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

#1: Stay well-rooted.

What you don’t see….

Roots die back

Roots die back even more

Graze/CutRegrowth

Begins

Graze/CutAgainAdequate

Rest

Thou Shalt Soil TestThou Shalt Soil Test

Pastures: Once every three years.

Hayfields: Every winter.

•(Nitrogen)•Phosphorous

•Potassium•Soil pH

•(Nitrogen)•Phosphorous

•Potassium•Soil pH

Soil FertilitySoil Fertility

K is for PersistenceK is for Persistence

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

Low Soil pHLow Soil pH

#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

#3: Test Your Forages#3: Test Your Forages

#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

Method 1 day 7 day

---- % Waste----

Unrolled 12.3 43.0

Ring 4.9 5.4

Feeding LossesFeeding Losses

Item % Waste

Ring 6.1

Trailer 11.4

Cradle 14.6

Buskirk et al., 2003. J. Anim. Sci. 81:109-115

Every little bit helps!

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)

Tarped StacksHay Sheds

Hoop Structures

Storage Options

Feeding vs. Grazing

#6: Maximize Efficiency#6: Maximize Efficiency

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

Our Old FriendsOur Old Friends

#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.

www.georgiaforages.comwww.georgiaforages.com

QUESTIONS?QUESTIONS?

www.georgiaforages.com1-800-ASK-UGA1

www.georgiaforages.com1-800-ASK-UGA1