Winter Forages to $ave Money

When it is 90 degrees or more outside it is kind of hard to think about forage needs for cattle when the snow starts blowing and its zero outside, but this really is the time to do some planning and get ready. Winter forages are one of the keys to profitability in the cattle business. Feeding hay in the winter can cost seventy-five cents to one dollar per day per cow. If cattle can graze forages or crop residues, costs are usually half that or less. In this article I will try to address some winter forages that have been a focus of the research program of State Extension Forage Agronomist, Rob Kallenbach. Forages will include: stockpiled tall fescue, wheat/rye, annual ryegrass, and brassicas. Little of the information presented will really be "new," but rather results of current research on forages that have been around, but not greatly used.

Stockpiling tall fescue involves applying 40-60 lbs. of nitrogen in the first two weeks of August to fescue that has been grazed or clipped to three inches. Fescue will grow well into the fall and the quality of the stockpiled forage will only decline slightly through the winter due to a waxy coating on the leaves. One to two tons per acre of forage is possible and the forage that is produced is all leaves - tremendous quality. If your fescue contains the toxic endophyte you might want to consider feeding your fescue hay first and allowing the cattle to graze the stockpiled fescue second because the endophyte levels in the stockpiled fescue decline through the winter while the levels in the hay will not change. If you have at least 30% legumes in your pasture research at the Forage Systems Research Center at Linneus would suggest that there is little to be gained by applying nitrogen. The nitrogen fixed by the legumes will produce fescue forage cheaper than adding nitrogen.

Wheat and Rye are two winter annuals that can provide tremendous forage in fall, winter and early spring. Rye can produce up to twice as much forage as wheat. These winter annuals can be seeded at 100 to 130 lbs. per acre in early September. Apply 50 to 75 lbs. nitrogen per acre at planting and probably another 50 in spring, if needed. If you plan to harvest for grain, you will need to remove the animals before jointing. Rye will grow quickly in the spring and will need to be grazed heavily to keep it vegetative.

Annual Ryegrass is easily established, grows rapidly in the fall, retains green color nearly all winter and remains vegetative into early May. Plant a winter hardy annual ryegrass cultivar in late August at 20-30 lbs./acre. Apply 75 lbs. nitrogen per acre at planting. Apply an additional 50 lbs. nitrogen in late February. You can begin grazing when plants are 8 inches tall. Don't graze below three inches so that the plants will readily regrow. Annual ryegrass can reseed itself if you remove the livestock by mid-May. Acid detergent fiber values are reported to range from 15-25% through the winter - you would be hard pressed to find hay with values this low. Some research trials report average daily gains in the 1.2-2.7 lbs./day range.

Brassicas are a group of broadleaf plants that include rape, turnip and kale. They can be planted in late August at 2-4 lbs./acre. Apply 75 lbs. nitrogen per acre at planting. The brassicas should be grazed so that all the forage is consumed before January 1. After this time when freezing and thawing occurs, the forage quality decreases rapidly as a result of a breakdown in the plant tissues. Strip grazing will improve utilization. These forages can be grazed into the ground since there will be no regrowth. Brassicas should not be fed alone as there is a chance of bloating.

With any of the above options strip grazing will improve utilization.

 

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		Matt Herring - Agronomy/Natural Resources Ken Bolte - Farm Management/Livestock Franklin County University Extension Center Last revised: 11/28/05		Go to Franklin County University Extension Center page