Winter Forages

Jeremy Kichler in our previous post discussed the importance of variety selection for winter grazing. Today, Holly Anderson gives some tips to ensure winter forage success.

Planting annual cool season forages can increase grazing supply and help stretch hay stores.

The most common cool season annual species planted in Georgia are Rye, Oats, Wheat, Triticale, and annual ryegrass. There can be pros and cons of each species and by mixing more than one species one can lengthen their grazing window and provide more forage for livestock. Rye, Oats, Wheat, and Triticale tend to produce grazing earlier in the winter than ryegrass. By adding ryegrass into your winter grazing plan you can graze later into the winter and on into spring giving you perennial grass pastures more time to green up and save on feeding some hay.

When to Plant

These crops can be seeded between late August and early October in the Limestone Valley/Mountains region, early September and mid- to late October in the Piedmont region, and late September to late October in the Coastal Plain region. Do not overgraze these pastures too early. For best results, maintain at least 2 ½ in. of stubble height.

Overseeding Pastures

For producers who overseed into perennial pastures it is very important to give your winter grazing a good start by removing excess summer crop growth before seeding winter annuals. The reason for this is getting better seed to soil contact when planting. Thin stands are usually the result of failing to get over seeded crop seed in contact with soil and nutrients. Warm-season perennial pastures like bermudagrass and bahiagrass provide forage for five to six months. Overseeding these pastures with winter annuals can add 75 to 100 days of high-quality grazing in late winter and spring. Overseeding occurs in the fall after cooler temperatures have slowed the growth of summer grasses.

Seed can be placed more precisely with a drill than by broadcasting and disking. This is why when you plan to broadcast, plan to increase the seeding rate by 25 – 30% to allow for variable seed placement. Plant small grain seed 1 – 1 ½ in. deep in moist soil. Do not plant ryegrass seed deeper than ½ in. When planting mixtures of ryegrass with other small grains, it may be easier to control the seeding depth of these species by broadcasting ryegrass seed and then drilling the small grain seed into the seedbed. Below is a chart of the recommended rates for small grains and ryegrass.

Fertilization

Apply 40 – 50 lbs of N per acre at planting or soon after the plants emerge to increase growth, tillering (thickening of the stand), and provide earlier grazing. A second application of 40 – 50 lbs of N per acre should be applied in mid-winter to increase winter and spring forage production. Because ryegrass is longer-lived, a third application of 40 – 50 lbs of N per acre may be needed in early spring when ryegrass is used for late spring grazing, hay, or silage crop. Rates of N in excess of these amounts may result in substantial N losses to leaching and excessive growth during the winter. Fresh, tender growth that occurs when nitrogen is in excess could be damaged by extremely cold weather.

Adjust Fertilization for Low Fertility

An abundance of N will do no good if the soil pH is so low that the plant’s roots cannot extract it from the soil. In addition, low P or K in the soil will limit the growth of the winter annuals even if plenty of N is available. So, if the field’s fertility is too low, then adding more than 30‐40 lbs of N per acre at a time is throwing good money after bad. If you are unsure of your soil fertility levels and pH a soil test through your local extension office would be a good recommendation.

If you have questions about soil testing, seeding rates of these winter annuals, or variety questions please call your local Extension office.