Grazing Options

Regardless of where cattle graze, there are ways to maximize productivity. Few places make that more challenging than the Southern Plains, where producers need to graze herds efficiently while raising crops and utilizing conservation practices that often include cover crops.

Jason Warren, Oklahoma State University (OSU) Extension specialist for soil and water conservation, says when it comes to grazing and cropping systems in the state, one of the more inventive approaches is to graze summer cover crops between wheat crops.

"OSU has plenty of data to show that summer covers do not generally impact wheat grain yield in central Oklahoma,” he says. The system can mean an increase in annual forage production, but, it’s an advantage that comes with a set of challenges.

CONTINUOUS GRAZE OUT

Producers who plant fast-growing summer covers, like sunn hemp, sorghum-sudangrass or cowpea must be quick to utilize the forage. They should be grazed prior to entering the reproductive growth stage, a window that could be missed if a herd is too small. It’s important to keep enough residue on soils to protect against erosion.

Warren says producers can utilize continuous graze-out with a combination of these summer cover crops followed with cool-season forages including wheat, triticale, rye, barley, oats or even a mixture of these. The summer cover would be terminated in July or early August to get another cool-season forage planted.

DOUBLE-CROPPING CHANGE

Another option is to replace double-crop plantings with forage grazing in the form of a cover crop. Instead of planting another crop after winter wheat is harvested in June, forages are planted and then grazed. The next crop would be planted the following spring.

Warm-season forages can be planted anytime between June and September, with the planting time dependent on forage needs. Warren says among the most popular versions of this system is planting a warm- and cool-season forage mix, which provides residue after winterkill as fodder and a cool-season grass for protein.

The advantage of a system such as this is there is less chance of losing a crop planted in summer, and, it offers flexibility for cattle producers. If corn, soybeans or milo are planted after a wheat crop, the chance of the crop failing is higher than it is for a forage crop.

“Forages don’t have the critical growth stages that a grain crop would have like pod-filling,” he explains. August-planted covers also provide a nice blanket of crops during late summer and will limit the growth of weeds. With less weed pressure, a herbicide application can be eliminated.

DYNAMIC ROTATIONAL GRAZING

Dynamic rotational grazing is an alternative grazing system where producers plant cool-season grasses in the fall, followed by warm-season forages whenever moisture is available. Wheat for grain can still be planted in this system in October.

Warren says cattle graze cool-season crops down to a residue level, then they are removed. Another crop of warm-season grass is planted either early or late in the summer, depending on moisture.

“I like this system, as wheat alone is not very profitable right now, and, you can have forage nearly year-round,” Warren notes. Dynamic rotational grazing has challenges. Getting enough cattle out to eat rapidly-growing, warm-season grass before it begins to lose condition can be a problem. Also, providing water to all of the cattle needed to graze when the grass is ready can be a concern depending on field location.

For more information

To view a webinar on these systems by Jason Warren of Oklahoma State University, visit www.greatplainsgrazing.org/webinars.

[PF_0319]

Copyright 2019 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved.