Prepare pastures for spring

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As spring approaches, farmers can prepare for healthy pastures.

Considerations include stocking rate, soil fertility, plant inventory and improved grazing systems.

Stocking rate, or how many horses per acre can graze, varies based on soil and climate.

“In the Midwest, I’ve learned the right ratio to start with is two acres per horse,” said Keith Johnson, forage agronomist specialist at Purdue University, during a webinar.

“That will also vary depending on the size of the horse. This is a mid-size, 1,200-pound horse.

“I’m looking at this as a major feed resource. I expect them to be able to reduce the hay they are fed, because they are grazing a good majority of the day when the forage is growing.”

Farmers can reduce hay and feed waste by laying down a high-use area pad, Johnson said.

“Frozen soil is a great until it becomes a muddy mess in the spring,” he said. “A lot of people are putting a high-use area pad down. The black part is geotextile cloth. That’s covered with about 6 inches of course limestone.

“The top is very fine limestone. The purpose of the geotextile cloth is to prevent the stone from getting mired into the soil when we have muddy situation.”

The pads can be used around gateways, feeding or watering areas. It helps minimize the mud, making it a better environment for livestock.

Soil Health

Keeping an eye on soil health is crucial for successful pastures.

“If a tractor is not fueled, it dies,” Johnson said. “If a horse is not fed for an extended period, it dies. If the forage is not fed with the right amount of fertilizer for an extended period, it dies. It is critical to feed the pasture and hay fields.”

Soil mapping technology, such as that found at websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov, can help farmers make decisions about soil fertility.

“We can sample by soil type for nutrient analysis,” Johnson said. “We can look at soil variables, things like drainage, texture, slope and restrictions in the soil. We can look at crop productivity rating of forages, such as hay yield or pasture production.”

It’s also a good idea to conduct soil samples to assess the need for added nutrients.

“I think a good starting point is to do it by soil type,” Johnson said. “It, in part, is going to be based on the previous crop you had. Then you want to sample the typical versus the issue areas. For example, issue areas may include roadsides, feeding areas or shade trees.

“If we have an established pasture, the right depth to consider sampling is 4 inches. If you’re going to do new seeding, for example transitioning from corn or soybean with tillage, sample to the tillage depth.”

Johnson suggested buying and using the proper equipment, not a cheap soil probe.

Put the soil samples in clean, plastic buckets to send to the laboratory.

“I suggest you work with trained soil fertility people,” Johnson said. “People who have a passion for fertility, that work with fertilizers, and importantly, that work with forages.

“One of my pet peeves. If one of these individuals recommends a similar triple number fertilizer be applied, for example 12-12-12 — that raises a red flag.

“We want to base the amount of nutrients not on some general past down rule of thumb that makes me feel good, but we want to make sure we have the right amount of nutrients being applied to that field.”

Pasture Scout

Johnson recommended taking a plant inventory as grasses begin to grow this spring.

It may include forage grasses, forage legumes, forage forbs and some weeds.

“The Purdue Forage Field Guide is a good reference,” Johnson said.

Other books, internet sources and apps can help, as well.

The Purdue Forage Field Guide is available at tinyurl.com/n7py4jdv.