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Boosting fall forage can be profitable By Steve Fairchild
Stockpile grazing can extend the forage resources on your farm and trim costs of keeping cows.
For some, the idea of stockpile grazing is proven. Others look at the initial investment as a game of odds not worth playing. But building fall forage is something that can save money and improve your herd’s condition.
“I think it’s a high-return, low-investment strategy,” said Jeremy Hayward, MFA field crops area sales manager. “Some call it a gamble, but on average, it isn’t.”
Hayward said the economic advantages to producing and grazing fall-grown grass work at a couple levels.
“One hurdle is to make the commitment to fall fertilization,” he said. “You hear that nitrogen put on in late summer will ‘gas off’ and get lost in other ways, but we do get rains in August and September,” said Hayward. And those rains tend to put nitrogen to its intended use. A look at historic precipitation records at the Midwest Regional Climate Center (mcc.sws.uiuc.edu) helps reinforce the fact. The 30-year average for most counties around Missouri shows 3 or 4 inches of rain in August. And most county-based statistics show those rains coming in at least three events of a half-inch or more. September average for rain is similar to more favorable for grass growth.
The other point Hayward makes about the economics of fall fertilizer is that over the past few years, producers have gotten a significant price break on fall-applied phosphorous and potassium. And those nutrients certainly will be available in the soil to do their job the next spring.
Mark Kennedy, state grazing specialist for Missouri NRCS, has spent significant time studying the economics of stockpile grazing. Kennedy sent Today’s Farmer information to clarify some of the economics.
To compare the economics of rotational grazing on stockpiled pastures to feeding hay, Kennedy assumes that:
• Cows consume 26 pounds per day of either hay or stockpile.
• $50 buys a ton of medium quality grass hay.
• Hay meets nutrient requirements of the livestock.
• A unit of nitrogen fertilizer can be bought at about $0.50.
• At 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre, you have a cost of $30 per acre of stockpile.
• Production of stockpile will be about 3,000 pounds per acre at 10 inches of growth.
• Strip grazing will allow 70 percent utilization on stockpile.
Using these figures, wintering cattle on hay would cost $0.52 per cow per day. That’s $50 per ton. So figure $0.025 per pound at 26 lb. per cow per day to reach $0.65 per cow per day. With stockpiled tall fescue, strip grazed, the cost would be $0.37 per cow per day. Figure 3,000 pounds per acre produced and grazed at 70 percent utilization to achieve 2,100 pounds of forage per acre actually used. At a $30 per acre cost, that’s $0.014 per pound at 26 lb. per cow per day. So grazing cost is $0.37 per cow per day.
To bridge the gap
But how do you plan ahead for this money-saving stockpile? Hayward said that most producers don’t have any trouble grubbing out their fescue pasture by late summer. If it hasn’t been grazed down, Hayward said it ought to be clipped. Then put on the 40 to 60 pounds of nitrogen between Aug. 15 and 30. Keep cattle off the pasture and let it grow.
“From what we’ve seen, one challenge is to keep the cattle off until the ergovaline levels drop if you’re grazing endophyte-infected fescue,” said Hayward. Ergovaline is the compound produced by fungi that grow in the seed head of tall fescue. The fungus actually provides drought tolerance and pest resistance for the plant, but animals that graze it suffer fescue toxicosis, a condition associated with general poor performance, susceptibility to heat stress and miscarriage.
“After those September rains, we see a fall spike in ergovaline levels just like we get in spring. University of Missouri forage specialist Rob Kallenbach has numbers that show by January and February, when that fescue plant is back to dormant, the ergovaline levels have dropped to almost zero,” he said.
The trick is to plan to graze stockpile fescue as close to its true dormancy as possible. Fescue grows any time there is a general warm trend. “Waiting until December, depending on conditions, is best. But if you get a really wet, snowy early winter, the stand might lose forage quality, so it is a balancing act between quality and toxicity,” said Hayward.
Kennedy said that the critical factors are timing of stockpile growth and nitrogen. “[High quality stockpile] is forage that has been accumulated from late August until the end of the growing season,” he said.
In a recent report on the matter, Kennedy pointed out that, “Many producers feel that they can’t afford to defer any grazing acres for stockpiling because they need them all to graze. That may be the case if you haven’t matched forage resources to livestock needs, aren’t utilizing your forages efficiently or are overstocked.
“For example: A 1,000-pound cow eats 9,490 pounds of dry matter per year. If you have a grazing system that will allow you to efficiently utilize 50 percent of the forage produced, you will need 18,980 pounds of forage on offer per year per cow. Let’s say your pastures are capable of producing 6,000 pounds of total forage growth per acre per year. Then you would need 3.2 acres per cow per year. If you look at the normal growth rate of a fescue/legume-based pasture, you would need only 1.6 acres per cow from April through June. Part of the remaining acres may be cut for hay early to allow for good regrowth later. The remaining acres may be top-grazed or clipped to carry a higher quality forage supply into summer During July and August all 3.2 acres will be needed for grazing to balance rest period needs, forage growth and livestock intake needs. If you fertilize in late summer to promote fall regrowth and take advantage of late summer/early fall rains, you should be to produce about 3,000 pounds of fall regrowth.”
Hayward said that it raises eyebrows, but some studies point to feeding hay in late summer to accommodate fall and winter grazing systems. “It seems odd, but it makes sense in a way because you are feeding hay that isn’t toxic from high ergovaline levels and saving the stockpile until it becomes dormant and nontoxic.”
One way to avoid so much concern about fescue toxicity, said Hayward, to renovate pasture to “friendly” endophyte varieties of fescue.
If you’re renovating, consider winter forages like rye, wheat or rye grass to fill the gap.
Kennedy and others have data showing that properly stockpiled fescue can meet or surpass hay when it comes to nutrients and that a good supply of stockpile can reduce the need for supplement. That’s assuming, of course, that environmental conditions have allowed for good stockpile growth and the opportunity to graze it.
Graze right
And proper grazing affects the efficiency of the system, according to Kennedy:
“The most economical way to utilize stockpiled fescue is to strip graze. This is the same principle as the way we feed hay; we don’t give the herd the entire winter supply of hay the first day. Why? We realize that there would be too much waste, so we generally put out enough hay to last only a few days. Think of [stockpile forage] as hay on the stump. Feed it out accordingly. Research has shown that allocating stockpile in a 3-day feed strip or less produced 40 percent more grazing days per acre when compared to allocating a 14-day feed supply. Many of the producers that I work with like to allocate a new strip every other day, and this seems to work well. We figure utilization on this type of grazing is 70 percent or better, compared to 35 to 40 percent when given 2 weeks or more feed supply. N
Tools to help with fall grazing
Check out some of the products on hand at your local Agri Services location to get a jump on fall grazing.
Speed brace
You can build strong and reliable fence braces quickly with a Speed Brace kit. The Speed Brace is one reusable part and requires no tools. Use it for temporary bracing or in places you want to create a permanent brace. It’s made of heavy gauge class-3 galvanized steel.
Range Master
The Parmak Range Master is a 110 to 120 volt AC low-impedance charger built for big jobs. The company calls it the most technically advanced fence charger around. It uses a digital performance meter to show voltage on the fence (accurate within 100 volts) and highly visible, multi-colored LED lights show fence condition. An audible and visible shutdown alarm sounds when fence charger is not functioning properly. The Range Master features low impedance for maximum shock output power, advanced computer controlled circuitry and a rugged, high-impact ABS housing. It’s built for indoor installation.
Step in post
The Bigfoot Poly Post from Parker McCrory is a 10-inch, heavy duty, steel tipped post for easy insertion in tough ground conditions. It’s built from a sturdy, non-conductive co-polymer poly that’s light and easy to carry. Bigfoot posts are 48 inches tall, plus the heavy-duty 10-inch steel spike. The oversized step allows for easy installation. Posts feature nine insulators to handle wire or tape up to 1.5 inches or 40 millimeters wide. Posts are available in black, yellow or white.
Turbo Wire
Turbo Wire from Gallagher is best suited for distances more than an eighth of a mile where extreme power is required. Resistance is 209 Ohms per mile, which is 40 times more conductive than standard polywire. It features nine mixed-metal strands and is UV stabilized for a long service life. Comes in ultra white for high visibility to animals. Suitable for sheep, pigs, horses, cattle and wildlife.
S50 Supercharger
The S50 Supercharger from Gallagher powers up to 30 acres (or 5 miles) of multi-wire fence. It stores about 0.5 Joules and is portable. It can be mounted on walls, t-posts or sit on the ground. The charger features a highly visible rotary dial for turning the unit on and off. An impact-resistant plastic lens is used to protect the solar panel, making the unit easy to maintain and clean. 12 Volt battery included.
Offset insulator
These offset insulators from Gallagher attach to any existing barbed, net or smooth-wire fences. The brackets are made of galvanized spring steel to keep the insulator in place.
Fi-Shock cut-out switch
The Fi-Shock cut-out switch is an all stainless steel switch that can be mounted on flat or round surfaces such as walls or fence posts. Use it in-line to switch off selected lines such as the lowest wire when grass is tall. Or install the switch around outbuildings or anywhere charged lines are frequently crossed.
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