Top Ten Pasture Management Tips Dan Morrical Iowa State University [e-mail] 515-294-0847

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Top Ten Pasture Management TipsDan
MorricalIowa State Universitymorrical_at_iastate.ed
u515-294-0847
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Number 10

• Increase fertility
• Nitrogen
• Increase yields 25-40
• Cost 35 per acre for 50 lbs N
• .5 to 1 ton extra feed
• Soil test
• Multiple small applications

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Number 9

• Incorporate Legumes
• Improves nutrition value
• Evens out forage growth
• Frost seed red clover

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Number 8

• Stay Flexible
• Grass growth is not constant neither should
  stocking rate
• Rotation order
• Hay versus pasture ground

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Number 7

• Plant fence posts
• Gain control
• Utilize excess early growth
• Rotational graze
• 40-60 more production

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Number 6

• Spring turn out date
• Early turn out
• Reduces yield potential
• Ewes cannot eat what did not grow
• Excessively late turn out
• Mature forage
• Variable from year to year
• Fall rest for root reserves
• Fall rest to protect streambanks

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Number 5

• Utilization rate
• Graze half - leave half
• Leaf area for capturing sunlight
• 35 UR in continuous grazed
• 50 UR in moderate rotations
• 70 UR in intensive systems
• Match animals and acres

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Number 4

• Match
• animals
• and acres

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Number 3

• Patience
• Pasture improvement takes time

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Number 2

• Change our attitude
• Iowa grows a lot of corn and soybeans
• Iowa can also grow a lot of forage
• Must set high forage production per acre as goal

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Number 1

• Become grass farmer
• versus
• Livestock producer

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Bonus discussion

• Managing drought years
• Managing excess rain fall
• Utilize crop residue grazing to extend the season
• 9 month grazing goal April 15 to Jan 15
• Hay storage and supply management

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Why rest is needed

• Grazing animals are selective in what they eat
  especially sheep
• Preferred species are over comsumed
• Weakens vigor and reduces composition
• Allows invaders
• Root system dies back with grazing
• Sheep are very selective graziers

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Survival and Profit

• Feed costs are single largest cost
• Enterprise records
• Pasture cost/ewe/day .056
• Drylot cost/ewe/day .166

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Grass Growth is Not Uniform

• Manage supply
• Increasing paddock in summer
• Warm season grasses
• Hay field re-growth
• Change stocking rate
• Not very practical
• Example short duration stockers

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Why rest is needed

• Grazing animals are selective in what they eat
  especially sheep
• Preferred species are over comsumed
• Weakens vigor and reduces composition
• Allows invaders
• Root system dies back with grazing
• Sheep are very selective graziers

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Utilization Rate

• Defined by the forage consumed vs. forage
  available at turn in
• Example 2000 lbs at turn in
• 1000 lbs remaining at removal
• 1000/2000 50 Utilization rate

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Utilization Rates by Grazing Intensity

• Length of Utilization
• Grazing (days) of DM Available

.5 75 1 70 2 65 3 60 4-7 40-50 10-14 35 Con
tinuous 30
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Examples
Improper gate location
Central Watering Hub
Central watering hub
Center over utilized, light shaded area is
correctly utilized and perimeter area is under
utilized.
Gate placement and watering design.
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The grazing pattern and distance to cover
paddocks of different shapes.
R
R
Gate
Gate
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Increasing pasture output

• Change forage species
• adding legumes
• Increase fertility
• goal dependent
• timing and amounts
• Rotational grazing

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Paddock Layout

• No perfect system
• ideal is square
• 1. Improved uniformity
• 2. Less fence
• 3. Less distance traveled
• 4. Makes for easier clipping or baling

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Examples
Water
Water
Darkest shaded area is over utilized, light
shaded area is correctly utilized and the white
area is under utilized.
Alternative to wagon wheel design with poor water
location.
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Fencing sloped areas
Incorrect method of fencing slopes
Water lane
Ridge
Slope
Bottom
Correct methods of fencing slopes
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Successful Systems Excess Early Forage

• Layout paddocks with areas that are hayable
  separate
• If three or four hayable paddocks lay together,
  subdivide with temporary fence post harvest

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Water

• Best situation is water in all paddocks
• Eliminates lanes grazing area
• Reduced animal travel performance
• Water holding device is smaller
• with paddocks less than 10 acres
• Reduces coccidia contamination
• Sheep are low water consumers