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Dormant Season (Winter) Grazing Management

Dormant Season (Winter) Grazing Management. Kevin K. Sedivec Extension Rangeland Specialist North Dakota State University. Why Concerns with Winter Grazing and Nutrient Management?. The longer your on pasture, the more NATURAL manure is being managed

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Dormant Season (Winter) Grazing Management

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  1. Dormant Season (Winter) Grazing Management Kevin K. Sedivec Extension Rangeland Specialist North Dakota State University

  2. Why Concerns with Winter Grazing and Nutrient Management? • The longer your on pasture, the more NATURAL manure is being managed • Reduces manure management within the lot/yards • Reduces confinement in small areas

  3. Why Winter Graze? • Winter feed costs total up to $200 per animal unit per year. • Potential for economic benefit/better utilize of the range resource • Practiced by many western Dakota, Montana and Wyoming ranchers • Little information regarding ecological effects in Northern Plains

  4. Effect of Winter Defoliation on Herbage Production • Cool-season grasses maintain green leaves throughout the dormant season (Baron 2002) • Much of the available literature regarding winter survival of plants from an agricultural perspective has been concentrated on tame forage pastures and meadows

  5. Effect of Winter Defoliation on Cool and Warm Season Grasses • Freeze et al. (1999) showed lifetime productivity of fescue grasslands in Alberta, Canada was enhanced by winter grazing as opposed to summer grazing • Reisterer et al. (2000) found winter defoliation on tame cool season grasses in southern Minnesota was not different from the ungrazed control

  6. Effect of Winter Defoliation on Cool and Warm Season Grasses • Schacht et al. (1998) in Nebraska, Auen and Owensby (1988) in Kansas, and Engel et al. (1998) in Oklahoma found winter defoliation of selected warm-season grasses was not detrimental to herbage production

  7. Seasonal Forage Loss Herbage production peaks in June and July Natural loss of standing crop occurs after peak Seasonal Nutritional Loss Crude protein and TDN decline and fiber increase with maturation Most minerals also decline with maturation Greatest Negatives to Winter Grazing

  8. Seasonal Herbage Production (ND & SD) in 2004-2005

  9. Seasonal Growth Rates of Native Grasses

  10. Crude Protein (%) Content of Select Cool-season Grasses

  11. SMOOTH BROMEGRASS – Seasonal growth pattern and crude protein

  12. Winter Grazing Trial in Western North and South Dakota: 1999-2006 Adams County

  13. Perkins County

  14. Treatments (4) • Winter grazing (15 November-10 January) @ 50% disappearance of above ground biomass (Full Use) • No summer grazing • Winter grazing @ 30% disappearance (Moderate) • No summer grazing • Summer grazing (June 5-15) @ 25% disappearance (Flashgrazing) + Winter grazing @ 50% disappearance (Full Use) • Season-long, summer-only grazing @ 50% disappearance (Control)

  15. Peak Herbage Production 2001 Kg/ha Treatment P>0.05 “NS”

  16. Peak Herbage Production 2002 b b ab a Kg/ha Treatment P<0.05

  17. Peak Herbage Production 2004 b ab ab a Kg/ha Treatment P<0.05

  18. Peak Herbage Production 2005 b ab a a Kg/ha Treatment P<0.05

  19. Plant species compositional changes since 2000 • To date: NO SIGNIFICANT differences in plant species diversity and richness have occurred on either treatments • This is a LONG-TERM question that usually takes 5 to 10 years to see differences (if they occur)

  20. Western Wheatgrass (July) 2001-2005 m m m m y ac z x b c x abc t t s s g f f fg Height (cm) Year P<0.05

  21. Blue grama (August)2001-2005 a m m a m m a b x z g wz y f fg g u t t s Height (cm) Year P<0.05

  22. Swath Grazing Study in south central North Dakota - 2005

  23. Treatments (4) • Swath grazing foxtail millet (annual warm season) • Swathed mid September, grazed October 15 – December 15 • Swath grazing crested wheatgrass/legume (perennial cool season) • Swathed mid September, grazed October 15 – December 15 • Swath grazing big bluestem (perennial warm season) • Swathed mid September, grazed October 15 – December 15 with a 33 % protein supplement cake (2 lbs/d) • Dormant season grazing • Grazed October 15 – December 15

  24. Initial and final body condition on dry cows grazing swath treatments and native range in 2005 * * Cattle on the big bluestem treatment were supplement with 2 lb/d 33 % protein block

  25. Initial and Final weight of cows grazing swath treatments and native range in 2005 * * Cattle on the big bluestem treatment were supplement with 2 lb/d 33 % protein block

  26. Importance to Extending the Grazing Season • Allows for natural spreading of manure and urine, and adding a degradable nutrient into the ecosytem • Reduces labor and costs of harvested feeds • Also, reduces the efficiency of harvesting forage produced and nutritional status of the feed

  27. Conclusions • Winter grazing has potential for economic benefit to ranchers on the Northern Great Plains • Winter grazing strategies lengthen the grazing season/shorten the winter-feeding period

  28. Any Questions?

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