Winter Pasture Establishment

1
Winter Pasture Establishment

• Getting it big enough to graze

2
Aggie Story

• Bird collisions into Airplane windshields are
  dangerous. DOT in DC requested proposals for the
  testing of new windshield. Aggie engineers
  received one of these grants, looked around and
  found the cheapest most effective method. They
  built the now famous
• CHICKEN GUN

3
Aggie Story

• The Aggies published this, and the Brits, having
  the same trouble with birds on trains, asked for
  and received it.
• The Brits set up the gun, and on the first test
  the chicken blasted through the windshield and
  embedded itself the drivers seat. They sent the
  data back to AM and asked for recommendations

4
Aggie Story

• The Aggie Engineers examined the data, came to a
  conclusion and sent the the Brits a report that
  basically said next time.
• THAW THE BIRD FIRST
• This proves once again.
• You gotta pay attention to the details

5
Soil Testing

• Do in August
• ummm, its September
• get busy
• Identify Fields
• Multiple samples
• Individual fields
• Stratification
• 0-2
• 2-6
• Composite and Mail
• Multiple Labs
• TAMU
• others

6
Establishment

• Goals
• Plant and grow to reach 6-8 tall, then start
  grazing
• Keep livestock away
• Seed requirements
• Stratification period
• Species determinant
• Limited problem in WP
• UV wavelength
• Species determinant
• Water
• Seed imbibe, swell and germinate
• Emerge, grow and produce leaves

7
Seedbed types

• Prepared
• best seedbed
• most expensive
• least stable footing
• greylands
• Sod Seeded
• Lightly disked/Roundup
• Medium seedbed
• medium expense
• stable footing
• Overseeded
• Defoliated, plant
• Least expensive
• poorest seedbed
• very stable footing

8
Prepared Seedbed

• Process
• Tillage to 6
• Harrow, Pack, Drill
• drill works best
• seed/fertilizer placement
• broadcast possible
• harrow repack afterward
• Most productive
• Most expensive
• pasture costs 120-140/ac
• Earliest Grazing
• Limit to income animals
• stockers, replacements
• milkers
• cow/calf limit graze

9
Sodseeding

• Planting into HEALTHY sod
• Methods cost40-80/ac.
• Disk lightly
• 1-2 deep
• disks turned nearly straight up
• leave undisturbed area
• does not work on dry clay soils
• Roundup
• 1 pint/ac. 7 Days before planting.
• minimum till drill preferred
• Planting Method
• drill everything
• enhance seed soil contact
• broadcast ryegrass and clovers
• small gt1/8 seed only

10
Overseeding

• Least expensive method
• 40-80/acre
• Lowest forage production
• Greatest risk
• Defoliate
• Graze or hay
• thatch removal best
• Mow
• Plant
• drill small grains
• broadcast and harrow
• small seeds
• higher seeding rates

11
Planting Methods

• Broadcast
• Advantages
• speed
• lower equipment cost
• less equipment needed
• multiple operations
• spread with fertilizer
• Disadvantages
• poor seed/soil contact
• increased seed rate
• high stand failure
• requires second trip
• pack, harrow or drag
• even an old drag.
• Drill continued

12
Planting Methods

• Drills
• Types
• minimum till
• grain
• Advantages
• lower seeding rates
• Seed metering
• Excellent seed/soil contact
• Proper Seed depth
• Disadvantages
• slow
• Costs
• New 9K-35K
• Used
• pasture 1K-5K
• grain 50-500
• look in wheat areas

13
Seeding Rates

• Situational
• Seed friendly environment
• enhance seed soil contact
• increase germination rate
• decrease sod competition
• increase seedling survival
• Seed quality
• plant by PLS not lbs/ac
• Seed price marginal
• animal cost (feed) is greatest
• fertilizer and land prep next
• increase seed rate if reducing land prep costs
• Species specific
• Seed size

14
Species and Variety Selection
15
Winter Annual Grasses
16
Ryegrass Variety Trial at Overton
17
New Varieties

• Several on the market
• Ribeye, Lafayette, others look good
• Ribeye has very early grazing
• NONE have been tested in a severe Texas or
  Oklahoma winter
• Until then standard recommendations apply.

18
Cloversacidic soils
19
Cloversalkaline soils
20
Sixteen Essential Nutrients

• CHOPKNS CaFe Mg B Mn CuZn MoCl
• Primary
• C, H, O
• Macronutrients
• N, P, K
• Secondary Nutrients
• Ca, Mg, S
• Micronutrients
• B, Cl, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Mo
• Beneficial
• Na, Ni, Si, Co

21
Liebergs Law of Limits

• Water Barrel Model
• WaterYield
• Increase stave length, increases yield
• Management issues
• Controlled
• Nutrients
• Uncontrolled
• Weather

22
Ryegrass yield response to Temperature

• Ryegrass
• No growth lt 43oF
• Peak growth _at_ 65oF
• spring grazing best
• Planting Dates
• Prepared seedbed
• September
• Sod or over seeded
• Mid-October
• Army worms
• Drought years especially
• Procedures
• delay planting
• watch for worms

23
Ryegrass Response to Nitrogen

• Yield and Protein
• Economic N Rate
• 180-240lbs. N/ac/yr.
• Continuous protein response
• Nitrogen Timing
• Equal Splits
• 60 _at_ 3 leaf stage
• 60 in Feb, then March
• A 4th application in April if needed
• late N suppresses Clover

24
Ryegrass Response to Lime, Phosphorus and
Potassium

• Optimal soil pH
• Ryegrass 5.8-7.2
• Enhances P and K uptake
• Ryegrass
• Very responsive to K rate
• Response to P is very pH dependent

25
Soil Fertility Management

• Soil Test
• Proactive Mentality
• Utilize available nutrients
• Controlled nutrient mining
• Proper Plant Nutrition
• Nutrient Removal
• Renter Mentality
• Replacement of mined nutrients
• least cost, least benefit

26
Summary

• Keys to successful Winter Pasture Establishment
• Seedbed method
• Prepared
• Sod
• Overseeded
• Forage selection
• Ryegrass base
• Small grains early grazing
• Clovers
• pH sensitive
• N replacement
• Fertility
• Nitrogen 180-240
• Prepared 60 units at planting
• none till 3rd leaf
• Lime, PK soil test

27
Summary

• When it comes to winter pasture, the only thing
  set in stone is your Epitaph.
• Stay Flexible!!!