NASS Data Sees Declining Pasture Quality

OMAHA (DTN) -- Dry weather continues across much of the United States leading to declining pasture conditions in many of the top 10 beef cow-calf states.

The most movement to the negative side was in Missouri with an 11-point decrease in good-to-excellent pastures. This moves Missouri to 54% in this category. On the very-poor-to-poor side, Missouri had a 5-point increase to take 16% of pasture and range to this category, according to USDA NASS's weekly Crop Progress report on Monday.

Texas and Oklahoma stayed nearly level, with Texas not seeing any movement in the good-to-excellent category and Oklahoma having a 2-point improvement to take 65% of pasture and range to the positive side. Texas did see a 3-point increase in very-poor-to-poor pasture and range, taking it to 27%. Oklahoma had a 2-point decrease in this category making only 9% of pasture and range on the negative side.

FALL IS TIME FOR PASTURE IMPROVEMENT

Oklahoma State University Extension Agronomy Specialist Mike Trammel said it is time for overseeding cool-season annual forage crops, such as annual ryegrass and small grains in the southern states for grazing or hay production.

"These crops can produce high-quality forage in late fall, winter, and spring, depending on the establishment method and fertilization," he said. "The biggest challenge for managing these cool-season annual forage crops when overseeding is to manage the growth of the warm-season grass component so that it does not impede the annual ryegrass or small grain germination and establishment."

Trammel suggests taking a soil sample and make sure the pasture is grazed or clipped short. Plant the forage at the proper population and use the right method for the pasture or field. Being sure to get good seed and soil contact is important as well. Apply fertilizer as needed based on the soil testing. Consulting an agronomist is helpful in making these decisions.

DROUGHT AREAS MOSTLY UNCHANGED

Areas that have dealt with drought throughout the year, especially Nebraska and Kansas have seen some slight improvements. Nebraska had a 1-point increase in good-to-excellent pasture and range, with 46% marked there. However, they also saw a 2-point increase in very poor to poor with 21% of pasture and range in this category. Kansas had a 3-point decrease in good-to-excellent pastures at 59%, and a 1-point increase on the very-poor-to-poor side at 14%.

The worst states for pasture and range conditions continue to be in the Southwest, with Nevada still at 90% in the very-poor-to-poor category and Arizona having a 12-point increase in this category at 86%. Montana is also still suffering with only 12% of pastures considered good to excellent and 53% in the very-poor-to-poor category after a 12-point bump.

See the accompanying maps for more on the changes in various states.

National Pasture and Range Conditions (48 states)

	Very poor	Poor	Fair	Good	Excellent
48 States	13	22	29	28	8
Previous week	11	20	31	29	9
Previous year	15	24	32	23	6

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

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