Liliane Silva, Forages Specialist Nitrate is a naturally occurring component in plants, and its accumulation is usually associated with plant stress conditions (e.g., prolonged drought). When plants grow slowly, they continue to update nitrates, but these do not convert to proteins and amino acids, so there is a buildup of nitrates in the plant. […]
Clemson Forages Team
Clemson University Forage-Livestock Systems Program – Research highlight summary
Using multi-species forage ecosystems to enhance production, diversify income and support environmental benefits in operations in South Carolina The forage-livestock systems program is under Dr. Liliane Silva, Forages Specialist, and focuses on developing management strategies to improve forage production and quality, animal performance, profitability, and resilience of forage-livestock operations in South Carolina. Multidisciplinary efforts are […]
Stockpiled bermudagrass systems help to fill the forage gap
Stockpiling is a management practice that defers forage availability for use later. This practice helps to decrease costs associated with feeding hay in livestock operations. In the southeast U.S., perennial grasses such as bahiagrass and bermudagrass are used to close the forage gap in early fall and extend the grazing season. Stockpiled bermudagrass has moderate […]
Bermudagrass stem maggot control
By Liliane Severino da Silva, Forages Specialist The bermudagrass stem maggot [BSM; Atherigona reversura Villeneuve (Diptera: Muscidae)] is an invasive species in the southeastern USA. This insect was first reported in California in 2009 and in Georgia in 2010, but it is native to South Asia. It is unclear how BSM was introduced to the United […]
Animal production and welfare benefits under silvopasture systems
Silvopasture systems are defined as the integration of tree, forage, and livestock in the same area (Figure 1). These systems allow for income diversification through forestry and livestock production, while optimizing resource use for environmental, economic, and social benefits of operations. In the Southeast region, heat stress is a major issue to livestock, and it […]
Cooping with high fertilizer costs in forage systems
By Liliane Silva, Clemson Forages Specialist Management practices are crucial in determining forage production and quality in forage systems. Among them, fertilization is essential to supply nutrients needed by plants. Over the past decades, the fluctuation of costs of fertilizers has elevated the importance of improving nutrient use efficiency, while also seeking alternative strategies to […]
Managing Fescue Hay During the 2026 Spring Drought
By Christopher LeMaster, Clemson Extension Livestock Agent and Dr. Liliane Silva, Clemson Extension Forage Specialist Following a dry fall and winter, much of our region is now classified in Extreme Drought (D3). For a cool-season grass like tall fescue, which relies on spring moisture for the bulk of its annual forage production, this rainfall deficit is a […]
Grazing management methods for cow-calf operations in South Carolina
By Andrea Oyuela Zavala, M.S. student Effective grazing management directly impacts forage production and quality, which in turn affects livestock production. When designing management practices for a forage-livestock system, it is important to properly understand the needs of livestock and forages to balance them, and to plan for forage species and distribution of production and quality […]
Winter damage and management considerations for forage-livestock systems in South Carolina
By Liliane Silva, Forages Specialist, Clemson University Cool-season forages are widely used in South Carolina forage-livestock operations. In the upstate region, most operations rely on tall fescue stands as the basis of their forage systems, either planted in monoculture or mixed with cool- and warm-season species. Statewide, we also rely on cool-season annual forages […]
