Maximizing Your Grass Potential Ray Hicks Screven County Extension Coordinator UGA Forage Team Ray Hicks Screven County Extension Coordinator UGA Forage Team

Ray’s 8 Ways to Maximize Grass Potential #1Stay well-rooted #2Calculate 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

#1: Stay well-rooted.

What you don’t see…. Roots die back Roots die back even more Graze/Cut Regrowth Begins Graze/Cut Again Adequate Rest

Thou Shalt Soil Test Pastures: Once every three years. Hayfields: Every winter.

(Nitrogen) Phosphorous Potassium Soil pH (Nitrogen) Phosphorous Potassium Soil pH Soil Fertility

K is for Persistence

Potash also helps to ward off diseases and prepare for dormancy Leafspot and winterhardiness

Low Soil pH

#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

#3: Test Your Forages

#4: Compare Feed Costs

#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 Losses Method 1 day 7 day ---- % Waste---- Unrolled Ring

Feeding Losses Item % Waste Ring 6.1 Trailer 11.4 Cradle 14.6 Buskirk et al., J. Anim. Sci. 81:

Every little bit helps!

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 DM Method Depth Loss (in.) (%) Twine Netwrap Solid plastic Shed< Hay Storage Research (Kentucky)

Tarped Stacks Hay Sheds Hoop Structures Storage Options

Feeding vs. Grazing #6: Maximize Efficiency

Mechanical Hay30-70% Silage60-85% Green Chop70-95% Efficiencies of Grazing and Mechanized Harvest MethodEfficiency Grazing Continuous Stocking30-40% Slow Rotation (3-4 paddocks)50-60% Moderate Rotation (6-8 paddocks)60-70% Strip Grazing70-80%

#7: Insulate Risk with Winter Grazing Winter Annual Mixtures Overseeding Winter Annual Mixtures Overseeding

Our Old Friends

#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.

QUESTIONS? ASK-UGA1