Page 24—Foraging Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 1, 1997 STRATEGIES FOR EXTENDING THE GRAZING SEASON FROM PENN STATE AGRONOMY FACTS 41 Several strategies can be employed to supply forage into the fall or early winter and effectively extend the graz ing season by 60 to 90 days, thus reducing the need for stored feeds. These strategies can be categorized into two major groups: 1) stockpiling (conserving cool-season forages in late summer for use in the fall and winter), or 2) utilizing forage crops that con tinue to grow into the fall and early winter. Stockpiling: Not all cool-season species are adapted to stockpiling because most species reduce growth in the fall because of shorter day lengths and/or lose leaves (quality) after being frosted. Tall fescue and birdsfoot tre foil are two forage species which are suited to stockpile management because they continue to grow into the fall and do not lose leaves as readily as other cool-season species after frost. Tall fescue: Tall fescue is a deep rooted, long-lived, sod-forming grass that spreads by short underground stems called rhizomes. It is drought resistant and will maintain itself under rather limited fertility conditions. Ani mals readily graze tall fescue during the fall, but show some reluctance to graze it during the summer months of July and August. Some of this reduced summer palatability, which results in poor animal performance, is asso ciated with the presence of a fungus in the plant (endophytic). Endophyte free varieties are now available and are recommended for new seedings. Tall fescue is the best adapted cool-season grass for stockpiling Grazing man agement: Tall fescue can be part of a forage program but should not be all of it. Legumes with tall fescue improve animal performance and increase for age pnxluction during the summer. Tall fescue will withstand closer graz ing and more abuse than most cool season grasses. But it can be over grazed to the point that vigor and pro duction are reduced. Don’t graze closer than three or four inches, and allow at least 30 days in mid-summer for the tall fescue to recover. To stockpile tall fescue, don’t graze it from mid- or late August through mid-October. Cattle and sheep per form less than optimally on it during this period. Fertilize with 50 lb nitrogen/acrc and allow the growth to accumulate for use m the fall or winter. Stockpiling and nitrogen fertilizer allows accumulation of forage, how ever, this results in low tiller density, increased winter injury, and slow recovery in the spring. The most important thing to remember is that while stockpiling can provide large quantities of herbage for late fall and early winter grazing, it will also delay recovery in the spring. At modest rates of nitrogen fertilization, stands of tall fescue will not deteriorate as fast as other cool-season grasses under stockpiling. For more information about tall lb Tall Fescue. PbnjiStafc. ❖ Special Report Agronomy Facts 28. Birdsfoot trefoil: Birdsfoot trefoil is a perennial legume adapted to produc tion on poorly drained, low pH soils. It can reseed itself, is resistant to Phy tophthora root rot and numerous alfal fa insects, responds well to fertiliza tion, and does not cause bloat in ani mals. These characteristics have expanded its use in the northern United States and southern Canada where the production of other forage legumes is limited. Birdsfoot trefoil is well suited for stockpiling since it holds its leaves at maturity and after frost, thus main taining a relatively high level of quality. Adapted varieties: About 25 variet ies of birdsfoot trefoil are available in the United States and Canada. Birds foot trefoil varieties are generally char acterized by growth habit into two types, Empire and European. Both types are referred to as “broadleaf ’, trefoils. Empire-type birdsfoot trefoils are I better adapted for grazing situations than the European types because they have fine stems, prostrate growth, and indeterminate growth habit. The Empire types grow slower during establishment and regrow more slowly following harvest than the European types. “Dawn” and “Empire” are high yielding, Empire-type varieties that have performed well in Pennsylvania tests. European-type birdsfoot trefoils are better adapted to hay production because they are more erect, establish faster, and regrow faster after harvest than the Empire type. Grazing management: To stockpile birdsfoot trefoil, avoid grazing between Sept. 1 and the first killing frost. This period is needed to accumu late root reserves that improve winter survival and growth the following spring. The forage that accumulates during the stockpiling period can be grazed anytime after a killing frost. Refer to Birdsfoot Trefoil, Penn State Agronomy Facts 20, for more information about production and management of this forage species. Fall growing forage crops: The growth of some forage species is not as adversely affected by cooler fall weather and shorter day lengths as are many cool-season forages. The species which seem to grow best in the fall are tall fescue, prairie grass, perennial rye grass, and certain brassica crops. These species can provide a valuable feed supply for extending the grazing season. Prairiegrass: Prairiegrass is a tall growing perennial grass that is suited to well drained soils with medium to high fertility levels and a pH of 6.0 or greater. It is a type of bromegrass, but is different from smooth bromegrass in that it does not have rhizomes and it produces seed heads in each growth period, especially during the summer. Herbage and immature seedheads of prairie grass are highly palatable. 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