Grazinglands Management

1. Grazinglands Management Daren Redfearn, Chris Rice, Bob Woods, and Terry Bidwell Oklahoma State University

2. Objectives • Become familiar with forage adaptation, use, and management practices that exist for common forage species • Describe grazing management systems, indicate appropriate situations for use, and describe the effects on forage and livestock • Demonstrate the relationships of different forage management practices by designing a total forage management program

3. Summary • Forage Diversity in Oklahoma • Resource Inventory • Land area • Soils inventory • Growing season • Forage base • Animal herd

5. Summary • Forage Types • Introduced forages • Native plant communities • Complementary forage systems • Forage Budgeting • Stocking Rate

6. Cool-season Warm-season Ideal Relative Growth Distribution of Cool- and Warm-Season Forages

7. Where do I start? Estimated daily forage dry matter requirements (F-2584) Cattle: Dry Matter Intake (lbs) Calves: 300 lbs ……..……9 400 lbs ………....12 500 lbs ………....15 600 lbs ………....18 Cows ………..…..26 Bulls ………..……32 • How many animals do you intend to run? • How many acres of usable land do you have? • When do you normally have excess grass and when are you short?

8. Forage Budgeting (F-2584) • Livestock description__________ • Total number of days__________ • Dry matter consumption__________ • lbs/animal_______ x # animals_______= • Total # forage required_________/2000 = • _________tons of forage required 1000# cow 365 26 lbs/day 9490 80 759,200 380

9. What do we really need? • We need 380 tons of usable forage • Using 50% utilization (liberal estimate) • This requires about 760 tons actual forage • We may need about 80 tons of hay • Need about 700 tons standing forage • Where do we get this forage?

10. Relationship of Bermudagrass Yield to Nitrogen Fertilization

11. Relationship of Old World Bluestem Yield to Nitrogen Fertilization

12. Relationship of Cool-Season Grass Yield to Nitrogen Fertilization

13. Changes to Our Management Plan • Can we produce all the forage we need to make it through the year? • Can we produce enough forage to provide ourselves with a cushion in dry years? • Can we produce enough forage to grow our own high quality hay?

14. Process • Estimate animal dry matter consumption • Estimate forage yields • Determine forage potential and grazing seasons

15. Summary • Understanding Grazing Systems • Rotational stocking considerations • Managing the pastures • Pasture layout • Which Grazing System is Best? • Introduced pastures • Rangeland

16. Grazing Management Systems Knowledge of plant growth and plant response to grazing is critical to the grazing management decision process

17. Grazing Tolerance • Tall, upright plants (alfalfa, sericea lespedeza, millet, johnsongrass, big bluestem, switchgrass)-graze rotationally or continuously at low stocking rates • Semi-erect plants (tall fescue, orchardgrass, arrowleaf clover)-fairly tolerant of close grazing except under stress • Prostrate plants (bermudagrass, bahiagrass, bluegrass, subterranean clover)-extremely tolerant of close, continuous grazing

18. Grazing Tolerance • Tall, upright plants (alfalfa, sericea lespedeza, millet, johnsongrass, big bluestem, switchgrass)-graze rotationally or continuously at low stocking rates • Semi-erect plants (tall fescue, orchardgrass, arrowleaf clover)-fairly tolerant of close grazing except under stress • Prostrate plants (bermudagrass, bahiagrass, bluegrass, subterranean clover)-extremely tolerant of close, continuous grazing

19. Grazing Tolerance • Tall, upright plants (alfalfa, sericea lespedeza, millet, johnsongrass, big bluestem, switchgrass)-graze rotationally or continuously at low stocking rates • Semi-erect plants (tall fescue, orchardgrass, arrowleaf clover)-fairly tolerant of close grazing except under stress • Prostrate plants (bermudagrass, bahiagrass, bluegrass, subterranean clover)-extremely tolerant of close, continuous grazing

20. Overgrazing Warning Signs • Browse lines on woody plants • Steep gully banks • Low plant vigor • Increased need for supplementation • Increase in unpalatable plants • Increased livestock use of these plants • Livestock losses due to toxic plants

21. Grazing Management • One pasture can be grazed as efficiently as many pastures • Regardless of how many paddocks there are, just keep dividing them and you will keep making more money • The truth is somewhere in the middle

22. Days grazed, days not grazed and recovery period for different paddock numbers in properly managed grazing systems

23. Forage species Initial grazing height Minimum grazing height Recovery period Bermudagrass 4 to 5 inches 2 inches 2 to 3 weeks Old World bluestems 8 to 12 inches 3 inches 2 to 4 weeks Tall fescue 6 to 12 inches 4 inches 3 to 4 weeks Small grains 8 to 10 inches 4 inches 2 to 4 weeks Annual ryegrass 6 to 10 inches 4 inches 2 to 4 weeks Grazing height and recovery period for selected warm-season and cool-season introduced forages

24. Conclusions • Rangeland communities are made up of many different forage species • Differences in management practices between introduced forages and rangelands are related to the amount of intensive inputs such as fertilizer and herbicides

25. Conclusions • There is no single management practice that affects livestock profitability more than stocking rate

26. Conclusions • Overstocking results in • Decreased desirable species • Decreased animal performance • Decreased carrying capacity • Understocking results in • Wasted forage • Reduced profit