Forage Types

Historically, dairy and beef producers have been focused on maximizing animal outputs. This has been achieved through the adoption of new management systems, improved animal and crop genetics, and large-scale mechanization and automation of operations. However, new challenges face the 21st century producer.

Over the last 10 years, foxtail seems to have taken over many farms in the Southeast. While early in the summer young foxtail is not very evident, in the late summer and early fall, its seedheads are prevalent throughout fields across the South.

Single or mixed species of small grains such as barley, wheat, oats and triticale are being used more frequently as rotation forage crops in the West, especially during drought years, as small-grain forages typically require less total irrigation than corn, and the timing of their irrigation needs (April – July) often better synchronizes with water availability from snowmelt, or “high water,” than corn in some areas of the West.

It’s been a long time since the USDA added a new plant to the list of official agricultural crops. That’s exactly what happened with the 2018 Farm Bill, when hemp became officially separated from its less (or more) desirable cousin, marijuana.

Discussing grazing management can easily be just as problematic as other controversial topics such as politics, religion and sports. Everyone has a style, “mine is better than yours” and “this is the right way.”

Pasture improvement would be simplified if we just had a silver bullet to increase forage growth, improve nutritive value, control pasture weeds and graze longer throughout the year.