Virtual Winter School – 2011 | January 10 th

Over the next few minutes… The increasing value of forage quality Interpreting forage quality reports Busting a few myths A little miscellany Plus, a few diversions…

The least used and least understood element of a good forage management plan.

Forage Quality has High Value Now CropMaturityCPTDNSupplement † Cost ‡ -- % -- lbs/hd/day$/hd/day Bermudagrass4 weeks $0 6 weeks $ weeks $0.72 Tall FescueLate boot $0 Early head $0 Dough $0.50 † Assuming soyhulls supplementation for forage quality on low end of the range. ‡ Approximate prices for December Supplementing a Lactating Beef Cow

Forage Quality has High Value Now CropMaturityCPTDNSupplement † Cost ‡ -- % -- lbs/hd/day$/hd/day Bermudagrass4 weeks $0 6 weeks $ weeks $0.72 Tall FescueLate boot $0 Early head $0 Dough $0.50 † Assuming soyhulls supplementation for forage quality on low end of the range. ‡ Approximate prices for December Supplementing a Lactating Beef Cow

Forage Quality has High Value Now CropMaturityCPTDNSupplement † Cost ‡ -- % -- lbs/hd/day$/hd/day Bermudagrass4 weeks $0 6 weeks $ weeks $0.72 Tall FescueLate boot $0 Early head $0 Dough $0.50 † Assuming soyhulls supplementation for forage quality on low end of the range. ‡ Approximate prices for December Supplementing a Lactating Beef Cow

What is the difference? 1)Digestible energy 2)How much can be eaten 1)Digestible energy 2)How much can be eaten

The Relationship between Fiber (NDF) and Dry Matter Intake (DMI) Fiber (NDF) Level Intake Intake to Meet Needs Intake is Physically Limited Dry Matter Intake (DMI) Dig. Energy Intake Low DigestibilityHigh Digestibility

What is “high quality forage?” Forage that is highly digestible (i.e., high TDN) Large amounts of the forage can be consumed (i.e., high DMI). Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) = TDN * DMI/1.23 Forage that is highly digestible (i.e., high TDN) Large amounts of the forage can be consumed (i.e., high DMI). Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) = TDN * DMI/1.23

Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) Heifer, mo. Dry cow Mature horse, lt. work Heifer, mo. Lactating beef cow Lactating mare Mature horse, mod. work Dairy, last 200 days Heifer, 3-12 mo. Stocker cattle Weanling horse Mature horse, int. work Dairy, 1 st 120 days Dairy calf Quality Required

Typical Range in Quality of Common Forages Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) Summer Annual Grass Bermudagrass Cool Season Peren. Grasses Other Legumes Alfalfa Cool Season Annual Grasses Quality Provided

There’s No Way to Know Without a Forage Test

Common Questions about Interpreting and Using Forage Quality Data

Reading Forage Quality Data

1 2 3 Price 4

Let’s Do Some Comparisons A B C

Nutrient Requirements: 1200 lb cow* Req. TDN58.1% CP 9.6% * First 3-4 mo postpartum, prep to rebreed

Comparing One Lot of Hay To Another Lot IDABC Kind of HayTift 85TF/OGCoast RFQ CP, % NDF, % ADF, % Lignin, % TDN, % Which lot is best for our lactating beef cow? Req. TDN58.1% CP 9.6% * First 3-4 mo postpartum, prep to rebreed

Comparing One Lot of Hay To Another Lot IDABC Kind of HayTift 85TF/OGCoast RFQ CP, % NDF, % ADF, % Lignin, % TDN, % Price, $/ton Which lot is best for our lactating beef cow? Req. TDN58.1% CP 9.6% * First 3-4 mo postpartum, prep to rebreed

Tools For Taking a Forage Sample “Penn State Probe”

Tools For Taking a Forage Sample “Colorado Hay Probe”

How To Take a Forage Sample Sample from each field AND cutting (“Lot” of hay). Use bale corer to get a representative sample from 20 bales per lot. Insert the sampler fully and cross- ways to the stems. Sample from each field AND cutting (“Lot” of hay). Use bale corer to get a representative sample from 20 bales per lot. Insert the sampler fully and cross- ways to the stems.

How To Take a Forage Sample Fill a clean quart-size plastic bag with about ½ lb of forage. Label each bag with details. Send to an accredited lab (National Forage Testing Association), such as the UGA Feed and Environmental Water Lab. For details, see the FAQ page on Fill a clean quart-size plastic bag with about ½ lb of forage. Label each bag with details. Send to an accredited lab (National Forage Testing Association), such as the UGA Feed and Environmental Water Lab. For details, see the FAQ page on

A Brief Interlude

Some Famous Horses of the Civil War

Daily Ration During the Civil War: 1.14 lbs (6.4 kg) hay 2.12 lbs (5.4 kg) of grain (usually oats, corn, or barley) 3.Any available pasturage (rare)

Simple Online Dietary Assessment for Horses

A.True B.False C.Mythbuste The best stocking rate (as a rule of thumb) for horse pastures in Georgia would typically be: 1 medium-sized horse (1100-lbs) per acre.

Graphical Description of Diet Choice Grass Legume Browse Flat Steep Slope Preference Selectivity

Approximate Diet Selection of Grazing Animals when Given Choice Type of Diet Animal SpeciesGrassesLegumesBrowse Cattle Horses Sheep Goats White-tailed deer

What is the best bermudagrass variety for horse hay? A.Alicia B.Coastal C.Tifton 44 D.Tifton 85 E.None of the above.

Varieties differ in quality Vigor Coarseness & drying rate Bermudagrass

Selecting the appropriate variety.

Palatability of Bermudagrasses Highly acceptable: Coastal = Tifton 44 = Tifton 78 (= Russell) Acceptable if given no other choice:  Tifton 85  Coastcross

A.True B.False C.Mythbusted True or False: Horses cannot eat bermudagrass … they’ll get impacted and die!

Impaction on Bermudagrass High NDF Content  Somewhat related to bermudagrass variety  As a rule of thumb for bermudagrass hay, keep NDF < 65%. Insufficient Water Availability Insufficient Mastication (chewing)  Fed only 1-3 times per day  Horses in stall Inactivity/lack of exercise Myth or Truth?

True or False: Horses cannot eat bermudagrass … they’ll get impacted and die!

A.True B.False C.Mythbusted Any grass hay can cause founder or laminitis in my horses.

Group Carbohydrate StoredLocation Warm Season Perennial Grasses StarchStolons, stem base, rhizomes Warm Season Annual Grasses SucroseLower stem Cool Season grasses (A & P) FructanStem base LegumesStarchTaproot, stolons, rhizomes Carbohydrate Storage in Forage Species Laminitis and High Quality Hay Myth or Truth?

Tall Fescue Most widely used forage grass in the U.S.  High yields and persistent. Endophytic fungus produces toxic alkaloids  Fescue toxicosis  Alkaloids aid drought tolerance and persistence

ADGGain (lbs/hd/d)(lb/acre) E NE E+ & WC NE & WC Effect of Tall Fescue, Endophyte, and White Clover on Stocker Production in the Spring Jesup Tall Fescue and Durana White Clover. 3-yr trial. Eatonton, GA. Hill, Andrae, and Bouton (unpublished data)

Tall Fescue Most widely used forage grass in the U.S.  High yields and persistent. Endophytic fungus produces toxic alkaloids  Fescue toxicosis  Alkaloids aid drought tolerance and persistence Novel Endophyte TF gives persistence benefit w/o toxicosis problems.

NE Tall Fescue Novel Endophyte  Endophyte from different TF population UGA and AgResearch (NZ) researchers developed and tested Jesup MaxQ. NE TF gives persistence benefit w/o toxicosis problems.

ADGGain (lbs/hd/d)(lb/acre) E NE E+ & WC NE & WC Effect of Tall Fescue, Endophyte, and White Clover on Stocker Production in the Spring Jesup Tall Fescue and Durana White Clover. 3-yr trial. Eatonton, GA. Hill, Andrae, and Bouton (unpublished data)

ADGGain (lbs/hd/d)(lb/acre) E NE E+ & WC NE & WC Effect of Tall Fescue, Endophyte, and White Clover on Stocker Production in the Spring Jesup Tall Fescue and Durana White Clover. 3-yr trial. Eatonton, GA. Hill, Andrae, and Bouton (unpublished data)

A.True B.False C.Mythbuste Tall fescue should be avoided as a component in horse pastures.

Effect of Toxic Endophyte-Contaminated Fescue on Gestation Length in Gravid Mares + 27 days From: D.L. Cross and T. Gimenez “Fescue Toxicosis in Horses” (ppt online)

Effect of Toxic Endophyte-Contaminated Fescue on Foals and Mares

Remove from TF pasture or hay days before anticipated foaling Alkaloid toxins are very stable Very low levels of fescue (%?, Probably less than 20%) can cause severe problems Keep accurate records of breeding and anticipated foaling dates Mare Mgmt. BMPs

NE Tall Fescue

Spring

Late Summer

Autumn

Following Spring

Summer Dormancy Trait in Tall Fescue Summer Winter

NE Tall Fescue A good option, but… Expensive Requires renovation of entire pasture or hayfield Down time in pastures Risky (weather) Other curative options?

“Safe” Tall Fescue Marketed as an alternative to MaxQ Has performed well in other, more northern locations. Has performed poorly in UGA yield trial  Lowest stand rating after 2 years.  Has not been evaluated under grazing in GA. Marketed as an alternative to MaxQ Has performed well in other, more northern locations. Has performed poorly in UGA yield trial  Lowest stand rating after 2 years.  Has not been evaluated under grazing in GA.

Warm Season Perennial Grass Variety Trial – Tifton (avg. over )

UF-Riata Pensacola-type Less sensitive to daylength High yields, slightly improved digestibility Seed available through Ragan and Massey ( Pensacola-type Less sensitive to daylength High yields, slightly improved digestibility Seed available through Ragan and Massey (

TifQuik Bahiagrass Faster establishment in early spring  Aids competition with weeds  Fits with crop rotation Improved grazing in est. year  Vigorous seedlings Seed available:  Shiloh Farms (shilohfarmsinc.com)shilohfarmsinc.com Faster establishment in early spring  Aids competition with weeds  Fits with crop rotation Improved grazing in est. year  Vigorous seedlings Seed available:  Shiloh Farms (shilohfarmsinc.com)shilohfarmsinc.com

New Summer Annuals that Sound Too Good to Be True Teff – warm season annual grass

New Summer Annuals that Sound Too Good to Be True Teff – warm season annual grass

New Summer Annuals that Sound Too Good to Be True Teff – warm season annual grass

Peanut Hay Quality

Peanut Hay Mineral Content

Parting Thoughts High energy prices and a weak U.S. dollar will cause supplement (and fertilizer prices) to continue to be a major limit to profitability.  We need to focus on producing high quality forage. There are a large number  Pay now, or pay a lot more later. High energy prices and a weak U.S. dollar will cause supplement (and fertilizer prices) to continue to be a major limit to profitability.  We need to focus on producing high quality forage. There are a large number  Pay now, or pay a lot more later.

Hay Production School 2011 March 29-30th Georgia Farm Bureau Home Office Macon, GA

QUESTIONS? ASK-UGA1