However, advances in fencing and watering systems are causing some dairy producers to consider pasturing cattle again. Pastures that are properly managed can provide dairy cows with high-quality forage harvested at a very nutritious stage.

 

Selecting the proper grass seed mix to establish an effective pasture for dairy cattle will require some research to determine which grasses prosper in your specific geographic location. County or state Extension personnel can often provide published materials regarding the types and varieties of grasses most likely to flourish in a local area. The Natural Resources Conservation District can also provide information about grasses in specific geographic areas. Most states have at least one NRCS Grazing Lands Specialist. More information about this initiative is available at www.glci.org.

 

Dairy experts emphasize that intake must be high quality and of sufficient volume to obtain the milk production necessary to sustaining a modern dairy operation. With that in mind, producers planning to establish or re-seed a pasture should consider species, fertilization and environmental conditions where the forage will be growing.

Well-managed pastures can provide high quality nutrients. Studies of pasture samples have demonstrated that crude protein values range up to 26% and total fiber levels are normally less than 40% but can rise to 55% over summer.

 

One of the challenges related to pasture-based feeding programs for dairy cattle is maintenance of rumen pH values from 5.8 to 6.2, which supports optimal digestibility, nitrogen flow and desirable components. Rumen pH can drop below 5.8 if pasture quality is less than 35% NDF and over 80% digestibility. Rumen pH can drop below the optimal level if fermentable carbohydrates such as molasses or barley are added to the diet. Addition of some starch and by-product grains can stimulate microbial growth and provide needed energy.

High quality legume grass forages will challenge producers to maintain rumen pH. There are several ways to combat the condition through use of starch or digestible NDF, including slowing down rapidly fermentable pasture fiber by adding some long forage.

 

Dairy cattle require high quality pasture to maintain top production. Characteristics of a high quality pasture include sense, palatable and high-energy forage. Density maximizes dry matter intake, one of the largest issues facing grazers. Actual pasture DMI is a product of grazing time, biting rate, and dry matter bite mass or size. Bite mass or size is dependent on pasture height and density. Higher dry matter intake improves production.

Palatability is also important to encourage consumption. Dairy pastures also need to be high in protein and energy to supply the needs of a top producing dairy cow.

 

A highly palatable mixture of grasses includes late heading, winter hardy ryegrass, soft orchard grasses, clovers and meadow fescue. The mix is ideal for good soils with high fertility and is also very winter hardy.

Stockers will experience a high rate of gain with a mix of perennial rye grass for energy and quick regrowth, meadow fescue for inter hardiness and summer production, and white clover for protein and nitrogen production. This type of mixture thrives on heavier soils or lighter, irrigated soils.

 

A mix that grows under grazing pressure and provides the nutritional demands of lactating dairy cows includes 30% perennial ryegrass, 40% endophyte-free, very soft-leaved tall fescue and 20% meadow fescue as well as 10% Alice white clover.. The mix provides high nutritive value, exceptional palatability and high digestibility.

Pasture mix suitable for droughty areas includes soft leaf tail fescue, orchard grass, Kingfisher 444 or 222 alfalfa, perennial ryegrass, festulolium, red clover and white clover. A lowland pasture mix includes a mix of palatable grasses and legumes designed to persist on heavier, wetter soils. It includes perennial ryegrass, orchard grass, meadow fescue, soft leaf tall fescue, red clover, festulolium and white clover.

 

Regardless of the grass mix established in a pasture, a poor grazing system will result in deterioration of the grasses over a period of time.

 

Controlled rotations – a system in which livestock are moved between paddocks at frequent intervals – gives plants time to recover from grazing, allows roots to maintain energy reserves and provides high quality forage to livestock. A wealth of information is available through local, state and national grazing organizations.

Knowledge of forage plants and animal-pasture interaction is necessary to the success of a management-intensive grazing system. Producers need to consider the seasonal amount of forage available, rate of forage growth and number and type of animals grazing the paddock.

 

In a continuous grazing system, the most nutritious or palatable plants will be eliminated because they are repeatedly grazed. Fescue, Bermuda grass and white clover persist under continuous grazing because their growing points remain even the plants are heavily grazed.

 

Grazed pastures require less fertilizer than those that are hayed. Animals use very few of the plants’ nutrients. Most minerals are returned to the soil in animal waste. Phosphorus is excreted primarily in manure. Nitrogen and potassium are found in both urine and manure. In a grazed pasture, when wastes are evenly distributed throughout the grazing area and earthworms, dung beetles, and soil bacteria are active the system will be stable.

Regular walks through paddocks to monitor pasture production and observe the presence and vitality of grasses and legumes will allow producers to monitor the system. The presence of weeds can also be monitored and controlled.

 

Periodic soil tests and forage analyses aid in monitoring the health of a pasture system. Forage analysis indicates whether or not plants are using present nutrients. Either independent laboratories or Extension offices offer analyses services. Laboratory recommendations need to take into consideration-recycled nutrients provided by grazing animals.

 

A special test can be requested to determine micronutrient levels. Micronutrients are critical to soil and animal health. Soil organic matter (SOM) can also be monitored. When SOM is relatively high it contributes nitrogen and helps make other mineral nutrients more available to plants. Leaving a thin layer of organic residue on the soil surface contributes to SOM, shades the soil and feeds the soil organisms.

 

It is recommended that grazers maintain written records regarding pasture conditions from season to season. The information allows for budgeting future resources, beneficial rotation plans and livestock forage needs.

Plants that contribute to soil fertility include legumes that increase total nitrogen content. Deeply rooted plants such as alfalfa, warm-season grasses, trees and some weeds bring up other nutrients from deep in the subsoil. The nutrients will remain in topsoil layers when vegetation decays and becomes available to other nearby plants.

 

Carefully consider if the cost of purchased soil amendments can be economically justified. Mineral availability in most soils can be increased by a simple pH adjustment. Legume growth in mixed pastures that tend toward acidity will benefit and increase available nitrogen and add more organic matter to the soil.

 

Lime can be used to raise soil pH and is also an important source of calcium. It’s less expensive than many other purchased fertilizers. Proper ratio of of calcium to magnesium and potassium is also important.

Fertilizer purchases are often appropriate in dairy operations because of the need for highest feed value forage to maintain milk output. However, decisions should be based on analysis that compares input costs to overall profits.

 

Legumes increase soil fertility, improve overall feed value of forage and extend the grazing season. Bacteria on legume root nodules convert nitrogen in the air to a form the plant can use. Once the nodules separate from the roots or the plant dies the nitrogen is available to nearby plants. Even dead leaves that fall to the ground during the growing season provide extra nitrogen to the pasture system. Legumes, compared to grasses, provide higher digestibility and higher mineral and protein content.

 

Before legumes are introduced to an established grass pasture, magnesium and potassium levels must be suitable. The area should be heavily grazed to set it back before seeding. Sod-seeders or other no-till seed drills are also effective. In some instances broadcasting seeding very early in spring into areas where the ground alternately thaws and freezes – frost seeding – has been used.

 

If legumes are to prosper in a pasture, grass must be kept short enough to prevent the seedlings from being shaded out. Nitrogen fertilizer favors grass. Adding it can inadvertently reduce the percentage of legumes in the pasture. It’s critical to obtain information about the pH necessary to the particular legume variety planted.

Many annual clovers produce hard seed and will persist in a pasture if allowed to periodically go to seed. Annual legumes that don’t produce hard seed must be managed to allow some plants to seed every year in order to maintain their presence in the forage mix.

 

If legumes are maintained in about one third of the total pasture, the plants won’t require additional fertilization. Research projects completed at Michigan State University have demonstrated that different cool-season grasses with three clover species produce – on average – 14% more forage than the same grasses grown alone with 200 pounds/acre of nitrogen. Estimating legume percentage is challenging because leaf orientation causes it to seem a higher percentage of total forage.

 

It’s important to remember that hungry livestock introduced to highly leguminous or wet legume pastures may bloat. Providing hay to the cattle before they graze a legume pasture will prevent the problem.

 

Attention to soil, plants and livestock is important to maintaining a productive plant community that provides necessary nutrients to livestock. While each is important in itself, each also affects the others. Poor animal-plant-soil management can cause more problems in a grazing system than establishing the wrong forage species.

To learn more about your soil, obtain soil maps and learn about soil types. Use soil tests to determine if organic matter levels are high or low in relation to your climate. Maintaining records of annual results allows you to determine if organic matter is increasing under your management system.

 

Monitor the types of plants in your grazing system. Determine if they’re perennial or annual and what their soil requirements are. Make certain you’re aware of proper grazing height for the type of plants and at what height animals should be removed.

 

It’s important to monitor the look and behavior of your livestock. Note whether they’re alert with bright eyes and smooth coats or are skittish. It’s also important to be able to move them with little stress.

Lush, dense plants are evidence of a well-managed pasture. Other points to look for are evidence of erosion, over-mature plants, areas that are grazed too short and dead plant residue on the soil surface. Leaf color should be an even, strong green color. If legumes are in the species mix, they should comprise about 30% of the species mix.

 

Soft, springy soil underfoot indicates adequate organic matter. Track the availability of forage throughout the grazing season to plan for any necessary addition of grain or hay.

 

Every livestock operation differs in terms of how to successfully manage the grazing system. Varying weather patterns will also change grazing plans from year to year. Successful managers are prepared for every contingency.