Maximizing Your Grass Potential Ray Hicks Screven County Extension Coordinator UGA Forage Team Ray...
-
Upload
lynn-helena-bridges -
Category
Documents
-
view
218 -
download
1
Transcript of Maximizing Your Grass Potential Ray Hicks Screven County Extension Coordinator UGA Forage Team Ray...
Maximizing Your Grass Potential
Maximizing Your Grass Potential
Ray HicksScreven County Extension Coordinator
UGA Forage Team
Ray HicksScreven County Extension Coordinator
UGA Forage Team
Ray’s 8 Ways to Maximize Grass Potential
Ray’s 8 Ways to Maximize Grass Potential
•#1 Stay well-rooted
•#2 Calculate Your Forage/Feed Needs
•#3 Test Your Forages
•#4 Compare Feed Costs
• #5 Minimize Losses
• #6 Maximize Efficiency
• #7 Insulate Risk with Winter Grazing
• #8 Invest in your Pasture Recovery
What you don’t see….
Roots die back
Roots die back even more
Graze/CutRegrowth
Begins
Graze/CutAgainAdequate
Rest
•(Nitrogen)•Phosphorous
•Potassium•Soil pH
•(Nitrogen)•Phosphorous
•Potassium•Soil pH
Soil FertilitySoil Fertility
Potash also helps to ward off diseases and prepare for
dormancy
Potash also helps to ward off diseases and prepare for
dormancy
Leafspot and winterhardiness
#2: Calculate Forage/Feed Needs#2: Calculate Forage/Feed Needs
• Each cow consumes about 2 lbs of feed for every 100 lbs of body weight.
• Account for storage & feeding loss
• Account for low forage quality or supply
1200 lbs x 2% = 24 lbs/hd/d
= 48 lbs/hd/d 24 lbs/hd/d
50% loss
#4: Compare Feed Costs#4: Compare Feed Costs
Ingredient $/ton %DM $/Ton Dry % CP %TDN $/ Lb. CP $/Lb.TDNGood Quality Alf-Grass 140.00$ 85% 164.71$ 19% 55% 0.43$ 0.15$ Prem. Quality Grass Hay 120.00$ 85% 141.18$ 13% 53% 0.54$ 0.13$ Corn Gluten 200.00$ 90% 222.22$ 21% 80% 0.53$ 0.14$ Soy Hull Pellets 200.00$ 91% 219.78$ 12% 80% 0.92$ 0.14$ Citrus Pulp Pellets 176.00$ 91% 193.41$ 6% 82% 1.61$ 0.12$ Cottonseed 210.00$ 93% 225.81$ 23% 92% 0.49$ 0.12$ Corn 196.00$ 85% 230.59$ 9% 88% 1.28$ 0.13$ Brewers Grain -$ 24% -$ 26% 70% -$ -$ Dry Distillers Grain 170.00$ 92% 184.78$ 28% 88% 0.33$ 0.10$ Wheat/ryegrass 9.50$ 20% 47.50$ 20% 75% 0.12$ 0.03$ Rye/ryegrass/arrowleaf clover 8.75$ 20% 43.75$ 20% 75% 0.11$ 0.03$
#5: Minimize Losses#5: Minimize Losses
About 3 billion dollars of hay is lost per year from storage and feeding in the
U.S.
(37.5 million tons)
Feeding LossesFeeding Losses
Item % Waste
Ring 6.1
Trailer 11.4
Cradle 14.6
Buskirk et al., 2003. J. Anim. Sci. 81:109-115
If it has to be outside…If it has to be outside…
• Store bales with N/S orientation• Don’t store under trees• Make dense bales
Shed water better
• Elevate the bales
• Store bales with N/S orientation• Don’t store under trees• Make dense bales
Shed water better
• Elevate the bales
Storage Weathered DMMethod Depth Loss (in.) (%)
Twine 4.4 18.2Netwrap 2.1 10.6Solid plastic 0.6 3.6Shed <0.5 5.7
Hay Storage Research(Kentucky)
Mechanical
Hay 30-70%
Silage 60-85%
Green Chop 70-95%
Efficiencies of Grazing and Mechanized Harvest
Efficiencies of Grazing and Mechanized Harvest
Method Efficiency
Grazing
Continuous Stocking 30-40%
Slow Rotation (3-4 paddocks) 50-60%
Moderate Rotation (6-8 paddocks)
60-70%
Strip Grazing 70-80%
#7: Insulate Risk with Winter Grazing
Winter Annual MixturesOverseedingWinter Annual MixturesOverseeding
#8: Invest in Your Pastures Recovery#8: Invest in Your Pastures Recovery
• Spray NOW (Nov. – Mar.) Winter annuals - henbit, chickweed,
buttercups, thistles, wild radish (turnips) 2,4-D; Remedy; Crossbow; PastureGard
Grass and Small Grain Forages Delay application until the 4 to 5 leaf growth
stage
• Be prepared to spray again in the spring.
• Fertilize according to Soil Test.• Look at stocking rate.