The Use and Value of Pastures

PASTURES ON THE DAIRY FARM

R. E. Wagner, J. B. Shepherd

PASTURES have as many names as they have uses. We classify them here to indicate their scope and versatility, to show how any farmer who is prone to regard his pasture as just another piece of ground can extend its use and value.

Kinds of pastures and seasons of best production. Renovated pastures are not usually classified separately but their place in the dairy pasture programs warrant recognition.

Permanent pastures are the ones that are covered with perennial or self-seeding annual plants and are kept for grazing indefinitely. They seldom are plowed or cultivated. The terms tame pastures, improved pastures, or plowable pastures, as used in the census reports, are those planted or covered with domesticated or other pasture plants; the names often are applied also to many pastures that are classified as permanent pastures.

Permanent or natural pastures comprise a rather large percentage of the pasture area on many dairy farms. Although some dairymen could better utilize more of their permanent pasture area for rotation or supplementary pastures, the importance of the permanent pasture is great enough in its own right.

Nearly every farm has some land not suitable for cultivation and better left in permanent pastures. Much of such turf is thin, weedy, low in productivity, and otherwise run-down. Top dressing With phosphate and potash and sometimes nitrogen is one method of improvement. The amount of feed produced following such treatment is ordinarily greatly increased, but unfortunately the response sometimes is slow; while fertilization eventually may change the prevalence of the various species, the immediate benefits are manifested only in the species present, which usually lack the more nutritious, heat- and drought-tolerant grasses and legumes. Consequently, most of the increased production derived from top dressing permanent pastures results in increased spring grazing with little improvement in midsummer production.

Tests in Michigan have shown that the production of forage in permanent bluegrass pastures can be increased approximately 100 percent during May, June, and September by spring applications of complete fertilizers at the rate of 500 pounds to the acre. During July and August, however, the grass growing on the fertilized areas actually showed drought injury several days earlier than did the grass on the unfertilized pastures, and the growth on the fertilized areas during the drought period was no greater than on the unfertilized.

Ordinarily, the permanent pastures should be used only for grazing, because the species usually present are not well adapted by growth habit to ease of harvesting for hay or silage.

Rotation pastures are established on the better cultivated cropland and are a part of the regular crop rotation. They are planted to quick-growing grasses and legumes that make rapid growth for hay or grazing. These pastures are usually higher in production throughout the growing season than permanent pastures.

Rotation pastures are recommended for most dairy farms. A suggested rotation consists of 1 year of row crops, 1 year of small grain, and 2 or 3 years of pasture combined with hay or silage. Rotation pastures are especially productive in summer because they are seeded with nutritious, tall-growing, drought-tolerant species. These mixtures for the North usually contain such combinations as bromegrass-alfalfa, orchardgrass-Ladino clover, and (on poorly drained soils) reed canarygrass-Ladino clover.

At Montrose, Pa., in 1942, 1943, and 1944, rotation pastures, grazed all season with milk cows, produced 51 percent more total digestible nutrients to the acre before July 15 and 113 percent more after that date than was produced by permanent pastures of about average carrying capacity. Men who made a survey in southeastern Minnesota determined on a basis of farmers' estimates that 1 acre of crop-rotation pasture equals 1.5 acre of previously cropped and permanent pastures, or 2.6 acres of wooded pasture.

Rotation grazing, where the animals are allowed to graze for a time and then moved to another area, is a desirable practice at least in theory. The pasture just grazed is allowed to recover. Seasonal conditions and type of pasture are important considerations in judging the value of such grazing. Rotation grazing of permanent pastures has given slightly higher production in some localities. Results have shown an increase of 10 to 15 percent in production over continuous grazing in some instances. It is questionable if this will pay for additional fencing and other costs required.

With rotation or renovated pastures planted to the rapid-growing grasses and legumes such as brome-alfalfa, or orchardgrass-Ladino clover, rotation grazing is necessary. Not only is a greater production obtained but the stands of the desirable pasture plants are maintained over a longer period. Also more pastures of higher quality are obtained in summer.

Rotation pastures go a long way toward easing the midsummer feed shortage if they are properly handled. They can be used to extend the ends of the pasture season and will furnish considerable reserve feed of high quality in the form of hay or silage besides.

Irrigated pastures are figuring more and more prominently in the dairy-pasture programs of the West. They also merit consideration in other sections for supplementing natural rainfall in midseason when ample water supplies are available for irrigation. Such pastures are especially valuable in increasing summer production and are generally more economical than harvested feed or feed purchased to maintain summer milk flow. With an adequate water supply, proper fertilization, and adapted mixtures, herbage can be kept growing vigorously, and hence palatable and nutritious. Furthermore, irrigation may help maintain the more desirable species in the pasture sward.

Records obtained from 1936 to 1940 by the California Agricultural Extension Service in conducting studies of the management of irrigated pasture, revealed that pasturage from irrigated pastures is usually more expensive than from natural range, but is a cheaper source of nutrients than most other livestock feeds. The records showed that hay containing 50 percent of total digestible nutrients would have to be obtainable at from $3.80 to $7.50 a ton to be as cheap a source of feed as irrigated pastures.

Workers in California have reported that of the 300,000 acres of irrigated pastures in that State, about 100,000 acres are used for beef cattle. They reported that no innovation in the livestock business has done so much to relieve the stress on overburdened ranges and uniform quality of meat animals. Under that type of management, 100 acres of irrigated pastures properly managed will carry as many animals during 6 to 7 months of the summer as 1,000 acres of range will support the other 5 to 6 months.

Renovated pastures, so named because the methods of establishment and management differ from those used in rotation or permanent pastures, recently have come into use. The object of renovation is to increase the production of run-down permanent pastures by disking or other cultivation, applications of lime and fertilizer, and seeding rapid-growing and good grasses and legumes without subjecting the land to cropping. The last point is especially important on erodible lands. Renovation also shortens the time that land will be out-of-the-pasture system.