{"id":765,"date":"2025-04-30T11:56:39","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T15:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/?p=765"},"modified":"2025-04-30T11:56:39","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T15:56:39","slug":"weather-struggles-stall-pasture-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/2025\/04\/weather-struggles-stall-pasture-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"WEATHER STRUGGLES STALL PASTURE GROWTH"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Producers across South Georgia are facing a challenging forage situation this spring. <strong>Cool early temperatures<\/strong> delayed the growth of bermudagrass, and <strong>dry conditions<\/strong> have followed \u2014 leaving cattle pastures short on usable forage just as summer pressure builds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, many producers are considering <strong>warm-season annual grasses<\/strong> like <strong>pearl millet<\/strong> and <strong>sorghum<\/strong> to fill the gap. However, seed availability, livestock safety, and planting costs vary widely between the two options. Here\u2019s what you need to know to make the best decision for your operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udf3e PEARL MILLET<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Safe and Drought-Hardy \u2014 But Expensive This Year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ready to graze:<\/strong> ~35\u201340 days after planting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Start grazing at:<\/strong> 20\u201324 inches<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leave a stubble height of:<\/strong> 9\u201312 inches<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nutritional value:<\/strong> TDN 52\u201358%, CP 8\u201311%<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Safety:<\/strong> <strong>No prussic acid<\/strong> \u2013 safe for all livestock<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Best for:<\/strong> Horse owners or high-value grazing systems<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u26a0\ufe0f <strong>Note:<\/strong> Pearl millet seed is in short supply and <strong>very expensive<\/strong> this season, making it less accessible for many cattle producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udf3f SORGHUM, SUDANGRASS &amp; HYBRIDS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>More Affordable &amp; High-Yielding \u2014 But Requires Caution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ready to graze:<\/strong> ~45\u201350 days after planting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Start grazing at:<\/strong> 24 inches<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leave a stubble height of:<\/strong> 8\u201312 inches<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nutritional value:<\/strong> TDN 53\u201360%, CP 9\u201315%<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Safety:<\/strong> Can develop <strong>prussic acid<\/strong> (toxic to livestock under stress)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Best for:<\/strong> Cattle-only operations with good grazing management<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u26a0\ufe0f <strong>Do NOT graze sorghum species with horses.<\/strong> These forages can cause <strong>cyanide poisoning<\/strong> and urinary issues in equines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udd25 CURRENT CONDITIONS CALL FOR TOUGH DECISIONS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>With pastures producing less than normal, <strong>some producers may need to begin feeding hay<\/strong> or <strong>sell part of their herd<\/strong> to reduce grazing pressure and conserve feed. Rain is urgently needed to help both permanent and annual pastures begin producing again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re planting summer annuals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sorghum hybrids<\/strong> are more available and offer high yield for cattle<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Millet<\/strong> remains the <strong>safest choice for horses<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Carefully manage <strong>grazing height and regrowth<\/strong> to extend forage lifespan<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcca QUICK COMPARISON<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table caes-extended-core-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Feature<\/th><th>Pearl Millet<\/th><th>Sorghum \/ Hybrids<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Days to Grazing<\/td><td>35\u201340<\/td><td>45\u201350<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Drought Tolerance<\/td><td>High<\/td><td>Moderate to High<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Prussic Acid Risk<\/td><td>None<\/td><td>High under stress<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Safe for Horses<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Seed Cost (2025)<\/td><td>High (short supply)<\/td><td>Moderate (more available)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Ideal Use<\/td><td>Horses, drought-safe grazing<\/td><td>Cattle-focused, high-yield systems<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 FINAL THOUGHTS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This year, grazing decisions are driven as much by <strong>weather and seed markets<\/strong> as they are by pasture need. Talk with your Extension agent about planting dates, grazing systems, or hay feeding strategies to weather this forage shortage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Publications<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/extension.uga.edu\/publications\/detail.html?number=B1323&amp;title=drought-management-strategies-for-beef-cattle#:~:text=If%20early%20weaning%20is%20not,50%20percent%20corn%20gluten%20feed.\">Drought Management Strategies for Beef Cattle<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.uga.edu\/publications\/detail.html?number=SB51&amp;title=drought-related-cattle-feeding-problems\">Drought-Related Cattle Feeding Problems<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>\ud83c\udf10 <strong>More Resources:<\/strong> <a class=\"\">georgiaforages.caes.uga.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Producers across South Georgia are facing a challenging forage situation this spring. Cool early temperatures delayed the growth of bermudagrass, and dry conditions have followed \u2014 leaving cattle pastures short on usable forage just as summer pressure builds. As a result, many producers are considering warm-season annual grasses like pearl millet and sorghum to fill [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":324,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cattle-forages"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/324"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=765"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":766,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765\/revisions\/766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}