Forage Types

One can hardly read an article about forage management without encountering some variation of the “3-inch rule.” If you have somehow escaped it, the rule states that 3 inches of residue is required after harvest to maintain a healthy stand of grass.

With 14 to 15 million salt-affected acres in the U.S., it’s clear managing saline soils is a big challenge for some farmers.

In Mississippi, a coordinated research and demonstration/extension effort has substantially increased alfalfa acreage since 2014. As some of the targeted producers in the region have a negative view of alfalfa and its management challenges, many of these efforts have been under a pretext of demonstrating cutting and fertility management techniques.

Alfalfa’s potassium requirement

Alfalfa requires potassium in the greatest amount to facilitate its maximum growth potential. For a healthy stand and optimum hay yields, alfalfa absorbs potassium more than any other nutrient from the soil.

Grazing alfalfa-grass mixtures

Including legumes in a pasture mix has many benefits for cattle-grazing operations in the Midwest.

As a forage crop agronomist, clover has always been the holy grail. Clover in pastures improves soil condition, supplies nitrogen to companion grasses when recycled back to pasture as manure and urine, increases yield, increases intake of both protein and energy and can eliminate the need for supplemental fertilizer nitrogen (N) when high-yielding legumes like red clover are present in grass pastures.