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Managing the Forage Base on a Central OK Ranch

Managing the Forage Base on a Central OK Ranch. Bob Woods Area Extension Agronomy Specialist, NE Oklahoma Central OK Cattle Conference 2009. Managing the Forage Base. Inventory Stocking Rate Stockpiled Forage Grazing Management. Native. Inventory Soils Forage Livestock Other ? .

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Managing the Forage Base on a Central OK Ranch

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  1. Managing the Forage Base on a Central OK Ranch Bob Woods Area Extension Agronomy Specialist, NE Oklahoma Central OK Cattle Conference 2009

  2. Managing the Forage Base • Inventory • Stocking Rate • Stockpiled Forage • Grazing Management

  3. Native Inventory Soils Forage Livestock Other? Cool Season Introduced Warm Season

  4. Site potential?

  5. = 53,515 = 920 = 26,789 = 87,931 = 13,475 = 28,140 40% Canopy Closure? = 549 Total 211,319 x x x x x x x Biomass Potential 60% grass and Forbs = 126,791 lbs. 40% woody plants = 84,527 lbs.

  6. Harvestable Estimate • Typical harvest efficiency on a NR site is about 30% grass and Forbs = 126,791 lbs x .3 = 38,031 lbs browse = 84,527 lbs x .3 = 25,358 lbs.

  7. Forage Requirement for a Spring Calving herd under 4 different management options Each 100 pound increase in cow weight adds 950 pounds to yearly DM requirement

  8. 38,031 lbs available /11,934 lbs. needed = 25A/cow unit - year round 5A/stocker April 15 to July 15 Control trees with herbicide($90/A)? Increases carrying capacity from 25 cows per section to 42 cows and costs $1355 per added cow Manage with Fire Or Goats? Add 1 mature goat/6.4 A

  9. You can double your stocking rate with 10% of your acreage in introduced forages – Dr. Wilfred McMurphy

  10. Increasing Carrying Capacity with Introduced Forages • 80 acre Example 792 lbs./A (biomass) • 9 acres = 7132 lbs. 1 acre of bermudagrass fertilized with 175 pounds of N per acre would produce the same. 80 Acre Example

  11. Forage Expense in Relation to S.R. (5/19/09) N 37¢, P 29¢, K 59¢, $45 Hay/cow, $15 native rent, $25 introduced rent 40 lbs P and K/A, $569 gross sales per cow

  12. Fertilizing Introduced Forages • Soil test (P, K, Lime) • Determine a yield goal • Nitrogen – 50 lbs/ton of additional forage needed. Complementary Forages

  13. Rainfall for Lincoln County(1971-2000) Fertilize warm season grass Fertilize Warm or cool season grass Fertilize cool season grass

  14. Stocking Rates

  15. Stocking Rate Explained High Gain/animal Net Return/acre Gain/acre Zero Moderate Heavy Very light Light

  16. Stockpiled Forage Manage to Graze!

  17. Typical Hay Feeding Season Average Snow Cover – 4 days

  18. Reasons to feed hay more than 30 days • Overstocked • Under fertilized • Weather Extremes • Hay is cheaper than fertilizer or renting more land

  19. 60 to 90 days of Barn Storage with a forage/grazing plan that only needs 30 days.

  20. Forage Growth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Cool-season Grass Cool-season legume Bermudagrass Native Range Stockpiled Forage (standing, hay, silage)

  21. Fall Fertilized Bermudagrass

  22. Live Wt. Change, Year 1Nov.4 - Jan. 22 (77 days) 60 40 46 46 44 40 20 0 -20 -20 -20 -33 Weight lbs. -40 -60 Period 1 -84 Period 2 -80 -100 CONT LOW MED HIGH Treatment Period 2 QuadraticEffect (P<.05)

  23. Overall Wt. Change, Year 2Nov. 3 - Feb. 2 91 97 83 61

  24. Small Grains Planting Dates Picture taken 11/30/99 11/4/99 9/10/99 10/7/99 10/21/99 9/23/99 First planting was clipped 10/27/99 removing 1,880 lb/a of forage

  25. Grazing Strategy Objective Based Forage Class of Livestock

  26. Grazing Strategies for Introduced Forages • Bermudagrass or OWBRotation to control maturity – Complete a rotation every 21 to 30 days when forage is growing. • Cool Season GrassesRotation can increase grazing days per acre by 40% • Cool Season LegumesShort residue height in fall and winter • Multiple paddocks can be peace of mind (easier to count days remaining)

  27. Grazing Strategies for Native Range • Stocking Rate is especially critical – Can’t fix it with fertilizer • Stockers -individual performance declines with rotational grazing • Cows –multiple pastures orpatch burn

  28. Patch Burning Native Range • Rotation without fencing • Summer burn – reduced winter supplementation by 120 pounds/cow • Improved habitat for wildlife

  29. Multiple Options - • 760 Acres (560 native, 200 Introduced) • No fertilizer, grow all forage – 74 cows • No fertilizer, buy hay 60 days, 90 cows • Cows on native and fertilized introduced, buy hay for 60 days, 158 cows • Fertilize bermudagrass and fescue, 83 cows stockers on native , 316 head (IES) • Add a recreation component • Multi-species grazing

  30. Avoid “Locked In Mode” • It won’t work on my place! • I need to plant more____! • I have to have “X number” of cows. • I have to spray weeds! • Conventional wisdom can change!

  31. The Ranch That Feeds Less Hay Wins!

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