Stockpile feed to save money this winter
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It grows a bunch in the spring, slows down in the hot summer weather and then grows again throughout the fall.
To take advantage of the fall growth the most economical method is called stockpiling.
Stockpiling is simply accumulating the fall growth of tall fescue on a field and grazing it after the plant growth is slowed or stopped by freezing temperatures.
If soil fertility is adequate and recommended practices are followed you can expect yields of up to one ton of dry matter feed per acre from stockpiling. If you figure that a 1,000-pound cow will eat 25 pounds of dry matter as hay, an acre of stockpiled fescue can feed one cow for 70 days.
If you get approximately one ton of feed per acre from stockpiling figure that to be worth about $50 (cost of one ton or hay). The costs of stockpiling includes the cost of clipping the pasture ($5/acre) and about 200 pounds of ammonium nitrate per acre ($26/acre). Spend $31 dollars per acre to stockpile fescue or spend $50 per ton for hay? Most folks can figure this one out. Now hay may be cheaper but you need to consider that the cow will be grazing higher quality feed than you can carry to her.
To get a good start on stockpiling this fall. Clip your pastures and apply 60 pounds of actual nitrogen to the field shortly after clipping.
Keep cattle off the pasture until the first of November or until needed. To get the most out of the stockpiled grass limit the amount that the cattle can get to by using a drift fence or limiting their time on it.
One of the best things about stockpiled fescue pastures is that the fall growth of fescue is all vegetative (no seed heads) just leaves. The total digestible nutrients of the fall growth is higher than the energy needs of our pregnant cows and will meet the nutrient requirements of our fall calving cows.
Folks, stockpiling is an old practice that looks mighty good if you want to increase the available feed on your farm this fall and winter.
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Improve Your Lawn
Many of the same principles in pasture management apply to maintaining fescue lawns. After a while you may have to break down and re-seed or renovate your lawn.
Tall fescues grow best at temperatures from 60-75 F and need more than 1 inch of water each week. They are also susceptible to Rhizoctonia blight, a common fungal disease during warm, humid weather. Disease activity results in large, brown patches of injured or dead grasses.
Consider lawn renovation this fall, rather than re-establishment. It will work if you haven’t lost more than 50 percent of your desired lawn grass.
Here are 10 steps to renovating tall fescue.
1) Aerate (core aerify) to relieve soil compaction. When you leave coring holes open, they quickly fill with tall-fescue roots and soil. Mowing, dragging or de-thatching can speed the breakdown of aeration cores remaining after coring.
2) Measure the thatch layer and de-thatch if necessary. Actively growing tall fescues constantly generate new plant parts. As old plant parts die and slough off, they often accumulate on the surface, building a thatch layer. A thatch layer -inch or greater is too much.
3) Deep vertical mowing using a power rake (mechanical de-thatcher) will loosen some of the thatch and temporarily open the lawn for seeding. Rake the lawn immediately after de-thatching to remove organic matter deposited on the surface of the lawn.
4) Mow the lawn to a 2-inch height before seeding.
5) Use quality, tall-fescue seed. Adjust the rate of seeding based on the density and percent of cover. For example, if only 50 percent of the fescue is gone, reduce by half the recommended seeding rate of 5-8 pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet. So you’d uniformly broadcast 2-4 pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet.
6) Lightly rake or drag the lawn after seeding to promote seed contact with soil.
7) Soil test and apply fertilizer and lime according to test results.
8) The application of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in late summer and fall will promote the growth of seedlings and mature tall-fescue plants as temperatures drop. Soil test results include the recommended application rate of phosphorus and potassium to meet the nutritional requirements of tall-fescue plants. Pulverized or pelletized limestone may also be recommended to neutralize acidic soils.
9) Mulch bare areas. Distribute 8-10 pounds of clean, mulching straw for each 100 square feet where you’ve lost fescue cover.
10) Water. Young, tall-fescue seedlings growing in dry soils can dehydrate quickly. Water your lawn several times daily for the first two or three weeks after seeding. Apply a total of 1 inch of water each week. As fescue seedlings develop, apply more water less often to increase rooting depth. If possible, water between 5 and 10 a.m. to limit evaporation and reduce the risk of diseases.
If you have questions or lawn problems give me a call here at the extension office (473-8484).