Pasture

Discover essential strategies to navigate the challenges of drought management! This article provides valuable insights that can help you sustain your pastures and optimize your hayfields during dry conditions. Learn how to extend your forage supply, promote faster recovery, and safeguard your operations for a more resilient future. Don’t miss these practical tips—your livestock and land will thank you! Dive in to explore actionable solutions that can make a real difference!

This summer has certainly been hot and dry for many of us, which has reduced productivity of many cool-season perennial grass pastures. As we continue into the traditionally driest, hottest days of summer, there are management practices that can be implemented to maximize plant growth and protect pasture stands during these hot, dry periods.

The Maryland Milk Moos (March 23, 2023, Vol. 4, Issue 1) is a quarterly newsletter published by the University of Maryland Extension that is focused on dairy topics related to Nutrition and Production, Herd Management, and Forage Production. In this issue, we focus on antibiotic regulation changes, dietary supplements for cows, and spring weed control for pastures and hayfields.

As things are greening up this spring, you may notice a few not-so-friendly plants popping up around your fields, especially given the milder weather this past winter. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to scout your pastures and hayfields in search of winter annual and biennial weeds. When it comes to weed control, timing of herbicide application critical and it is important to spray when weeds are most susceptible to achieve maximum effectiveness.

Grass tetany is a condition that occurs when magnesium levels in the blood and spinal fluid become too low to support normal bodily functions. The occurrence of grass tetany is often isolated to the springtime when cattle are grazing primarily lush, rapidly growing perennial pasture. Author: Sarah Potts, Ph.D.; Title: Grass Tetany

Fertilizer prices have continued to climb, with prices increasing as much as 76 to 151% within the last year alone (Figure 1). Current predictions are that fertilizer prices are expected to remain elevated for at least the next six months, putting us well into the next growing season.

Archived Baltimore County Ag Insight newsletters.

With the first freeze of the fall just around the corner, remember that a frost can result in potential hazards for certain forages. When a plant freezes, changes occur in its metabolism and composition that can cause toxicity issues for livestock. A few issues to be on the lookout for are discussed in this article.

When it comes to something like mowing or clipping pastures, there are certainly two sides to the fence: those that think mowing or clipping pastures is just something that has to be done, and those that think it is a waste of time and fuel and offers little benefit. In truth, the reality is that both sides are right—the need to mow or clip is usually site and time-specific and will depend on several factors. Sometimes the decision is easy, and sometimes the decision is less clear, so what are the arguments for or against mowing or clipping?

With August upon us, we may still be feeling the heat of the summer at the moment but whether or not we’re ready, cooler temperatures are just around the corner and it’s time to be thinking about winter feeding strategies. Using harvested forages for winter feed represents a substantial expense for livestock operations. For many grazing operations, stockpiling can be an effective strategy to extend forage resources further into the fall and winter season, reducing the costs associated with harvesting and storing feed and providing high-quality pasture for fall and winter grazing.