For Release December 5, 2004

Time To Evaluate Pastures

AGRI-VIEWS
by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

Compared to a year ago, the pastures look several hundred percent better. It is amazing what rain at the right time of the season will do, as well as somewhat cooler temperatures. But the management you give your pastures next year needs to be determined right now. So while the recent snows are melting away, and before any more snows arrive, take some time to evaluate each and every pasture and decide what you need to do with those pastures over the next twelve months.

As you go into each pasture, take a look for green. The desirable native grasses should all be dormant. If you are seeing a lot of green grass then you are seeing things like cheat (Japanese brome), bluegrass, bromegrass or other undesirable cool season grasses. We expect to see some of these grasses around watering spots, pasture entrances, places where cattle congregate and knock down all the vegetation. These grasses will move in where there is little cover and/or bare soil. If you are seeing these all over the pasture, then the pasture is still in need of a lot of work and probably some adjustments in the stocking rates.

Cattle will spot graze. Areas will be grazed down very low and other areas are virtually ungrazed. If this sort of grazing pattern creates a mosaic across the entire pasture, then there has been fairly normal grazing distribution and you probably have the stocking rate just about right. The cattle will go back to these same areas next year, if the pasture isn't burned, because that's where they can most easily get to the new grass blades and shoots. A couple of consecutive years of spot grazing aren't a problem. Five consecutive years of uninterrupted spot grazing will start to lead to species composition changes. Burning every 2 to 3 years will deal with this problem.

However, if you find that a majority of the grazing appears to be restricted to a certain portion of the pasture then you may need to find a way to move the cattle around. Cross fencing and creating paddocks is certainly one way to do this. But an easier way is simply to move the salt and mineral feeder, the fly control devices or if possible the water source. Often times the water source is connected to a spring, pond or creek so moving it is pretty much impossible. In that case make sure that the salt and mineral is as far to the other side of the pasture as possible, or at least in the area that isn't being grazed. If the entire pasture appears to be one large spot of heavy grazing then there is probably a serious overstocking problem that needs to be addressed.

Now is also a good time to evaluate the need for tree, brush and weed control. With proper stocking, most weeds should not be a problem. Musk thistle will be very obvious this time of year and as long as the soil isn't frozen, they can be dug or sprayed with herbicides. Nice green little cedar trees show up very well against the dormant native grasses and can indicate a need for a fire in the next year or two. Again, burning once very two to four years will be often enough to control cedars. Make notes on other tree and shrub invasion and let's get those species identified so we can treat them at the proper time. It's okay to leave a few deciduous trees in the pasture to provide some shade for the cattle.

The condition of a pasture at this time of year is determined by the summer weather and your management including the stocking rate. So it's time to do your final evaluation and then start developing your work plan for next year!

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