| Grassland Evaluation Contest Study Guide | Fifth Edition: October 2005 |
| Grassland Evaluation Contest Rules - Pasture Improvement | |
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Plant on a clean, firm seedbed: Planting a stand of forages is best done on a clean-tilled, firm seedbed when conditions allow. This allows better weed control, fertilizer and lime incorporation, and better seed to soil contact. This option should be chosen when field renovation is desired and lime and fertilizer need to be incorporated into the soil. No-till plant in a killed sod: No-till planting into a killed sod is should be chosen when soil erosion could be a hazard if the field is plowed or if the field is too rocky to be plowed. No-till planting allows the seed to be planted by a no-till drill directly into a sod that has been killed by herbicides. This option should be chosen for fields to be renovated having over 5% slope. Overseed or interseed into a closely grazed sod: This option should be chosen when adding legumes to a grass pasture to improve forage quality. Overseeding is done during the winter months so that freezing and thawing of the soil will cover the legume seed. Legumes can also be interseeded with a no-till drill into the existing live sod. No additional forages needed - use existing pasture: Choose this option for fields with adequate stands of desired forage and which require no additional forage species.
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