Natural Resources Conservation Service Prescribed Grazing Helping People Help the Land Image from Forages 5th Ed. CD Companion Bryan Zone Job Sheet – 528-1 Revised 03/07 Pasture Production and Grazing Information

Pasture Production What Is Your Pasture and Hay Production?

Many small land owners plan to run livestock on their land. If Feed (hay) Forage you are one of those people, you need to know how much Tons/Acre AUMs**/Acre forage you will need and how much forage your land will Native Grass* 0 - 2.0 0.2 – 2.0 produce. Forage is what your animals consume by grazing. Unfertilized Introduced 0.5 - 1.5 0.6 - 1.7 Forage production is measured in animal unit months Grasses* (AUMs). One animal unit month of grazing is equivalent to Introduced Grasses with 3 - 7 3.4 - 8.0 the amount of forage consumed by a 1000-pound AU in one Recommended Fertility* month. This amount is usually estimated at 790 lbs. You *Production will vary according to natural fertility of the site, climate, need 12 AUMs (9480 lbs.) of forage and/or feed to support and species. ** AUMs assume that 45% of the total grass produced one animal unit for a year. See “How Much Grass Do You is consumed be livestock; the remaining portion is lost to grazing by Need?” for a comparison of average forage and feed trampling, fouling, or grazing requirement of the grass. requirements. Before making a decision on managing your existing native How Much Grass Do You Need? grasses or establishing introduced species your land should be evaluated by a competent professional to determine its production potential, determine species suitability, and to Mature Feed (Hay) Forage AUMs of estimate the costs involved in whatever management Animal Tons / Month Grazing / Month strategy you choose. Consult your local Natural Resources 1 Cow 0.39 1.00 Conservation Service office for information sheets and 1 Horse 0.49 1.25 assistance. 1 Sheep 0.08 0.20 1 Goat 0.06 0.15 1 Llama 0.12 0.30 Grazing Management 1 Fallow Deer 0.06 0.15 1 Axis Deer 0.06 0.15 Warm season perennial grass production in the eastern half of Texas occurs from April through October. Monthly Perennial warm season grasses make up a large portion of a production is low in the early spring and late fall due to cool grazing animal’s diet. There are two basic groups of forage temperature, and production is often low in late summer due grasses. Native grasses, which include little bluestem, to dry weather. Hay and/or other feed may be needed during switchgrass, and Indiangrass, are naturally occurring grasses these periods of slow growth. Grazing should be initiated in that require little additional fertility once established, but the spring when bermudagrass and bahiagrass reach a require good grazing management to maintain. Their yields height of four to six inches; native grasses (little bluestem, are fairly low compared to fertilized introduced grasses and switchgrass, etc.) should be allowed to reach 8 to 12 inches will vary based on the natural fertility of the soils. prior to grazing.

Introduced grasses, which include hybrid bermudagrass, Use of the grasses for forage should be accomplished by common bermudagrass, and bahiagrass, are grasses that allowing the livestock to graze one pasture for a period of originated in other countries and were brought to the U.S. for time and then moving (rotating) the livestock to another forage production. They have been bred or selected for pasture after the planned grazing period, or when they have qualities like response to fertilizer, drought tolerance, etc. reduced the majority of grass to the minimum grazing height. With added fertilizer introduced grasses will produce more The pasture they are moved from should then be rested for forage than native species. the recommended period or the grass has recovered to the recommended height before grazing.

The minimum recommended grazing height for bermudagrass and bahiagrass is 3 - 4 inches, and for native grasses the range is from 4 - 8 inches. Generally the planned rotation and rest period for bermudagrass and bahiagrass is 21 - 28 days, and the planned rotation and rest period for native grasses is 30 - 45 days. The amount of time the livestock will remain on one pasture and the rest period is variable throughout the year, depending on rate of grass growth, which is determined by time of year, temperature, rainfall, etc. You may also wish to keep your livestock off of some of your pasture so that it can be harvested for hay. The interval for hay harvest is the same as for grazing, providing that growth is adequate to provide enough grass for harvest.

Typical warm season grazing availability.

Months A M J J A S O N D J F M G/F G G G G G G G/F F F F F

G Graze G/F Graze and F Provide Feed Feed/Hay

Typical warm season monthly grazing schedule For a 5-pasture system.

Pasture Grazing Grazing Grazing Grazing Grazing Period Period Period Period Period 5 1 2 3 4 1 G Rest Rest Rest Rest 2 Rest G Rest Rest Rest 3 Rest Rest G Rest Rest 4 Rest Rest Rest G Rest 5 Rest Rest Rest Rest G Warm season grasses become dormant in the late fall and winter, so supplemental or complete feeding may be required from November through April. Hay, which can be made from your excess production in the summer or purchased from others, will be fed in the winter. In relatively warm winters feeding is reduced due to a longer growing season for the warm season grasses. Another option for the winter is to establish cool season annual grasses and/or clovers by over seeding some of your pastures, or planting them on a prepared seedbed. Cool season grasses include ryegrass, oats, wheat, and rye, and clovers include, ball, crimson, arrowleaf, berseem, and rose clover. These plants if successfully established will provide some forage during the fall and early winter, but the bulk of their growth will occur in early spring. These annual forages may be grazed short, but rest is necessary to allow regrowth. In the late spring graze or mow to remove excess growth and reduce competition with your warm season perennial grass.

Typical cool season grazing availability Months N D J F M A* M* F G/F G/F G/F G/F G G * Pastures may need to be subdivided into small units in order to get maximum use of the cool season forage during this peak growth period. Cool season annual grasses or legumes over-seeded on warm season pasture to provide some winter grazing and reduce amount of hay to be fed. pH Soil Cold Range Adaptation Tolerance Oats 5.5 - 7.5 Widely Adapted Poor - Fair Wheat 5.5 - 8.0 Widely Adapted Good Rye 5.5 - 7.0 Sandy - Loamy Good Ryegrass 5.5 - 8.0 Widely Adapted* Good Crimson Clover 5.0 - 7.0 Sandy - Loamy Fair - Good Arrowleaf Clover 5.5 - 7.0 Sandy - Loamy Fair - Good Rose Clover 5.5 - 8.0 Widely Adapted Fair - Good Berseem Clover 6.0 - 8.0 Loamy - Clay* Fair - Good Ball Clover 5.0 - 8.0 Widely Adapted* Fair - Good Hairy Vetch 5.0 - 8.0 Widely Adapted Fair - Good White Clover 5.5 - 7.5 Loamy - Clay* Good * Can tolerate poor drainage, others need moderately well to well drained soils.

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