During Downturn, Effective Forage Planning Critical For Cattle Operations
LITTLE ROCK, ARK.
Amid the uncertainty, producers can also weather the financial storms by effectively planning and managing their forages.
John Jennings, a professor and extension forage specialist for the Division of Agriculture, offered advice for spring forage plans, reminding producers to allow 30 days after implementing a practice to see the effect. Jennings was among the speakers during a webinar about COVID-19 impacts on the cattle industry.
Jennings offers these tips:
• Start rotating pasture immediately to allow for forage accumulation
• Close gates or divide large pastures with single electric polywire to allow forage to accumulate
• Fertilize cool-season grasses and winter annuals as soon as possible
• Repair and overseed hay feeding areas
• Target fertilization for existing forages; Fertilize cool-season grasses like fescue and winter annuals such as ryegrass as soon as possible; Fertilize bermuda in early May
• Plant oats or ryegrass for spring grazing or hay as soon as possible
• Plant summer annuals such as pearl millet, sudangrass, corn, or crabgrass in May and June for summer grazing ∆