This summer has been the worst drought we have experienced in several years. Southeastern Ohio seems to have had the most impact. With very little rain in June and next to no rain throughout the rest of the summer, both crops and forages have struggled to grow.
The high temperatures we have had throughout the summer have impacted the forages as well. Many farmers have been feeding hay since the middle of summer. Their hay inventory is low and there isn’t much available to purchase. First-cutting hay yields were average for most farmers this year, but second-cutting yields were low.
Meanwhile, the overall quality of the hay on hand is lower than normal. It is going to be a long winter for many farmers, especially, the ones that have been feeding since July. Most pastures have been grazed down to nothing and will have a hard time recovering. The root reserves have been depleted and the grass will have a slow start in the spring. If your pastures are not managed right in the spring, the effects of the drought this year will carry over into next year.
Rotational grazing
One management practice that has been proven to improve forage production and keep forages growing even in a drought year is rotational grazing. You do not have to rotate livestock every day to see the positive impacts that it can have. A weekly rotation will be a great improvement over continuous grazing. By allowing the pastures to rest after being grazed, the forages can grow back, replenish root reserves and continue to grow longer into the fall. Many of the farmers who practice rotational grazing still have grass available and do not have to set out hay.
If you do not currently have a rotational grazing system in place, this winter will be a good time to set one up. Start by utilizing the water sources you already have and putting up a temporary fence. Do not start building permanent fences until you are certain about the system you want to lay out. Allow yourself the flexibility to make changes to your grazing system.
If you do have a rotational grazing system in place this coming spring, you can limit the pasture that the cattle graze in the spring to allow the remainder of your pasture acres to get a better head start.
Turning out livestock
When should you turn livestock out in the spring? I would guess that most livestock are turned out onto green grass earlier than they really should be in the spring. It starts to green up and grow fast, but needs time to establish its roots and root reserves. This will be especially important this coming spring.
Another thing to remember is that the dry matter content is so low in spring grass that the cows actually have a hard time eating enough of it to fill their nutrient requirements. The livestock should be full before you turn them out.
Farmers may want to think about putting some fertilizer on their pastures in the spring as well to give the grasses some help getting started. They should take soil samples this fall to see if their pastures call for any nutrients. If phosphorus and potassium levels are where they need to be, a little bit of Urea could still be applied to help get the grass started in the spring. If the grasses start to make seed heads, start clipping the pastures to keep them vegetative.
