Author: lseveri

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 uptake nitrates, but these do not convert to proteins and amino acids, so there is a buildup of nitrates in the plant. […]

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 States. The suspicion is that the […]

By Liliane Silva, Forages Specialist In the Southeast region, most livestock operations are based on the use of perennial warm-season grasses. Due to the seasonality of production, there is a need to provide supplemental feed to livestock during the cooler months. In this context, implementing management strategies such as stockpiling forages, feeding hay or non-forage […]