living n Wendy Williams, NRCS, Bozeman, Montana Holly George, University of California Extension Service Susie Kocher, University of California Extension Service Bruce Miller, Utah State University Melody Hefner, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Steve Fransen, Forage and Extension Agronomist, WSU- Prosser, formerly at WSU-Puyallup Gene Pirelli, Regional Livestock/Forage Specialist, Oregon State University the Land

61 Questions?