200
-Foraging Around, Lancaster Faming, Saturday, July 13,2002
From Ohio State University
Extension Sources
The forage industry plays a
major role in Ohio agricul
ture. Following are some con
siderations regarding forage
production in Ohio including
an overview of cool-season
varieties.
Pure Stands Versus Mixtures
The decision to establish a
pure stand or a mixture of
two or more species should be
made before deciding which
species to plant. Advantages
of pure grass or legume
stands are: simpler manage
ment, more herbicide op
tions, and greater forage
quality potential. Pure
legume stands decline in
forage quality more slowly
with advancing maturity
than grasses, providing a
wider window of opportunity
tor harvesting good quality
forage.
Legume-grass mixtures are
common in Ohio and have
the potential to exploit the
relative strengths of grasses
and legumes. Grass-legume
mixtures are often higher
yielding and have more uni
form seasonal production. In
cluding legumes in a mixture
reduces the need for nitrogen
fertilizer, improves forage
quality, and reduces the po
tential for nitrate poisoning
and grass tetany compared
with pure grass stands.
Including grasses in a mix
ture usually lengthens the
usable life of a stand because
they persist longer and are
more tolerant of mismanage
ment than legumes. Grasses
also reduce the incidence of
bloat, improve hay drying,
are usually more tolerant of
lower fertility, and are
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An Overview Of Cool-Season Forages In Ohio
stronger competitors with
weeds than legumes. The fi
brous root system of grasses
helps reduce erosion on steep
slopes and reduces legume
heaving. Growing grasses
and legumes together often
reduces the losses from insect
and disease pests. Mixtures
are generally more satisfac
tory for pastures than pure
grass or pure legume stands.
For hayland seedings, keep
mixtures simple. Seldom are
more than four to five species
needed in a hayland seeding.
Prepackaged “shotgun mix
tures” of many grasses and
legumes usually have no ad
vantage over simpler mix
tures carefully designed by
the producer to match spe
cific grasses and legumes to
the soil, climate, and man
agement conditions on the
farm.
Cool-Season Forages
• Alfalfa is grown on about
one-half of the total hay acres
in Ohio. Where adapted, it is
unmatched by any other
forage as a feed for livestock,
as a cash crop, and as an
energy-efficient crop. Alfalfa
requires deep, well-drained,
fertile soils with near-neutral
pH (6.5-7.0) for greatest pro
duction and persistence. Al
falfa has good seedling vigor,
excellent drought tolerance,
and produces good summer
growth. Alfalfa is prone to
damage by the alfalfa weevil
and potato leafhopper.
To capitalize on alfalfa’s
potential, select high-yielding
alfalfa varieties with resist
ance to problem diseases.
Yield testing of alfalfa varie
ties is conducted by The Ohio
State University and results
are available at county offices
of Ohio State University Ex
tension.
• Red clover is a short-
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lived perennial legume grown
for hay, silage, pasture, and
as a green manure crop. Red
clover is better adapted than
alfalfa to soils that are some
what poorly drained and
slightly acidic; however,
greatest production occurs on
well-drained soils with high
water-holding capacity and
pH above 6.0. Red clover is
not as productive as alfalfa in
the summer. Red clover is
one of the easiest legumes to
establish using no-till in
terseeding or frost-seeding
techniques. Under Ohio
weather conditions, red
clover is often difficult to dry
quickly enough for safe hay
baling. Harvesting it for
silage or including a grass in
the stand helps overcome this
problem.
Medium red clover varie
ties can be harvested three to
four times per year. Mam
moth red clover is late to
flower and is considered a
single cut clover because the
majority of its growth is pro
duced in the spring. Most of
the improved varieties are
medium types and have good
levels of disease resistance to
northern and southern an-
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thracnose and powdery
mildew. These and other dis
eases can reduce stands
quickly.
• Birdsfoot trefoil is a
deep-rooted perennial
legume that produces well in
long-lay stands, especially in
northern Ohio. More than
other forage legumes, birds
foot trefoil is tolerant of low
pH soils (as low as pH 5.0),
moderate to somewhat poor
soil drainage, marginal fertil
ity, and fragipans. Birdsfoot
trefoil can withstand several
weeks of flooding, and to
lerates periods of moderate
drought and heat. Birdsfoot
trefoil seedlings develop
slowly, and early spring seed
ings are generally more suc
cessful than late summer
seedings. Birdsfoot trefoil is
subject to invasion by weeds
when grown in pure stands;
therefore, it is best seeded
with a grass companion. It
produces excellent quality
forage, has fair palatability,
stockpiles well, and is non
bloating. Birdsfoot trefoil
should be managed to allow
for reseeding, which will help
maintain its presence m
forage stands.
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Empire-type varieties have
prostrate growth and fine
stems, making them well
suited to grazing. European
type varieties are more erect,
establish faster, and regrow
faster after harvest. Thus,
they are well suited to hay
production and rotational
grazing. Most of the newer
varieties are intermediate
with semi-erect to erect
growth habit.
• White clover is a low
growing, short-lived peren
nial legume that is well suited
for pastures. White clover
improves forage quality of
grass pastures and reduces
the need for nitrogen ferti
lizer. White clover can be
frost seeded or no-till seeded
into existing grass pastures.
White clover has a shallow
root system, and does not tol
erate prolonged dry spells.
Although well-drained soils
improve production, white
clover tolerates periods of
poor drainage.
Large white clover types,
also known as Ladino clo
vers, are more productive
than the White Dutch or
“wild white” clovers. Wild
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