Missouri Forage and Grassland Council 2000 Annual Meeting October 30-31, 2000 Lake Ozark Holiday Inn, Lake Ozark, Missouri

Forages can be managed for profit by focusing on making strategic investments in fertilizer, seed, fences and other inputs. These investments should be part of a logical plan to reap a financial reward from each one. Profitability can be greatly influenced by keeping cows reproductively efficient, by minimizing hay wastage, by managing tall fescue better, by making smart variety decisions, and by managing to be efficient grazers with the longest possible grazing season.

Forages and Reproductive Efficiency.
To paraphrase the movie ‘Field of Dreams,’ ‘If you feed them, they will conceive.’ A South Dakota study on the effect of body condition score on the percent of cows cycling found that thin cows do not cycle (Table 1).

In addition, thin cows at calving do not get pregnant and take longer to come back into estrus (Table 1). Having cows at a body condition score of 5 vs 3 doubled the annual income per cow. Clearly, having more calves and getting them born sooner are economic incentives for forage improvement. This is especially so since one of the largest determinants of weaning weight is date of birth (sooner is better because older calves weigh more).

What are the forage implications? It means that you have to look at what you are doing prior to and after calving to help the cow make you the next paycheck. For spring calvers, this means forage testing and balancing rations, cutting hay as early as possible for high quality and then preserving that quality and yield by better hay storage. The advent of individual bale wrappers for making haylage has made it possible to minimize rain damage on early cuttings of hay and therefore come closer to harvesting crops at the optimum stage of maturity.

Hay Storage
Hay is an important part of beef operations, but outside storage of large round bales is a place where much profit potential is lost. Studies of the dry matter losses of round bales stored outside have consistently shown losses from 20 to 30% or more. Clearly, if hay is worth anything, there is room for improvement here.

A Kentucky study compared the depth of the weathered layer and the dry matter losses of four storage methods for mature tall fescue hay. In this study, twine tied bales stacked directly on the ground had over 4 inches of weathered hay and lost over 30% of their dry matter (Figure 1). Net-wrapped bales were slightly better (2 inches of weathering, 24% dry matter loss), while plastic wrap (ends of bales were open to ‘breathe’) was similar to inside storage.

The value of several storage systems relative to outside storage on the ground is estimated in Table 2 for grass hay and alfalfa hay, valued at $40 and $85 per ton, respectively. Dry matter losses for each storage system were valued based on the value of the hay. These figures were compared to the losses of the same hay stored outside on the ground with no weather protection (‘stack on ground’ option). These differences are expressed as “Savings over ‘Stack on ground’”.

In all but one case (conventional shed and $40 per ton grass hay), improved bale storage resulted in sufficient savings to cover the all costs associated with the storage system employed. The savings of $40 per ton grass hay stored in a conventional shed was only $0.27 per ton short of covering the costs of constructing the shed.

Dealing with Tall Fescue and the Endophyte
Tall fescue has been both good and bad for Missouri producers. Clearly it has stabilized the hillsides and can be part of a sound and productive grazing system. Unfortunately, much of the original seedings of tall fescue contained an endophytic fungus that causes reduced weight gains in growing cattle and reduced conception rates in breeding stock. Problems with horses are apparently limited to pregnant mares in late gestation, but losses of foals are not an uncommon occurrence with endophyte infected tall fescue.

Many solutions exist to deal with endophyte infected tall fescue. These include dilution by the addition of legumes, management to minimize the effect, avoidance during the worst times of the season for livestock, and complete replacement.

Producers with established tall fescue fields need to carefully assess their situation. Existing tall fescue stands should be tested on a field-by-field basis. County agricultural agents can provide information regarding cost, sampling methods, and laboratory addresses.

Once the level of endophyte in existing tall fescue pastures is known, a producer can select the best option for dealing with the problem. The best way to handle one field may not be best for another. Four general approaches are available:

1. Dilute the Endophyte - The endophyte or its products can be diluted through the use of other feeds in the diet. Growing legumes with infected tall fescue is an attractive option. Many studies have shown increased pasture production, higher liveweight gains, and improved pregnancy rates when pastures are renovated to include legumes. This has been the number one strategy used by most producers.
   
2. Manage to minimize the effect - Endophyte effects on animals can be minimized with management practices. Grazing and/or clipping management that keeps plants young and vegetative will result in better animal performance. Likewise, if tall fescue is cut for hay in the boot stage, better animal performance will be obtained from late-cut hay. Other practices such as chain harrowing, fertilizing, pest control, creep grazing, and rotational grazing will result in improved overall pasture quality and animal performance.
   
3. Avoid the Endophyte - Use of other forage species avoids the endophyte. Using infected tall fescue only in spring and fall and other grasses or grass-legume mixtures for summer grazing will avoid the endophyte when tall fescue forage quality is low. Since animal performance is adversely affected by feeding infected tall fescue hay, feeding of hay of another species can also be helpful.
   
4. Kill infected stands and replant - Low-endophyte or endophyte-free seed is available. Several varieties of tall fescue have been released, and others are expected. Careful consideration should be given to choosing low-endophyte seed since a new variety that is simply "low-endophyte" or "endophyte-free" will be of little or no value if it is not productive in the area in which it is to be grown. When selecting a variety, attention should be given to adaptation, agronomic performance, animal performance, persistence, and pest resistance. The best source of variety information is university variety trials.

Renovation with clover is still the most reasonable approach for most acres. While far from being a new or ‘cutting edge’ practice, it is still one that is either overlooked or only halfheartedly attempted by many. Clover, both red and white, have exceptional seedling vigor and have the ability to establish in existing stands of tall when certain conditions are met. These conditions include meeting the soil fertility needs of the clover (especially pH and phosphorus), reducing competition from the existing sod both before and after seeding, and getting the right amount of seed in good contact with the soil at a time that will allow germination and establishment. Choosing a good variety of clover is also important.

Why Better Varieties Pay
If better varieties pay, then why aren’t improved varieties used more often? The answer to this question has several parts. First, the indirect nature of the marketing of forages makes farmers resistant to adopt newer varieties. Also, because the yield of most forage crops is spread over multiple harvests and over multiple years in the case of perennials, differences in yield are hard to see. Finally, because of the costs of development and promotion, newer varieties are almost always more expensive than older varieties. As a result, there is a strong tendency for farmers, when buying seed, to choose older varieties, even uncertified varieties. In doing so, their actions have just stated strongly that they feel there is no difference between the older, unimproved seed and new varieties. Ultimately, there must be some measurable benefit in terms of yield, persistence, quality, or disease resistance to justify the increased cost of newer, improved varieties of forage crops.

A primary determinant in variety selection should always be yield. Yield is more than an estimate of productivity; it is an indirect measure of the persistence and disease resistance of a variety. For example, the Bowling Green site of the Kentucky Forage Variety Trials is infected with both phytophthora and aphanomyces. Alfalfa varieties that perform well at this location have proven that they can tolerate these soil diseases, yield well, and persist at the same time.

Varieties of tall fescue, orchardgrass and timothy also will differ in yield and other characteristics. However, for most of our forage grasses, the primary use is for pasture. Little testing has been done for performance in pasture settings, but some grazing tolerance work shows clear varietal differences.

Studies at the University of Kentucky have found that there are differences in grazing tolerance among tall fescue varieties with some indication that similar differences occur in orchardgrass as well. Some endophyte free tall fescue varieties have performed as well as endophyte infected Kentucky 31 ( Tables 3 and 4). Seedling vigor of endophyte free tall fescue varieties has been comparable to endophyte infected Kentucky 31.

Results with orchardgrass are unclear. In general orchardgrass will not tolerate close continuous grazing as well as tall fescue.

Alfalfa
As the highest yielding, highest quality forage crop raised in Missouri, alfalfa has the most variety options available. The difference in seeding better varieties of alfalfa can be seen when compared to the disease resistance levels of older varieties. Varieties such as Buffalo, Saranac AR, Liberty, and Arc are susceptible to phytophthora root rot, where almost all other varieties of alfalfa marketed in Missouri have at least a ‘MR’ or moderately resistant rating to this disease.

Choosing a better alfalfa variety has a definite yield advantage (Table 5). A comparison of the top five varieties versus the checks for four different studies from Kentucky found that the better varieties produced an average of almost 1 ton (0.93 tons) of 15% moisture content hay per acre per year for every year of the stand (including the year of seeding).

The difference in seed cost between the checks and the best varieties is about $2.00 per pound. At a 20 pound per acre seeding rate, the extra cost of seeding the best alfalfa compared to the checks would be $40 per acre, which is certainly a significant figure. However, 0.93 tons of hay at $85 per ton equals $79 extra revenue per acre per year from better varieties of alfalfa. Over the average stand life of these four studies, this extra yield was worth $415 per acre. That makes the net return on investment for a better alfalfa variety worth about 938%. Are better varieties worth it? You bet.

Research at the University of Kentucky has been evaluating grazing tolerance among alfalfa varieties since 1995. In these studies, small plots of alfalfa varieties are seeded in the fall and grazed until differences are apparent (usually for two seasons). Varieties such as Feast, Amerigraze 401Z, WL 326GZ and ABT 405 have shown excellent tolerance of overgrazing (Table 6) Most or all of these have been selected under actual grazing pressure during their development.

Red Clover
Using improved, certified varieties of red clover has been a consistent recommendation for Missouri’s producers. However, the difference in cost between uncertified, common red clover and improved varieties can exceed $1 per pound.

Research at the University of Kentucky in the spring of 1991 compared the yields of improved, certified red clover to that of four unidentified common medium red clovers obtained from local distributors. In the first year, the difference between the average performance of the certified varieties in the test and the average of the four common varieties was over 1,000 pounds of dry matter per acre (Figure 2). In the second and third years, the average effect of seeding an improved, certified variety of red clover was worth almost 2,000 pounds per acre and 3,000 pounds per acre, respectively.

However, if a farmer is going to plant a better variety, he or she is not going to select the "average" variety, they are going to use the best. Also, since buying a common variety of red clover is, by definition, getting an unknown product, it is valid to compare the difference between the best and the worst red clovers in the trial (Figure 2). We found that differences in stand height were visible in the plots within 18 months of seeding. In addition, there was visible thinning of the common stands by the fall of the first full production year. Comparing the stand and yield of the best/worst red clovers indicates that the advantage of using the “best” variety according to these yield tests was worth 5.3 tons of dry matter or over 6.2 tons of 15% moisture hay. Most of this difference in yield occurred at the end of the stand life when the common varieties failed to persist. The bottom line is that seeding an improved variety of certified red clover seed pays in terms of yield and stand, period.

Putting an economic value on the forage generated from the investment in better varieties is equally impressive. Seeding 10 pounds of seed of red clover in tall fescue would cost approximately $10 more per acre compared to a common variety. If you value the 6.2 tons of hay at $80 per ton, then the net improvement in income per acre over a three-year period would be $496 minus $10 or $486. Seeding better red clover truly pays.

Maximizing Grazing Season
Grazing is the cheapest way to feed ruminants on a cost per pound of nutrient basis. By extending the number of days that grazed forage is used as the primary source of nutrition , producers can more efficiently and cost-effectively feed their livestock. The following are thoughts and brief outlines of the challenges of developing a year-around system for feeding livestock.

February to April: Fertilize for earliest possible green-up on some fields by applying N in early spring to cool season grass fields or small grains. Rye will begin growing fastest and first. Expect to get on these pastures 7 to 14 days earlier than traditional turn out time, depending on the year. Fields that face south, that are better drained, and that do not have excessive winter growth of forage will warm up first and will start growing first.

April to June 15: This period is the time of maximum growth rates which often requires harvesting of excess forage as stored feed. Rotate pastures quickly and don’t try to utilize large percentages of the forage in any given pasture, or forage growth will get too far ahead on more paddocks or pastures than necessary. Consider leader/follower systems to maximize the animal gains and also to raise the utilization levels of pastures. Harvest excess growth on time, based on stage of maturity, to produce high quality hay or haylage and to allow for larger amounts of regrowth forage (that will be primarily leafy, green forage of high quality).

June 15 to August 15: Growth during this period slows down greatly. Extend the length of time that pasture fields are rested and begin to leave more residual leaf area for cool season grasses. Summer annual grasses can be very useful during this time to rest cool-season grass pastures and also to provide a break from the endophyte stress of infected tall fescue. Fall forage crops like turnips and small grains can be planted in late summer to provide for more fall and winter grazing. During this time, identify fields of tall fescue that will be stockpiled (animals removed and pastures fertilized with N) for extended grazing into fall and winter.

August 15 to October 1: Historically, this period has the lowest pasture quality of the entire growing season, due to high temperatures and extended dry periods in the fall. Consider feeding hay to maintain body condition and performance. Also, limit the fields that are overgrazed, especially cool season grasses. Even though it appears that growth is stopped and that animals cannot do any more damage, these fields grow back more slowly that fall than those left ungrazed. There is still opportunity to seed small grains or possibly turnip-type crops for extra grazing. However, the fall growth of these crops is entirely dependent on moisture and the number of days before low temperatures stop growth. Apply N to tall fescue or bluegrass fields for fall stockpiling in late August and early September, and remove grazing livestock from these fields at this time. UK research indicates that urea is 75 to 85% as effective as ammonium nitrate for producing fall growth. Graze clover hay fields during this period.

October 1 to November 1: Continue to graze clover hay fields, and plan to graze orchardgrass and/or bluegrass based pastures before fall rains make them decline in quality and quantity of forage. If late-summer seeded turnips or small grains have enough growth, turn into these as well. Strip-graze or limit access to forage crops at this time since they have little or no ability to regrow.

November 1 to January 1: Alfalfa fields can be grazed down at this time if the ground will support hoof traffic. Bloat is a possibility on lush or freshly frosted legumes, so limit access to these fields and make sure animals are full of hay before turnout. Utilize stockpiled tall fescue to save hay. To make the most efficient use of the high quality feed in stockpiled fields, install a temporary electric fence across the field dividing it so the area to be grazed first has a source of water and minerals. Light stocking will cause a lot of waste as a result of trampling. Once the animals have grazed an area off, move the fence back, opening up a new strip. Repeat this system until the entire field is grazed. Plan to utilize most of the tall fescue before late December or early January. Stocker performance will decline rapidly as quality and quantity of forage declines in December (depending on weather and total forage available). Continue to use any small grain or turnip pastures as their growth permits.

January 1 to February 1: Usually a period that requires that hay or stored feed supply some or all of livestock nutrition. Stockpiled tall fescue can be useful forage but quality and quantity will be declining rapidly. Raise the quality and amount of hay fed in anticipation of the calving season.