Crops
By Dr. Paul Tracy

Winter annual grasses will be valuable this year

This year I have constantly discussed low stored forage reserves going into the winter. That situation has not changed, and in many cases, it has worsened over the summer. The first step to recovering our sustainable cattle production systems is to increase forage production.

Many believe perennial forages should make up the vast majority of our forage systems resource base. I don’t! In fact, I firmly believe annual forages should be a planned component of most, if not all, forage operations. Annuals offer flexibility, expediency and efficiency.

Winter wheat, barley, cereal rye, triticale and annual ryegrass are key winter annual grass species used in our region. The winter annuals offer an extremely diverse group of forage crops. They can be grazed, hayed or ensiled. Wheat can be used as a dual forage/grain crop. This flexibility allows producers to modify harvest management mid-season if circumstances dictate.

September is the ideal time to plant winter annual grasses. A clean, firm, well-tilled seedbed provides the best potential for successful establishment. A high quality drill/seeder is also recommended.

Good weed control and adequate crop nutrition are especially important this year to ensure as much forage can be produced as possible. Soil P, K and pH should be adequate before seeding, with targeted crop removal also accounted for in plant food applications. Nitrogen rates and application timings will depend upon grass species grown and its targeted use. You can’t compromise on crop nutrients and expect to produce the forage required to recover from our current situation.

Stocker cattle numbers are projected to increase dramatically across our region in the next several years. Winter annual cereals make a wonderful forage for stocker operations. Cattle producers in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas already know this. Progressive
Missouri cattle producers are starting to more efficiently use cereals.

I believe forage wheat is one of the most under utilized and poorly understood crops grown in our region. It is common for cattle to gain 2 to 3 pounds daily when grazing winter wheat. In fact, I have seen verified values from Texas pushing 3.5 pounds of daily gain over a 2 month time period.

Winter wheat has good forage quality until the boot stage, averaging between 20 and 30 percent protein. Recent data from 2006/07 MFA forage plots in southwest Missouri, managed by Jeremy Hayward, showed winter wheat to have 30.8, 28.1, 26.7, and 20.1 percent crude protein in late October, early March, late March and April respectively.

It should be noted that for cattle to produce best on winter wheat, they need to be pre-conditioned with an aggressive animal health/feeding program, such as MFA’s Health Track program. Stockers produce much better on cereals when they are fed some hay and supplemented with a source of readily available carbohydrates to balance the protein rich cereal forage diet.

Wheat variety selection should be made based on the most likely targeted end use. Leafy, high biomass wheat varieties like ForageMaster II and III should be used in fields intended to be hayed or ensiled. Fine-leafed, good-tillering wheat varieties should be chosen for grazing situations. Choose high-grain-yielding varieties when a forage/grain production system program is planned.

Wheat used for grazing should be planted 2 to 4 weeks earlier than wheat used for hay, silage or grain. This will allow more fall growth and utilization. Shallower planting (1 inch compared to 1.5 inch) may be beneficial in warm soils. Increasing the seeding rate by 50 percent compared to wheat grown for grain is the generally excepted practice for forage wheat.

Grazing wheat until jointing generally reduces grain yields 10 to 25 percent. However, high wheat commodity prices combined with current high forage values make the dual cropping use of wheat a viable option, especially south of I-70.

The management of cereal rye, triticale and barley grown for forage should be similar to that used for winter wheat. Choose cereal species based on availability, intended use and personal preference.

Annual ryegrass makes a great winter annual forage crop. My advice is to plant Marshall Ryegrass. It is simply superior to other annual ryegrasses grown in our region.

Marshall Ryegrass possesses forage quality characteristics similar to cereals. Compared to wheat, it tends to perform better under intensive grazing, and it persists and maintains quality longer into the spring.

Marshall Ryegrass is relatively easy and inexpensive to establish. It jumps out of the ground and should be ready to graze by mid-late October, depending upon seeding date.

The bottom line is that cattle producers who are experiencing forage shortages should consider planting cool season annuals this month. These species will complement stockpiled tall fescue extremely well, and allow producers to put up more hay/silage next spring or increase animal stocking rates this year. For more information, consult your MFA Certified Crop Advisor and/or animal nutrition specialist.

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