Pasture Management

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Pasture Management
Modified by Georgia Agricultural Education
Curriculum Office June, 2002
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• Establishing New Pastures
• Varieties or Cultivars to use
• Fertilization
• Weed Control
• Pest Control
• Grazing Management
• Prescribed Burning
• Help

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Key to Superb Forage Program
Timeliness the ability to get things done when
they need to be done. Match crops to needs. Use
the adapted species and variety. Maximize the
length of the grazing season. Allow the animals
to harvest the forage. Soil test, fertilize, and
lime at the proper time and rate. Use of
legumes. Grazing methods. Good forage programs
dont just happen, they are planned.
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Ranking of yield (3 year average) and in vitro
dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of bermudagrass
hybrids and relative to Coastal
Hybrid Yield IVDMD Coastal 100
100 Tifton 44 87 104 Tifton 78
83 83 Tifton 85 124 111 Coastal
68 91 107 Alicia 96
91 Russell 90 102 Midland 99 101
101 Berlin 92 102
G. W. Burton, unpublished data.
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Whats the best variety of forages for my farm?
It depends on location and land type.
What component of my feeding program most limits
animal production?
Bermudagrass Coastal and Tifton 85
Bahiagrass Tifton 9
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Estimated Establishment Costs Per Acre Coastal
Bermuda in South Georgia Area
Lime 1 ton 24.00 Fertilizer N 80 lb
20.80 P 40 lb 8.00 K 60 lb
7.80 Herbicide 15.50 Sprigging
95.00 Machinery 10.81 Labor
7.02 Overhead 18.00 Total Establishment
Costs 206.93
Cost will vary, depending on Bermuda variety and
acres sprigged.
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Nutrient Removal by Selected Crops
Nutrient Removal
Crop Yield N
P K
---------------------pounds--------------------
Bermudagrass hay 8 tons 400
70 300 Corn 120 bushels
115 47
32 Peanuts vines 2 tons
240 39
185 Wheat grain
60 bushels 70 33
20 Wheat grain straw
60 bushels 100
40 122 Ryegrass pasture
300 lb. beef 9
7 1 Bermuda
pasture 200 lb. beef 6
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Pasture Fertilization
Take Soil Samples

• Soil sampling
• sample to a depth of 2 to 3 inches
• take 20 or more subsamples
• avoid sampling within 150 feet of watering
  points,
• shade, and loafing areas.

Follow the recommendations!
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Pest Control
Major Pests of Bermudagrass

• Army worm
• Spittlebug

Follow the directions of the recommended
pesticides in a timely manner!
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Weed Control

• Timeliness
• Burning
• Mowing
• Spraying
• Use selective herbicide

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Prescribed Burning

• Another effective management tool
• When to burn?
• One week prior to green up of bermudagrass
• Historical dates for last freeze
• March 13 for south Georgia
• March 30 for central Georgia
• Must contact county forest ranger
• Contact local or county public safety offices
  before burning near roads

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Prescribed Burning

• What are the benefits?
• Eliminate thatch buildup
• Thatch reduces light penetration,
• which inhibits young stolen growth
• Keeps soil temp lower in the spring,
• which delays green up by 2 weeks
• Thatch layer ties up nutrients
• Thatch layer decreases water infiltration
• Cleaner first cutting of hay
• Weed Control
• destroys many annual seeds
• destroys woody stemmed perennials (briars)

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Prescribed Burning

• What are the problems?
• Safety
• unintentionally burning of woods and homes
• Burning too early
• grass is more susceptible to late freeze
• Burning too late (after green up)
• may reduce the stand
• may kill stolens on the surface

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Managing the Prescribed Burn

• Develop a fire plan for the field(s)
• location of firebreaks
• backfires, headfire line, etc.
• location of personnel and safety equipment
• Firebreaks
• a plowed strip 10 feet wide
• a wet break using a strip of small grains
• a dirt road or paved road
• Have plenty of help
• Make sure all personnel know the fire plan
• Constant monitoring during and after the
• burn

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Mowing

• Temporary Fix
• Labor Intensive
• Costs8 to 10/acre
• Two mowings per season needed
• Only top growth eliminated, not entire plant
• Regrowth occurs quickly
• Forage grasses are mowed along with the weeds
• Leaves a large portion of production on the
  ground
• Lost forage is unavailable to livestock

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Spraying
Use selective herbicide
Contact chemical representative (rep) for
recommendations
Liability involved?
Care should be taken wind-drift etc
What crops are your neighbors growing?
Grazing restrictions?
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Selective Herbicides for Pastures
Grazon P D
Plateau
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Controlled Grazing
A very broad topic
Numerous plans

• Limit grazing
• spares the damaging effects of hooves and bodies
• 2 hours is sufficient grazing time

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Model Farm - Case Study
Item 1996 2000 Change
Hay fed per cow 2.5 tons 1 ton - 60 Calving
percentage 87 95 9 Stocking rate 0.8
cow/A 1 cow/A 25 Total variable
costs 219/cow 92/cow - 58 Total fixed
costs 42/cow 70/cow 67 Total
costs 261/cow 162/cow - 38 Net
return 66/cow 260/cow 294
Rozier and Linda Wingate, Old Orchard
Farm Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia
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Remember, you are in the grass business first!
You decide what works best on your
farm, regardless of the species that you raise!