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. It is
an excellent grass for providing forage
during droughts and for extending the
grazing season well into the fall in
Pennsylvania.
Fall harvesting (grazing) improves
,V. V.V.'itura to.Rag* 26)
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