Cassie LeMaster, Area Livestock and Forage Agent
Many of us are dealing with pasture damage left from an excessively wet winter. Wet pasture conditions allow plants to be crushed and bruised easily, creating bare ground and subsequent weed invasion as weed seeds begin to germinate this Spring. Hopefully, you allocated one pasture as your “sacrifice lot”, so the damage is relatively contained to one area. If not, now is the appropriate time to assess the damage in all of your fields, scout weeds and target their control, manage soil nutrients and make a plan for renovation if needed.
Assess the Damage
The first step will be to determine how much of the pasture is covered is desirable plant matter. Estimating this from from the gate or barn is deceiving, so it’s important to get out and walk or ride through the area. To do this, take 20 random samples by stopping after a pre-determined number of steps and then write down if the plant touching your shoe is a desirable grass, a weed, or a bare spot. Then multiply your numbers by 5 to get an idea of the percentage of desirable grass cover in your pasture. Less than 30% stand loss will likely recover as long as fertility and grazing pressure is managed. Stand losses of 30-60% will need some help, and losses greater than that could need full renovation. Something else to consider is the amount of time you have to wait for forage growth. Small acreages are going to need more aggressive management to bring the pasture back to full production.
Scout for Weeds
Weeds like thistle and buttercup can quickly become a problem this time of year. Buttercup thrives in wet, heavy soils, so its yellow flowers are popping up everywhere this year. Control is more effective before they’ve flowered, which is why scouting is so important. Weeds such as this crowd and shade desirable grasses and rob the soil of important nutrients, causing further pasture damage if left untreated. When spraying, always use a pasture-approved herbicide, and then comply with any grazing restrictions listed for cattle. Read the label! Each herbicide will list an appropriate amount of time before animals can return for grazing.
Manage Soil Nutrients
A soil analysis is the only way to accurately determine and supply the nutrients that your pasture needs. Nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) are mobile in wet soils, so even if a soil analysis was done less than a year ago, the nutrient profile could be very different from the last analysis. Southeastern soils are naturally acidic, so lime could also be needed depending on the forage species or the forage variety to be planted.
Renovation
Even when weeds are controlled appropriately, the grass may need to be re-seeded to fill in bare spots before summer weeds like horsenettle and pigweed begin to germinate and cause similar issues. If you have a warm season perennial pasture like bermuda or bahia, then re-seeding this time of year is ideal. In general, fescue planted in the spring does not have time to develop an adequate root system before the summer heat arrives, so an alternative forage such as millet or crabgrass may be an option to supply grazing until fall planting. The use of temporary electric fence systems to fence off re-seeded sections or the ability to take that pasture out of your grazing rotation will be necessary to ensure success for those newly germinating grasses. If you don’t currently have a dry lot or sacrifice lot, plan to build or allocate one. This will be essential to saving your pastures during any future conditions not conducive to forage growth.
Pasture management doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Contact your local Extension professional to help you determine the best plan for successful pasture recuperation or renovation.
