If you are a livestock producer, grazer or forage producer, I hope that you have received beneficial rain by the time you read this article.
For those of us who count on forage, either grazed, baled or ensiled, the 2024 growing season has been a challenge. In my part of Ohio, we had a wet spring and a decent growing period for the early summer. Then the tap was turned off and we became extremely dry.
This year’s weather pattern has challenged my grazing techniques and management. In the next few paragraphs, I will lay out some practices I have used to extend my grazing days or at least produce more forage that can be stored as hay.
Stockpiling
Many grazers already use some form of stockpiling forage. By removing part of the farm from your grazing rotation and allowing it to grow, this standing forage can be grazed later in the year.
Typically, some form of nitrogen is applied (urea or ammonium sulfate) to increase tonnage and quality.
Although it is getting late in the calendar year, if you have been feeding hay in a heavy-use area or a barn, some of your forage may begin to stockpile once the rains return. If you have the stored feed, it may be best to continue feeding bales and allow the forage to recover from the dry conditions which could set your farm up for an earlier turnout next spring.
Bale grazing
This method of feeding pre-set round bales in a grid pattern is typically used in the winter. However, for livestock owners who may not have the time or the resources to feed hay every day, this may provide a good alternative.
This strategy also allows the livestock to distribute the nutrients, build soil fertility and reduce the cost of inputs and labor. A farmer could pick a field or pasture that is low in nutrients with a good perimeter fence, place bales and then ration them out based on the livestock’s needs using some temporary fencing to exclude the remaining bales. Bale rings could be placed over the allotted hay to minimize waste, but it is not necessary.
Supplemental feeding
Since the drought has been intense across much of Ohio and into several of the neighboring states, economically priced hay may be hard to find. An option to stretch the hay supply you have on hand or to help meet the nutrient demands of the livestock is to supplement their forage with grain or a grain byproduct.
This method should be done with the assistance of forage analysis and the guidance of a livestock nutritionist. There are many grain options available such as shelled corn and grain byproducts including brewer’s grain, distillers, soybean hull pellets and corn gluten. (Combining bale grazing with supplemental feeding may give livestock owners the best chance of extending their hay supplies.)
Inter-seeding/cover crops
Cover crops as a forage may provide relief in the form of grazing later this winter, potentially rebuilding hay supplies, or it could give livestock owners a chance to turn out earlier which would provide more rest for perennial pastures still suffering from drought damage. Small grains such as triticale, cereal rye, barley, wheat and spelt can be planted this fall and then managed according to the farm’s needs. Options like planting triticale or cereal rye into soybean stubble so that the forage can be baled next spring, or inter-seeding any of the small grains into existing pastures to increase tonnage would provide lots of feed when managed properly. Cereal rye inter-seeded into existing pastures could provide weed suppression and give a cow-calf operation a nice environment for calves to be born into next spring.
Another benefit of planting the cover crops is the soil health. We know these soils are going to be compacted from a hot, dry summer with livestock treading across it. These cover crops will provide a living root in the soil throughout the winter to improve soil structure, scavenge for nutrients and hold soil in place. Crimson Clover can be mixed with any of the listed forages to nodulate nitrogen and reduce input costs.
As I close this article, Columbiana and several of the surrounding counties have received nice rains to begin the regrowth process. I hope that wherever you may be reading this article has received some moisture and returned optimism to your farm/operation. There is drought relief assistance in counties that have already been declared a disaster.
If you think that you may qualify, please contact your local USDA-FSA, USDA-NRCS, soil and water conservation district or OSU Extension office. Keep in mind that many people around the great state of Ohio can assist you with farm management. So, if you have questions on livestock watering, soil health, fertility management or anything in between, contact one of the offices listed.
