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MF1073 Emergency and Supplemental Forages Emergency and Supplemental Forages Department of Agronomy MF-1073 Forage Production Despite the best plans, shortages of forage com- gency fall pasture should be planted as early as monly occur some time during the year in Kansas. feasible. Where soil moisture is adequate, late August Drought, hail, early freezes, crop failure, harvest to early September seedings usually result in optimum delays and unusually cold and wet winters can cause pasture production in all areas of Kansas. Under good forage shortages. conditions, the plants will be well-rooted, tillered and In response, producers may choose to buy the extra ready for grazing within 30–40 days. forage needed or sell off some cattle. But in many cases, it Pasture production declines with later planting may be more economical to bridge the gap by: dates. By mid-October in northwestern Kansas to ■ Planting a small grain cereal, summer annual late-October in southeastern Kansas, it is too late most grass, or nontraditional forage; or years to plant small grains for fall and winter pasture. ■ Utilizing crop residue or weather-damaged crops. If pasture is absolutely needed in late fall beyond the The best options for supplying emergency forage range of optimal planting dates, producers have the depend on what is available locally and at what time best chance for success by planting rye. of year the shortage occurs (Table 1). Under good growing conditions, a well-fertilized Table 1. Emergency Forage Utilization Possibilities. small grain pasture can carry about 500 pounds of Time of year cattle per acre. Under poor growing conditions, stock- shortage occurs What can be done to supply forage quickly ing rates should be reduced considerably. Cattle gains Winter Use pasture from fall-planted small grain of 1.5–2.5 pounds per day are possible during periods cereals of good pasture production. Graze corn/sorghum stubble In general, small grain cereals produce good pas- Use ammoniated corn or sorghum stover ture in late fall and early winter. Production declines Use silage or hay from summer annuals during the winter and generally resumes in late Febru- Spring Plant spring oats for pasture or hay Use pasture, silage or hay from fall-planted ary, depending on temperature, moisture conditions small grain cereals and fertilization. Winter barley has the best forage Summer Graze wheat stubble yield potential in fall and early winter. When plant- Use ammoniated wheat straw ing a small grain cereal for pasture in late February to Plant sudangrass, sorghum-sudan, or silage or hay early March, spring oats is the only choice. Graze or harvest the weather-damaged crops Graze or hay soybeans Hay. Hay yields of small grain cereals often Use kochia, and other nontraditional forages average 2–4 tons per acre (air dry basis). The quality Fall Graze corn/sorghum stubble of small grain hay depends primarily on the stage of Ammoniate corn or sorghum stover maturity of the crop when harvested, and how it was Graze or harvest the weather-damaged crops Plant barley, wheat, rye or triticale for pasture handled and protected after harvest. Small grain hay and spring supply of silage or hay can be similar to bromegrass hay in nutritional value. Small grain cereals can be harvested for hay any time up to the milk stage of grain development. This Small Grain Cereals is the best compromise between the highest dry matter When an unexpected shortage of forage occurs, yield and maximum hay quality. Later cutting will small grain cereals, summer annual grasses, and cer- yield more, but digestibility and protein levels will tain nontraditional forages can provide pasture, hay or decline and, on many varieties, awns (beards) will be silage within a reasonably short time (Table 2). more fully developed. Forage quality is highest at the Winter wheat, winter barley, triticale, rye and boot stage. The quality and palatability of rye hay, in spring oats are the small grain cereals best adapted particular, declines rapidly in the spring. for forage production in Kansas. For more detailed For an early spring planting, spring oats is a much information, see KSU Extension publication better option in Kansas than spring wheat, spring bar- MF-1072, Small Grain Cereals for Forage. ley, or any of the fall-seeded small grain cereals. Oat Pasture. Small grain cereals intended for emer- hay has very good quality when harvested in the early Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service Summer Annual Grasses Sudangrass, sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, forage sorghum and hybrid pearl millet are potentially high- yielding sources of high-quality pasture, hay or silage. Foxtail (German) millet is another possibility, espe- cially in western Kansas. Foxtail millet has reduced quality and palatability with advancing maturity, and forage yields are relatively poor, but it can be planted later than other summer annual grasses in an emer- gency and provide quick cover. Table 2. Quick Pasture From Supplemental Forages. Sudangrass and hybrid pearl mil- Suggested planting dates for pasture Average days let will provide the quickest source of zone from seeding Crop 1 2 3 4 to grazing forage in early summer, either as pas- Small grain cereals: ture or hay. In an emergency, sudan- Wheat 8/25–9/10 9/1–10/5 9/1–10/10 9/5–10/10 30–40 grass can be planted earlier than the Barley 8/25–9/10 9/1–9/20 9/10–10/15 9/10–10/5 30–40 millets. In general, summer annual Rye 8/20–9/10 8/25–9/20 9/1–9/25 9/1–10/1 30–40 grasses should be planted when soil Triticale 8/20–9/10 8/20–9/20 9/1–9/25 9/1–10/1 30–40 temperatures reach 70–75°F at the Spring oats 3/5–3/30 3/1–3/25 3/1–3/20 2/20–3/15 30–50 planting depth, usually sometime in May. Hybrid pearl millet and fox- Summer annual grasses: tail millet are especially intolerant Pearl millet 6/1–7/10 6/1–7/10 6/1–7/10 6/1–7/10 30–40 of cold, wet soils and should not be Foxtail millet 6/1–7/10 6/1–7/10 * * 20–30 planted until late May or early June. Sudangrass 5/15–7/10 5/20–7/10 5/20–7/10 5/20–7/10 30–50 Sorghum-sudangrass hybrids Sorghum–sudan 5/15–6/15 5/20–7/1 5/20–7/5 5/15–7/1 30–50 produce higher forage yields than Forage sorghums * * * * * sudangrass or the millets, but more than 50 percent of their production is * Not recommended for pasture in this area. stem. Therefore, sorghum-sudangrass is better suited for late-summer silage boot stage. Spring oats usually will be ready to harvest or green chop than early summer grazing. High-yield- for hay about 60 days after planting. ing forage sorghums mature late in the growing season Rough awns (beards) in small grain hay will cause and are best suited for one-cut silage operations. irritation for cattle. Considerable soreness and irrita- For complete details on these crops, see KSU tion to the eyes, mouth, lips, gums and lower surface Extension publication MF-1036, Summer Annual For- of the tongue can occur. To minimize this occurrence, ages. a crop with rough awns should be ensiled or grazed All summer annual grasses can cause livestock rather than baled for hay. If hay-making is the only poisoning due to nitrate toxicity. Nitrate toxicity occurs practical option, harvest awned varieties while they are when the plants are stressed by drought, shade, frost or immature or tub-grind the hay. temperature extremes. Analysis is necessary to deter- Silage. Small grains, especially winter barley, can mine if the feed is potentially toxic. Prussic acid, or provide silage nearly equivalent in feed value to corn hydrogen cyanide poisoning, occurs only in sorghums silage. Small grain cereals normally produce about 5–7 and sudan-grasses, not pearl millet or foxtail millet. It tons per acre of 35 percent dry matter silage when cut occurs most often when cattle graze new shoot growth at the late-boot stage and 8–10 tons when cut in the at the end of a summer drought or after the first fall late-dough stage. freeze. For complete details, see KSU Extension pub- For silage purposes, small grains should be cut at lication MF-1018, Nitrate and Prussic Acid Toxicity in the mid- to late-dough stages, or earlier. Ensiling small Forage. grain cereals properly can be difficult because of their Pasture. Sudangrass and hybrid pearl millets can hollow stems. To optimize ensiling conditions, chop provide high-quality pasture within about 4–6 weeks finely at 60–70 percent moisture, pack thoroughly, and of seeding. Foxtail millet is less productive than other cover the forage with plastic. supplemental forages, but can provide a small amount of pasture within about 3–4 weeks. Sorghum-sudan- grass hybrids can be grazed, but are less palatable than chopped soybeans with corn or sorghum forage at the sudangrass and the millets. Forage sorghums are a rate of 1 ton of soybeans with 2–4 tons of corn forage poor choice for grazing. produces good silage. With a rotational grazing system in which each Kochia. This hardy weed can be used in central subdivided section of a pasture is grazed to a 6- to 8- and western Kansas as an emergency forage crop for inch stubble every 10–14 days, sudangrass and hybrid calves, yearling cattle and cows. It does not grow well pearl millet can provide nearly 90 days of high-quality in the eastern third of the state.
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