Preparation for Drought
or the Next Extended Dry
Period.
Renovation, Fertilization and Posturing of
Improved Pastures and Hayfields
Dr. Steve Livingston
Professor and Extension Agronomist
Texas Cooperative Extension
Corpus Christi, Texas
Improved pastures don’t just happen
Some of them are “high maintenance”
All of them require TLC
Signs of Pasture Fatigue…
Patch Grazing
Thinning stands of desirable grass
Clumps of weeds and rogue grasses
Short, unthrifty grass
Low production
Failing stands
Encroachment
If you see these tell-tale signs; you are not prepared for the next drought!
All this translates to a lower
livestock carrying capacity,
and an evolvement back to native vegetation
There’s no
such thing as
a free lunch..
Pastures gotta be fed too…
Drought brings all
pastures to a
reckoning
A DROUGHT
YEAR comes
every 1 in 7 years
Like the image above, he who doesn’t have grass;
may lose his a _ _…
What are some things we can do
to put things in order?
Things Bermudagrass Pastures
Respond To:
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Fertilization*
Renovation*
Water
Weed control
Brush control
Stocking rate
Other
“Do these things on time, and life will be easier…”
Coastal Bend Soil Testing Campaign 2006
(All crops, 598 samples)
Nutrient
Nitrogen
Percent of Samples
High Medium
Low
24
46
30
Phosphorus
17
55
27
Potassium
96
3
1
High potential for residual N and P to be detected.
Potassium very seldom needed.
Soil Testing Campaign (2001-06)
Crop
Corn
Cotton
Grain Sorghum
Bermudagrass
Melons
Sugarcane
Cost Savings Per Acre ($)
Min.
Max.
Average
0.25
64.50
17.66
0.28
65.63
22.06
0.25
35.98
9.47
0.98
45.92
14.33
9.12
35.51
23.96
0.96
65.60
15.09
Taking pasture soil samples
The Sampling Plan:
• Break-down into fields of 20 acres or less
• Prepare to take 12-15 sub-samples per bag
• Avoid contamination of samples
Required Tools:
Shovel
Soil probe
Auger
Bucket
Bags
Other
“Using the probe “
A longer probe will often “save the back” if many samples are to be taken
Discard the organic top growth
Retain the center 6-inches
Discard soil below 6-inch zone
Same deal for the shovel method
How deep
do you sample?
Why?
10-15 cores sufficient for fields
Up to 20 acres
Stratification Concerns
Stratification (accumulation at the surface) of phosphorus and lime from
prior surface applications can drastically alter soil test data. Stratification
is of particular concern in reduced tillage and nonirrigated fields that
receive limited rainfall. In these instances, subsurface sampling depths
may vary from 2 to 8 inches or 3 to 9 inches below the surface. Also,
deviations from the traditional 6-inch sampling depth may be required
if fertilizer has been placed deeper in the soil.
But…
Avoid Unusual Variability!
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Saline areas
Eroded knolls
Old manure piles
Burn piles
Haystacks
Corrals
Fencerows
Old farm sites
within 50 feet of roads
within 50 feet of field edges
Sample at 0 to 6 and to 24-inch depths and keep depths separate. Samples
for pH, P, K, organic matter and micronutrients should be analyzed from the
0 to 6" depth.
N and S should be analyzed for both depths as these mobile nutrients may
be deficient in the surface 0 to 6" yet adequate in the 6-24" depth
Soil Sampling: The Most Important Step
1
2
3
4
Other Methods of Collection
Augers work best on rocky soils
Slivering with shovel or trowel Drilling through plastic dish
Consolidating
cores from along
the sampling line
Bad practice to use
metal bucket….
Both iron and zinc
contamination possible!
Ǿ
Use clean plastic
bucket. Clean off probe
with screwdriver; shovel
with putty knife.
Consolidate cores, mix
together, and fill sample
bags to the fill-line.
• Crumble the cores
• Mix thoroughly
• Allow to air dry
• Place in well labeled bag
• Choose a reputable lab
• Sample every 3-4 years
Basic NPK
pH, O.M. and CEC…all for $10
Add micronutrients
salinity…all for $15
Fertilizers and Expectations
of a Good Fertilization Program
What fertilization can do…
Effect of Different Nitrogen Rates on Yield and
Protein Content of Coastal (Texas A&M)
LB/N/Acre
Yield in Tons
Protein
0
2.67
7.9
100
4.38
9.1
200
5.93
10.5
400
8.59
11.7
600
10.65
12.4
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Fertility has a much higher impact on total production per acre. Any grass
responds to higher nitrogen rates. Coastal bermudagrass will produce
from 12,000 to 14,000 pounds of hay per acre with approximately 300
pounds of total nitrogen per acre. The relationship between production
and fertility is almost direct as long as growing conditions are adequate.
Producing large amounts of hay per acre is only possible where a good
fertility program is followed.
Variations in Coastal BG Haya
LQ
MLQ MQ MHQ HQ
_______________________________________________
Crude Protein, %
5
8
11
14
17
ADF, %
46.6 42.8 39.0 35.2 31.4
Projected Performance
of a 500 lb steer
DM Intake, lb
7.8
9.1
10.3 11.6 12.8
ADG, lb
-0.5 0.08 0.66 1.23 1.81
Estimated TDN
43.5 48.5 52.0 55.0 57.5
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a All nutrient values are on a dry matter basis
Fertilization recommendations per acre for
hybrid bermudagrass
Forage Use
NPK Recommendations
Grazing1 Only
45-20-20 + 60-0-0
62.65
1 Hay Cutting + grazing 75-20-40 + 60-0-0
80.55
3 Hay Cuttings2
75-30-60 + 100-0-0
$ Cost/Acre
108.15
Clover
0-50-60 + 50-0-0
63.20
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Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
40-45 cents/lb
35-55 cents/lb
20-22 cents/lb
Nutrient recycling lowers the nitrogen requirement where “grazing only”.
2 Hayfields always require greater amount of nitrogen because everything
is being removed for use.
1
Rules of Thumb
• For grazing, apply 50 lbs N/acre after
green-up and 50 lbs/acre every 30 days.
• Or for horse pastures, apply 80
lbs N/acre in Spring, 50 in June and
another 50 in the Fall.
• For hay production and cutting at 28-30
day intervals, apply 80 lb/acre after
each cutting. (this is driven by
available rainfall/water).
Fertility Essential
• Bermudagrass responds well to
fertilization-N and renovation.
• Forage yields are reduced more than
4X when no N-fertilization is provided.
• Another way to say that it takes four
times as much rainfall to make a ton
of forage when not fertilized.
Fertility increases protein and
digestibility
However…..clipping frequency
has an even greater effect on protein
Effects of Frequent Cutting on Yield and Quality of Coastal Bermudagrass Hay
(Georgia Coastal Plains Section)
____________________________________________________________
Clipping
Tons/acre
Percent Crude
Percent
Percent Leaf
Frequency (weeks
Protein
Crude Fiber
______________________________________________________________________________
3
9.7
19.0
27.7
86.0
4
10.0
16.9
29.5
83.0
6
11.9
13.6
33.2
62.0
12
11.6
9.7
35.0
51.0
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Fertilizer Application Methods
Depend on:
What is available in local area?
Custom applied or do-it-yourself?
Liquid or dry fertilizer?
Costs -vs- Benefits?
Basic Fertilizer Materials
Commercial Applicators – Dry Fertilizers
Dry Fertilizer Distribution Equipment
Commercial Liquid Fertilizer Applicators
Most pull-type dry fertilizer
carts do not provide the
same uniform distribution
obtained with liquid
fertilizer distribution
systems.
Calibrated Gate
Spinners
Chain Drive Conveyer
San Pat Coop
2000 lb bags
Deep banding concentrates solid or liquid fertilizer
within rows below the soil surface. Depth of placement
ranges from 1-6.5 inches. Nutrients are placed by knives
chisels, and cultivators
High pressure injection
Surface banding
Point injector system
Getting Phosphorus Below The Soil Surface
www.spikewheel.com
Factors driving N-fertilizer prices higher:
• Petroleum prices are expected to
remain high for the next 2-3 years.
• The price of corn and the record
number of acres being planted to
supply grain for new ethanol plants.
• Anhydrous will be the cheapest, but
ammonia sulfate and ammonia nitrate
will be 50 cents +/pound.
Alternatives to chemical fertilizers
and annual reestablishment
• Lower the stocking rate
• Consider fall-planted legumes and
alternative forages (Armadillo burr
clover, other medics, arrowleaf clover,
alfalfa, winter peas, cow peas)
• Max-Q fescue as a perennial winter
pasture.
• Leucena as a permanent forage source
Leucaena leucocephala “Leadtree”
Planted Skip-Row for Easy Access
Cortez filled the holds of his ships with
leucaena for his horses on the return trip
to Spain.
Stanley Schilling and Ismaro Cardenas
Live Oak County
Leucaena
• 2 qt/ac Roundup after 1st year (early spring).
• Shredded it in January (after 10’ growth the
first year)
• 30-10-10 applied to one field and 50-0-0 to
another field after 5 years of sustained
yields.
• Heifers browsed it before they would go to
the ryegrass.
• Very drought tolerant. Unaffected by 2006
drought. Possible cellulosic alcohol uses.
What is Posturing?
• Posturing a pasture is preparing it to
have the following:
1. Maximizing root systems for
endurance
2. Maximizing soil water storage
capacity.
• This will extend grazing 2-3 weeks in the face of dry weather.
For 10 cows, that means you saved 5 RBs w/2 weeks…
• It could delay the need to start feeding hay by as much as a month.
“It’s too late to begin doing this when it’s stopped raining…
you must prepare when times are good”.
Seven Bad Mistakes
• Buy the cheapest hay you can find,
regardless of quality.
• Jam RBs together without spacing, well
drained area or protective cover.
• Purchasing hay too little; too late.
• Cutting-back N-fertilizer.
• Too late with weed control.
• Renovation delayed too long.
• Selling-off cows too late.
Also Posturing Self and Resources
• Keep a 2-year hay supply (2 RB/cow)
• Position and store hay to be accessible
and to stay in good condition.
• Quality hay better than cheap hay and
having to feed cotton seed.
• Legumes? Burr clover can contribute
up to 80 lbs of nitrogen per acre. If you
over-fertilize the bermudagrass, you
may not have much clover. There is a
“balance”.
Equipment Preparation
• Use hayrings or efficient feeding devices.
• Store hay under cover, or tarp your hay as
much as practical.
• Perch bales on higher ground; space bales
to prevent rotting and hay losses.
• Sell-off old cattle, hay ring-bosses and weak
cattle. Some won’t make it; just waiting to
die. Weak cattle won’t breed-back during
these times. More risks and liabilities to you.
• Be tough; do the right thing…and soon
enough.
1 bale T85 BGH = 3 bales of baled rope
+ Molasses tubs (250-lb)
Cotton seed meal
Range cubes
$65 - 70
$390/T
$8.25
Hay under cover keeps forever
Waste not; want not
Minimize Hay Storage
and Feeding Losses
If you don’t have overhead
cover; tarp premium hay.
Compaction and Renovation
The subtle death of a high
forage production system
What is Soil Compaction?
Why Bother?
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Hoof pans observed
Natural compaction layers
Equipment traffic signs
Root malformation and stunting
Water infiltration and retention less
Gradual decline in forage production.
Can’t get fertilizer down where it
belongs
Compaction makes both wet
and dry soil conditions more
severe! It reduces the water
holding capacity of soil which
makes drought conditions
worse, and inhibits drainage
to make wet conditions more
troublesome!
Air and water move together in the soil
Compaction brings
lower bulk density
Less pore space
Lower water holding
capacity
More surface runoff
Weed encroachment
Fading grass stands
When Rooting becomes limited…
Pancaking of root mass
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No deep rooting can take place.
Roots enlarged, twisted, or thin and flattened.
Malformation of roots. Can only penetrate soils in cracks.
Visual stunting where traffic patterns are found.
Preventing Soil Compaction
• Avoid field traffic when fields wet
• Confine traffic to specific paths
• Use only as much weight on the tractor as
necessary.
• Avoid high stocking rates (especially when
wet).
• Use radial, low pressure tires when possible.
90% of compaction comes with first pass.
• Check soil with penetrometer
www.dickeyjohn.com
800 637-3302
Details of the Probe
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Measures PSI (lbs/inch2)
$210
Bigger scale for looser soil
Smaller scale for silt loams and clays
Stainless steel shaft
Throwaways
20-30 year-old technology
Pasture Renovation Equipment
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Tye
Aerway
Hay King
Wingfield
Agri-Tech
Lawson
Karnes County, 2006
Light Pasture Renovation – Bee County
Soil and sod a little too dry…
Goliad and DeWitt Counties, February, 2007
Lower power requirement, often less destructive to sod.
Hay King, K&M Manufacturing CO
Can cut 4-10 inches deep; but not necessary
to go deeper than just below the hoof pan…
Fluted coulters cut through trash and reduce
roughness during of soil renovation
HAY-KING, 10 shanks on 15-inch centers
10-15 HP per shank (depending on soil), sheerbolts
Staggered to prevent trash build-up
17-inch adjustable coulters
1745 pounds
Hay King Renovator
Also comes with
14, 12, 8, 6, 5, 4,
and 3 shanks
www.hayking.com
30-35 HP per Leg
(depending on soil type)
Sub-soilers: Mechanical Trip Paratill®
Legs
4
6
8
Pounds
3600
4750
5800
Tye Paratill Plow
Coulter cuts
through trash
Schematic diagram illustrating primary
components of the Paratill® Plow
Lateral shattering created
By shins and points
Spacing the legs on the tool bar can create
either “zone loosening” of sod (renovation) or
“total loosening” (reestablishment) of broken land
Agri-Tech 10-foot pasture aerator, comes with hydraulics,
4 wheels and tires
$5,700
www.agritech-mfg.com
Lawson Field and Pasture Aerator
These spiral spades cut into
The soil but don’t roughen it
Two-Rivers RC&D does
Rental program for $6/ac
Or $14/ac for tractor and
operator
Aerway Aerator w/water tanks for wt.
Wingfield Pasture Aerator
• Uses B-33 mole knife with a
Clymer utility coulter.
• 15-20 or 30-inch spacings
• Flexible harrow mixes soil
and residues.
• Overseed first; renovate 2d
www.wingfields.com
• 7 shank model $5,225
• 12-foot harrow with 12 rows
of tines
$1,810
www.aerway.com 800 457-8310
Benefits of Pasture Renovation
Table 1. Yields of Coastal Bermudagrass obtained over a four year study on
the 4M Cotton, Cattle and Grain Farm, Hidalgo County, Texas, 1990-93.
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92
93
Average2
Treatment
90
911
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Paratilled
11,037
11,176
11,862
9,883
10,991
Untreated Check
7,072
10,496
9,222
9,793
9,146
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Change
3,965
681
2,640
95
1,845
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Percent Increase
1
56.1
6.5
28.6
1.0
23.1
1991 was a year with high rainfall
2 The heavy, black clay soils usually require renovation in the 4th year.
Quality Forage Production doesn’t “just happen”
Water
(Weed and Brush Control)
Forage
Production
Fertilizer
Renovation
“Forage establishment is too expensive to not manage well…”
Sprigging unit for establishing bermudagrasses.
Tifton 85, Jiggs, Coastal (best in that order)
Our brushland pastures also responds to aeration
when accompanied with brush control
Lawson Aerator
Results of renovation, Chaparrel Wildlife Management Area,
Carrizo Springs, Dimmit County, TX.
Increased in bunch grass growth following aeration, results
from trapped rainfall and increased water storage capacity
Results in April (3-4 months post-treatment),
Produced 3-4 times as much grass as before
Because of rains, lots of forbs also emerge. Many of these are edible along
with the grass that comes up following rain.
The “Take Home” Message is…
Plan
Prepare
Posture
Fertilization and renovation improve forage yields!
The End