Page 20 - MWC 3-30-2023s

The Midwest Cattleman · March 30, 2023 · P20
Get Back to the Basics on Post-drought Pastures

Recurring drought calls for last 23 years, according to data
forage producers to get back compiled by MU Extension cli-
to the basics of farming, says matologist Pat Guinan.
University of Missouri Exten- “Prepare for a problem be-
sion agronomist Terry Halle- fore it occurs,” Halleran says.
ran. If you don’t, “you are going to
“Practice standard farming be feeding high dollar hay,”
practices to rebuild pastures he says. If you prepare and
following drought,” he says. there’s no drought, you’ve lost
Halleran spoke March 7 at the nothing.
Christian County Livestock One way to prepare is to “get
and Forage Conference in out of your tractor or pickup”
Clever, Missouri. Southwest- to look at pastures, he says.
ern Missouri livestock produc- Walk pastures and look for
ers have been especially hard weak areas. Post-drought pas-
hit from drought in recent tures may need time to recov-
years. er. Expect weakened stands,
Missouri began December thin pastures, and lower sup-
with 18% less hay stock than plies after drought. Also, ex-
2021, according to the USDA pect more weeds.
National Agricultural Statis- Halleran gets back to the Forage producers must get back to the basics of farming to reset post-drought pastures.
Photo -Terry Halleran
tics Service. Nationally, 2022 basics with these steps:
hay stocks dropped to their • Be patient. Practice Get the most out of your hay ran says. Lime pastures if the
lowest numbers since the patience when turning cows crop by baling before July. test calls for it and be patient.
1950s. out onto fresh pastures. Wait Don’t wait too long to frost- Lime takes four to six months
Halleran says forage and until grass is 6-10 inches tall seed legumes into pastures. to activate. Drag pastures to
livestock producers should pre- in rotational grazing systems Plant cool-season grasses in spread nutrients from manure
pare for the inevitable – there’s and don’t allow cows to graze fall. Control weeds so that piles across the pasture.
going to be drought. Missouri plants lower than 2 inches. spring forages can compete • Plan. Plant cool season
has seen droughts in 20 of the • Don’t be too patient. against weed pressure. grasses in the fall. It is late
• Act. Make honest calcula- in the season to seed frost-
tions and then act. Many pro- seed legumes into pastures
WE CAN DO BETTER! ducers don’t know the yield of but plan for next year. Choose
their pastures and don’t allow drought-resistant
grasses.

Part 2 of 3: BETTER - Making cleaner silage/HMC enough acreage per cow. Match stocking rates to feed
• Prevent waste by in- supply estimates.
• Don’t guess. Know yields
vesting in good storage meth-
for greater dry matter intakes and rumen performance ods and facilities. Invest in a of your tall fescue pastures,
storage facility for hay, says says Halleran. Most producers
Will beef cattle eat steamy, rotted, moldy, silage and HMC (and the 18” of Halleran, and keep a two-year don’t have an accurate esti-
compromised feed below it)? supply on hand to prepare for mate of yields. They also likely

Should they, and can you afford it with today’s feed prices? drought. “It’s not about a bet- overestimate their usable acre-
ter truck or a better tractor,” age by not deducting woods,
Oxygen is your enemy, robbing you of dry matter nutrition. he says. “It’s about a hay barn.” fence lines, ditches, etc. where
• Test. Before you fertilize, forages can’t be harvested.
Science tells us (2000, Whitlock et al, Kansas State Univerity) that feeding poor take a soil test. Look at fertil- University of Missouri
silage significantly affects dry matter intake, nutrient digestability, and health of izer options. “Nitrogen isn’t the
the rumen mat. only fertilizer for sale,” Halle-

“Dry matter intake decreased in a linear manner as the proportion of spoiled
silage increased from 0 to 75%. Steers consuming the normal silage ration had Keeping Your Name Out
higher DM, OM, CP, NDF, and ADF digestibilities than those fed the three rations
that contained spoiled silage. The addition of spoiled silage also had negative There Doesn't Cost...
associative effects on nutrient digestibilities, and the integrity of the forage mat
in the rumen was destroyed partially by even the lowest level of surface spoilage.”

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