The high cost of setting up a new perennial pasture can take several years or more to recover. It is a profitable business in the long term due to the potential increase in inventories and productivity, resilience to climate change and improved management of natural resources. Good grazing is crucial for any grazing system. It has a positive impact on animal health and the long-term productivity and profitability of your business. In addition, pastures used for year-round grazing benefit from the assessment of the condition of the pastures: 1. Assess the standConsiderate these questions: Is the feed dense and what is the composition of the pasture (Figures 1a – d)? Fortunately, IPM provides a pest management framework that can meet the requirements for maintaining healthy pastures and pastures. Successful grazing (and continuous perseverance and productivity) are based on EverGraze`s principles of placing the right plant in the right place for the right purpose with the right management. Lime and fertilizer should not be applied to frozen soil. If the pasture is divided into pens, apply the changes before subdivision to improve the efficiency of the operation. 6. Select feed types and varietiesSelected feed types should be adapted to the types of soil on the pasture. On permanent pasture, perennial fodder plants should be used.

Once the species have been selected, evaluate the characteristics of the different varieties of the species, including yield, pest resistance characteristics, relative ripening date and quality. An ideal pasture for livestock in the Midwest is a mixture of herbs and legumes adapted to the cool season. Legumes are expected to contribute about one-third of the dry matter yield in the grass-legume mixture. The legumes in the mixture provide nitrogen for the grassy component of the stand, more productivity in mid-summer compared to fresh season grasses alone and improved quality. Improved perennial pastures can increase livestock production by up to 150% compared to annual pastures and are up to 300% more productive than indigenous pastures. Some perennial species, such as lotus and sylla, can also reduce methane emissions from farm animals. Perennial pastures prolong the growing season, which can reduce the need for additional feed and increase production opportunities on a livestock farm. Pasture is a type of land use whose vegetation cover consists mainly of imported or improved native forage species and used for livestock grazing. Pastures are regularly renovated and culturally treated such as tillage, fertilization, mowing, weed control and can be irrigated.

Pasture vegetation can consist of grasses, legumes, other forks, shrubs or a mixture. Pastures differ from pastures in that they produce mainly vegetation that was originally planted to provide preferential feed for grazing livestock. Most of these forage plants are introduced because they originally come from regions of other continents. Most of them are now naturalized and important components of grazing systems. Some commonly introduced forage species are tall fescue, orchard grass, red and white clover and Bermuda grass. Some arable and grazing areas have been converted to warm-season native grasses such as millet, blue stems, Indian grass and gamagas. Given the persistent volatility of energy costs, farmers are looking for ways to save resources. Storing pasture fodder to extend the grazing season and strip grazing to improve feed utilization offers economic and environmental benefits. Read this video to learn more about winter grazing. With C-Graz, prescribed grazing plans are developed. Grazing and pasture recovery periods, seeding rates and additional hay requirements are specified in the management plan.

Assessing pasture conditions can be useful for deciding when to move livestock or for planning other management measures. It will be specified which improvements are most likely to improve the condition of grazing or livestock. The assessment of pasture condition includes the visual assessment of 10 indicators that assess the condition of pastures. A pasture condition scorecard is used in the assessment process. The scoresheet lists the 10 indicators with five descriptive conditions, ranging from the lowest (1) to the highest (5). This objectively assesses the extent of the problems and helps to clarify the probable causes. Each indicator is assessed separately. They can be combined into a total score for the grazing unit or left in a single value and compared to the other nine indicators. Indicators with the lowest scores can be subject to targeted corrective action if necessary. The plant vitality indicator can be analyzed in more detail by evaluating six factors that influence plant vitality.

Since one or more indicators of erosion may be present in one place, they are divided into four types: leaves and grooves, gutters, river shoreline or coastline, and wind. Remove livestock and rest the pasture for eight to 10 weeks until the seedlings are fully established. If the topography allows for the safe removal of vegetation in the form of hay or silage, another option is to cut to a higher height than developing seedlings and remove growth in the form of hay or silage when grasses begin to decapitate and legumes begin to bloom. Fresh-season feeds, recommended and established on much of the pasture in the United States, rarely exist as a unique species in pastures. Due to climatic fluctuations and pasture management, the composition of forage species is often changing. The duration and number of pastures of livestock significantly influence the persistence of one species over another. The introduction of other species can be beneficial, as diversity can provide other sources of nutritious food for farm animals. However, weed species can invade and compete for the desired food. Legumes are sown or are naturally established in most cool season grazing systems. When handled properly, legumes provide the necessary nitrogen for grasses and protein for livestock.

Warm season grasses are laid out for grazing in areas of the country where it is too hot for cool season grasses, where soils have less water storage capacity, or to fill a summer void when cool season grasses are less productive. Most pastures consist of perennial grasses and legumes, but also annual grasses are often planted to get the maximum yield for this season. To maximize production, fertility needs must also be met. Many pastures in the United States do not reach their production potential due to their low fertility status. The interpretation of rangeland health indicators (now updated Pellant et al. 2020 Version V) has long been used to assess pasture health. A similar ecological approach using a standardized pasture assessment protocol is needed to: 1) provide consistent science for pastures based on ecological location dynamics; 2) Differentiation and assessment of fundamental ecosystem attributes (biotic integrity, soil/site stability and hydrological function); and 3) establish an unbiased approach based on the site`s unique individual environmental potentials and landowner management objectives. The concept of food suitability (FSG) is now considered outdated and “converted ecological states” (pastures, arable land, agroforestry, orchards) are now developed and correlated with an ecological location. The converted grazing state is now displayed in the ESD state and transition model diagram. The narrative of processed grazing states can provide relevant information regarding pasture health indicators.

Pastures offer many other benefits than fodder for livestock. Wild animals use pastures as shelter and as a source of food. Well-managed pastures trap rainwater that slowly enters the soil, contributing to groundwater replenishment. Many small grazing farms are located close to urban areas that offer views for everyone. Pastures are the basis of any truly sustainable livestock farm. This is all the more important as livestock pastures continue to bear exceptionally high costs for fuels and other inputs. You can then implement management strategies to maximize pasture productivity and resilience. This should include plans to control weeds and organize livestock to make the most of pastures. To have the best chance of success in improving pastures, there are steps to follow.

Too often, individuals think that improvements can be made with a single transfer of fodder seeds without taking into account all the necessary steps before and after sowing. Integrated pest management programs for native feed and pastures are designed to keep Oklahoma`s food resources productive today and for generations to come. OSU continues to work on the development and deployment of effective IPM programs for feed production systems in Oklahoma. Pastures with improved feed and native pastures cover 23 million acres of land in Oklahoma. The production of animal feed and hay (alfalfa + grass) was worth more than $600 million in 2007! These resources are extremely important for feeding the more than 5,000,000 cattle and other farm animals raised in Oklahoma each year, as well as providing vital food and habitat for wildlife. This guide provides strategies to improve your pasture for grazing. For more information and advice on setting up and managing a wide range of perennial pastures at Australia`s temperature, visit the EverGraze website. Perennial grazing areas, species composition and productivity can be managed with fertilizers and tactical pasture management. Improved forages include warm-season perennial grasses such as Bermuda grass, Old World blue stems, mourning love grass, and Bahia grass. Fresh season herbs include fescue and ryegrass.

Maintaining pasture health is crucial for the sustainable production of these important sources of feed. To achieve the one-third composition goal, the plant density of legumes must be about two plants per square foot.