Amazing Graze
Amazing Graze
A publication of The Ohio State University Extension, Edward M. Vollborn, Editor
November, 1999
Dear Friend:
As we move into cooler nights, we become more aware of the approach of winter. Due to the harsh summer, most of us have only limited pasture stockpiled and reserve days of grazing available. The fall and winter of 1997-98 was just the opposite. Several graziers make it year-round. Others like the Jackson Branch of O.A.R.D.C. got by with less than six weeks of serious hay feeding. This year looks like 100-120 days of serious stored feed consumption.
Do we manage for the good years or the bad years? In 1997-98, if we would have managed for 100 days of winter feeding, we would probably have fed for 100 or more days, but since we managed toward "year-round" grazing, we ended up only feeding for 40 days. Think about your goals - you might just get what you manage for!
Sincerely,
Mark your calender for Wednesday, December 8, 1999 to attend the 5th Annual Forage and Grass Management Review. The 2:00 - 8:00 p.m. event will be held at the OSU Extension South District facility, just south of Jackson on State Route 93.
The program will feature a forage highlight tour (starting at 2:15 p.m.) of the Jackson Branch of O.A.R.D.C., including: the strip grazing of turnips, small round bale and forage stockpile; demonstration of an un-roller to feed big round bale hay; and stand improvement projects with frost seeded clover and inter-seeded forage rye.
The indoor program will begin at 4:00 p.m. with a feature of four Ohio demonstration/research projects. Those will include: "effective fertilizer management for fescue;" perennial ryegrass experiences in Athens County and surrounding area; early weaning experience at Southern Branch of O.A.R.D.C.; and Indian Lake stocker grazing project. The final segment of the day will feature two timely topics for this season. Daryl Clark, OSU Extension Agent and Master Grazier, will speak on the topic "next year - the year after the drought." Dr. Francis Fluharty, Research Scientist, O.A.R.D.C., will visit with the group about "alternatives to a short grass stockpile or hay supply."
Reservations are helpful in planning and are requested by December 3rd. The $5.00 per person registration fee includes a sandwich and snack and should be mailed to Ed Vollborn, OSU Extension, South District, P. O. Box 958, Jackson, Ohio 45640-0958. For additional information, call 740-286-2177.
NEW FORAGE SHORT COURSE PLANNED
Dr. Mark Sulc, OSU Extension, State Forage Specialist, along with members of the OSU Extension Integrated Forage Team and Ohio Forage & Grasslands Council are planning this new program for early 2000. The Forage Short Course will be an all new curriculum with a three-day instruction format and a lot of hands-on activities for approximately four hours each day. The format is copied from the very successful Ohio "Pastures for Profit" grazing schools, but course content will be directed to the more traditional hay and silage forage producers. Some of the topics expected to be covered include: soils and forage fertility; species and variety selection; stand establishment; pest management; harvest management; hay and silage preservation; role of forages in animal diets; and economics and marketing.
The new Forage Short Course is scheduled at the following locations:
FESCUE RESPONSE TO VARIABLE RATES OF NITROGEN FERTILIZATION - Clif Little, OSU Extension, Guernsey Co., et.al.
Overview: Nitrogen fertilization is essential for intensively managed swords of grass. Meadows where the predominate forage species is grass are often most limited by availability of nitrogen. The current economic and environmental cost of nitrogen fertilization are major factors influencing farm profitability and water quality. The objectives of every forage producer is to apply nutrients efficiently to maximize forage production while minimizing risks to the environment. Producers are interested in learning the point of diminishing returns when it comes to nitrogen application. A study conducted at EORDC suggested fescue yield and nitrogen application per pound of dry matter produced may be more economically applied than suggested by current soil test reports. In the demonstration plots receiving 75 pounds of actual nitrogen per acre returned 13.56 pounds of dry matter per pound of nitrogen applied. Plots receiving 125 pounds of actual nitrogen yielded 12.48 pounds of dry matter per pound of nitrogen applied. Further research is needed to investigate forage response to reduced nitrogen application. Producers are interested in applying commercial fertilizers at the lowest possible levels and to a point where forage quality and yield are not negatively impacted.
Conclusion: These results tell us that on these plots, 75 pounds of nitrogen (N) was as effective as higher rates of N (when applied in a single application in the spring). Putting on more than 75 pounds of N, plus P and K in a single application in the spring was a poor use of resources. This also tells us that putting on some nitrogen produced more than not applying any. Furthermore, the research would suggest split applications of nitrogen fertilizer to maximize production and to avoid salt injury from the nitrogen source and potassium.
*Note: This is one of the presentations on December 8th. For a complete copy of this research report, contact Clif Little at OSU Extension, Guernsey County (740-432-9300).
GLGC SCHEDULED
This year's Great Lakes Grazing Conference is scheduled for February 14 & 15, 2000. The event will be held in Shipshewana, Indiana. This year's program will once again feature an international speaker. Breakout sessions are planned for dairy, beef, sheep, horse and alternative marketing. Tom Noyes is actively representing Ohio on the planning committee. Look for program details and registration materials in December.
OFGC COUPON BOOK
The Ohio Forage and Grasslands Council, Inc. is currently working toward a coupon book that would be distributed to all paid members for 2000. The coupon book concept is being copied from the Minnesota Forage and Grassland Council, which have used this method to increase membership the last several years. Businesses offer a reduced price for products through a coupon. OFGC members can use the coupon to save on the purchase of that item. Initial interest indicates that the 2000 OFGC coupon book will have a total savings much greater than the current OFGC annual membership fee of $20. If your business would like to contribute a coupon, contact any OFGC director. Coupon deadline has been set for December 15, 1999.
BEEF: UNEXPLAINED DEMAND BOLSTERS FALL PRICES - Brian Roe, OSU Extension, Livestock Economics
Despite producing more beef than in any other September on record and four percent more than in September 1998, slaughter prices averaged $66 or 14% higher than last September. Why is demand so strong? It may be a combination of reasons: strong economy, low unemployment, higher disposable income, high protein diet fads, and cumulative effect of long-term investments in promotion. Many food service managers are beginning to feel profits being pinched by these higher prices, however, and may implement menu and ingredient changes that could be unfavorable to beef. In the mean time, feed is cheap and returns to cattle feeders remain strong. Market projections for fed cattle suggest mid to high $60's for most of next year with the peak most likely at $70 in the late spring.
NEW FORAGE BOOK
"Practical Forage Concepts" is a 160-page book containing 45 easy-to-understand chapters. Each chapter represents an article which appeared in the monthly "Alabama Cattlemen" magazine during the past 20 years. The author, Dr. Don Ball, has been the Extension Forage Crop Agronomist at Auburn University since 1976. Dr. Ball has been a guest speaker in Ohio several times, including the November 1998 Forage and Grass Management Review in Jackson, Ohio. Chapter topics range from "a good clover year" to "year-round grazing." Copies may be obtained for a nominal fee from the Alabama Cattlemen's Association, Box 2499, 201 South Bainbridge, Montgomery, Alabama 36102.
PLANNING TO INCREASE PASTURE ACRES? - Bob Hendershot, Grassland Management Systems Conservationist USDA-NRCS
Winter is a good time to plan or reconsider the existing plan of your grazing system. Improving your pasture management can lower the cost of production by . . .
When considering to convert crop land to pasture, the rules of thumb are: Class I and II land will produce two animal unit grazing days for every bushel of corn that the field typically produces. Example, a field that averages 120 bushel an acre corn should produce 250 animal unit grazing days. Classes III and IV crop land will produce three days of animal unit grazing for every bushel of corn that it could produce. The competitive advantage is to pasture with marginal crop land. The average production cost for producing corn is $143 an acre or about the cost of establishing a grazing system on a per acre basis.
The 1998 Ohio Corn and Soybean Performance Trials published as a supplement to the "Ohio's Country Journal" has some interesting information from the Fayette County farm agronomic plots. The benefits of forages in a crop rotation certainly stood out in the eight years of data collected. The 1990-1997 averages has alfalfa with the highest net income per acre at $277.73, then soybeans at $103.85, then corn and wheat. The eight year average net return per acre of three different crop rotations . . .
...were compared at three different production systems, a high input, standard input and a low input system. The three production systems for the alfalfa rotation generated the highest average net returns per acre compared to the other production systems for the other grain crop rotations. Forages in a crop rotation is still the best cropping system. It can generate more dollars and it appears from the data that the four crop rotation is getting better with time.
*Note: the Fayette County farm agronomic plots under the leadership of Larry Lotz, OSU Extension, uses alfalfa cash hay as the forage component in their crop rotation.
GRAZIER'S COMMENTS - Ed Heckman, Extension Educator Wayne County, Indiana
"The more you lean about grass, the better it looks."
"The top one-eighth inch of soil is the most important soil area for keeping clover in your pastures."
"Clover requires twice the calcium as grass."
"A little and often are the keys to lime and fertilizer application. Some each year would be best."
"Successful grass farming is not available packaged, pre-measured, and ready to enjoy."
"You learn, and apply what you learn, one step at a time."
From: "Hoos-Your Grazing Network" Newsletter, September 1999
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All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory
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Vietnam-era veteran status. Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Admin. and Director, OSU Extension.
TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868.
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