Page 26—Foraging Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 1, 1997
(Continued from Page 24)
the winter persistence of prairie grass.
It will persist for four to six years in
Pennsylvania if properly managed.
Forage quality of prairie grass com
pares well with other cool-season gras
ses but is more palatable.
Adapted varieties: “Matua” is the
only cultivar of prairie grass that is cur
rently sold in the United States. This
variety was developed under New Zea
land grazing conditions and has been
very productive in Pennsylvania.
Other prairie grass varieties are being
evaluated for persistence and produc
tivity by the USDA-Pasture Laborat
ory and Penn State; however, none of
these varieties is marketed commer
cially in Pennsylvania at this time.
Grazing management; Prairiegrass
is an ideal grass for grazing systems
because of its potential for earlier
spring grazing and its fall growth can
effectively extend the grazing season
by as much as two months over tradi
tional cool-season grass species. Fall
yields of nearly 3.5 tons/acre are possi
ble. In addition, because seed heads are
palatable, it is not necessary to mow
them off to maintain animal intake as
may be needed with other grasses.
Yields of nearly 7 tons/acre have been
achieved when harvesting prairie grass
for silage.
Prairiegrass should not be cut or
grazed below a 3-inch stubble height
because regrowth energy reserves and
buds for plant regrowth are contained
in this portion of the plant.
In established prairiegrass stands,
delaying the first spring grazing will
reduce recovery rate and lower the
yield potential of the next cutting.
Under normal weather conditions,
about 25 to 30 days of regrowth is suf
ficient between harvests. This period is
a good balance between yield and
quality of prairie grass. Generally, dur
ing this time, new shoots have deve
loped at the base of the plant and
harvesting or grazing will allow more
light to reach the shoots and to stimu
late their growth. An approximate
/ ❖ Special Report
50-day growth period in mid-summer
will allow the prairie grass seed heads
to mature and drop seed during August
which, in turn, will thicken the stand
the following year.
Prairiegrass persists best when man
aged so that monthly harvests are made
during the fall; spring yield and shoot
density increase when multiple
harvests are made in the fall. Harvest
ing only once in the fall (November)
has caused 98 percent of the basal
shoots (source for growth the follow
ing spring) to winter kill. However,
when prairie grass was harvested or
grazed three times during the fall only
35 percent of the basal shoots were
winter killed. Compromise is needed
with regard to fall harvesting because
late fall grazing reduces slightly prairie
grass vigor the following spring and
restricts early spring grazing.
Adequate nitrogen fertilization is
essential for maximizing prairie grass
growth in the fall. Nitrogen applica
tions of 50 Ib/acre are recommended
after each harvest and in early fall.
For more information about the pro
duction and management of prairie
grass, refer to Prairie Grass, Penn Slate
Agronomy Facts 39.
Forage brassicas: Brassicas are
annual crops which continue to grow
during the fall and into the winter.
They arc highly productive and diges
tible and contain relatively high levels
of crude protein. They can be grazed
' 80 to 150 days after seeding, depend
ing on the species and weather. In addi
tion, some varieties lend themselves to
stockpiling.
Species and varieties: Several bras
sica species can provide forage for
grazing during the fall. These include:
• Kale —The stemless variety “Pre
mier” has consistently survived win
ters in central Pennsylvania, whereas
other varieties of kale usually have
winter-killed in December.
• Rape Growth of rape slows or
ceases at maturity until leaves senesce
and die.
Varieties differ in the time this
occurs. For instance, “Rangi” rape
retains its leaves longer than most var
ieties, which makes it more suitable for
stockpiling and winter grazing than
other rape varieties.
• Swede The variety “Calder”
has been cold hardy in central Pennsyl
vania and thus ideal for stockpiling for
late-fall or early-winter grazing. How
ever, in general, all swede varieties are
recommended for late-fall grazing.
• Turnip or Turnip Hybrids Pen
nsylvania studies have shown that
“Forage Star” turnip is more cold toler
ant and retains its leaves longer in the
fall than other turnip varieties. Turnip
can accumulate dry matter in October
as fast as field com does in August.
Growing “out of season" (October and
November) makes turnip a valuable
crop for late fall grazing.
Grazing management: Proper graz
ing management is important to optim
ize the true potential of these crops.
Strip grazing small areas of brassicas
provides the most efficient utilization.
Rape is more easily managed for
multiple (generally more than two)
grazings than are the other brassica
species. Approximately six to ten
inches of stubble should remain after
the firstgrazingof rape: this practice
promotes rapid regrowth. Regrowth of
rape may be grazed at four-week inter
vals. On the final grazing, the plants
should be grazed close to ground level.
When turnips are grazed twice, the
first grazing should remove only their
tops. Turnip regrowth is initiated at the
top of the root, so this part of the plant
should not be removed until the second
and final grazing. Like rape, regrowth
of turnips can be sufficient to graze
within four weeks of the first grazing.
Yield and nutritional value: Dry
matter digestibility at maturity gener
ally exceeds 90 percent for all plant
parts except kale stems. Unlike peren
nial forage crops, the dry matter diges-
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tibility of brassicas does not decrease
markedly with increasing plant maturi
ty. This characteristic makes them ide
al for stockpiling. However, ruminant
diets should not contain more than 75
percent brassica forage because the
fiber content is too low for mainte
nance of proper rumen activity. With
their high digestibility and low fiber
content, brassicas actually should be
considered as “concentrates" rather
than “forage** in nutritional planning
for livestock.
For more information about brassi
cas, refer to Use of Brassica Crops to
Extend the Grazing Season, Penn State
Agronomy Facts 33.
Small grains: The use of winter
cereal crops such as wheat, barley, rye,
or triticale can provide fall or early
winter grazing opportunities. Howev
er, certain management practices need
to be modified from what is normally
done for grain production. When small
grains are to be used for grazing, plant
them three to four weeks earlier than
for grain production. Increase the seed
ing rate to 3 bushels/acre and apply nit
rogen at the rate of 40 pounds/acre at
planting time.
If the small grains are being planted
only for pasture (with no subsequent
grain harvest), there may be some ben
efit to mixing small grains species.
This has been beneficial in the south
east United States, where small grains
pastures are quite common. Mixing
species of rye, wheat, barley, or triti
cale can help extend the grazing period
and reduce the tendency for a strong
peak growth period in the spring.
Grazing management: With adequ
ate fall moisture, grazing should be
available from October through
December and then again in early
spring. One acre of properly fertilized
and managed small grains should sup
port one animal unit (1,000 lb animal)
on a limited grazing basis.
Stocking rate and time of grazing
will be somewhat determined by the
intended use of the crop. If you are
planning to take a silage or grain
harvest, grazing should only be mod
erate. Heavy grazing can reduce grain
yields. Moderate grazing in the fall
will not result in significant silage or
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