Drought Information: Economics • Horticulture • Livestock • Pasture and Range • Soils and Crops • Wildlife and Fisheries

Drought Information: Soils and Crops

Plant toxicities

Be aware of the consequences of prussic acid and nitrate poisoning. Test all corn, johnsongrass, sorghum and sudan grass hays for nitrates. Avoid grazing areas with johnsongrass to reduce the possibility of losing cattle to prussic acid poisoning. The following links provide information on these topics:
Options for High Nitrate Forages
Johnsongrass Anyone?

Sacrifice area

If grass becomes limiting and hay must be fed in the summer, pick one pasture for a sacrifice area and do not overgraze the entire acreage. Ideally, the sacrifice area will be bermudagrass or another introduced species. It will be advantageous to feed on low fertility areas and areas with hard to control weeds.

Late season forage

If there is a good forecast for late summer rainfall, there are two options for late fall forage. One is to apply 50 pounds actual nitrogen per acre on closely grazed bermudagrass in August. Late season rainfall can result in good yield of high quality forage if this is done. Another option is to overseed closely grazed bermudagrass pastures with a fast establishing and growing winter annual forage like rye or oats. Do not do either of these options unless there is a good forecast for late summer rainfall.

2012: Drought Recovery or Drought Persistence?
by James Locke

As I write this month's article, most producers are feeling more optimistic because we have had some rain and it has cooled off. The 100-plus degree days of the past summer are a bad memory.

Are Grasshoppers and Armyworms in Your Future?
by Jim Johnson

This fall, we may see an outbreak of armyworms and/or grasshoppers. If you have lush green winter pasture - or any pasture, for that matter - it may be a prime target.

Crop Rotation and Alternatives to Wheat
by Jim Johnson

In the Noble Foundation service area within 100 miles of Ardmore, Okla., a lot of wheat is grown. Is this simply because wheat is what we grew last year, and the year before and the year before that?

Establishing Winter Pasture: Start Out Right
by James Locke

Productive winter pasture can be a valuable asset, but can also be expensive to establish and grow.

How Much Does It Cost to Mow Weeds?
by Jeff Ball

Have you ever stopped to think about what it costs to mow a pasture? Mowing is costly, and pastures that have weed problems this late in the growing season have no chance for optimum weed control.

Is My Fertilizer Still There?
by Eddie Funderburg

One of the most common inquiries I get around this time of year in very dry years goes like this: "I put out fertilizer on my pasture this spring, and it hasn't rained much. I've had very little grass growth. Is the fertilizer still there? If so, how long will it stay there?" The quick answer is it's probably still there. The more informative answer is a bit more involved, but I'll try to explain it as simply as possible.

Is Now the Time to Fertilize Bermudagrass?
by James Locke

Fertilizer prices are high and we are suffering severe drought conditions. Why would anyone consider fertilizing bermudagrass or other warm-season grasses now? There are good reasons to consider a late summer or early fall fertilization program, namely to extend the grazing season and improve the quality of available forage.

Keys to Tall Fescue Establishment
by James Locke

There has been a great deal of interest over the last several years in the novel or "friendly" endophyte-infected tall fescue varieties. These varieties have the potential to provide quality cool-season perennial forage without the negative attributes of the older toxic endophyte-infected tall fescues.

Pasture Weed Control
by David Annis

Due to the drought, there has been a large influx of hay into the Southern Great Plains. Within this hay, weeds - some not native to the region- have been inadvertently distributed into many pastures.

Ryegrass: It's Not a Weed Anymore
by Jim Johnson

In light of the recent increased enforcement of the Plant Variety Protection Act, farmers and ranchers need options for affordably producing winter pasture for stocker cattle. One option is ryegrass.

Saving for a Rainy Day
by Rob Self

We can't control the amount or timing of rain. But, by managing the land, we can capture as much as possible to grow grass and recharge ground water when it does rain.

Sod Seeding Small Grain Pasture into Dry Bermudagrass
by Jeff Ball

Small grain pasture will provide a source of high quality forage, which will supplement or even substitute for hay to carry your herd to next spring. In addition, the bermudagrass sod furnishes solid footing for cattle through wet periods of the season. Sod-seeding permits small grains to be grown in areas where seedbed preparation would not be feasible.

Soil Fertility Management After Drought
by Jagadeesh Mosali

As we prepare for fertilizer application this spring, two important questions come to mind: what happened to fertilizer I applied last year and do we need to fertilize or not?

Top 7 Reasons Pasture Weed Control Programs Don't Work
by Eddie Funderburg

This month, I want to identify and briefly discuss the top seven reasons I see that pasture weed control programs don't work as well as they should.

Understanding and Preventing Aflatoxin Poisoning
by Jeff Ball

Aflatoxins are poisonous by-products produced from the fungi Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. These fungi are found in the soil and are responsible for decomposition of plant materials.

What Does Organic Matter Do In Soil?
by Eddie Funderburg

Organic matter serves as a reservoir of nutrients and water in the soil, aids in reducing compaction, and increases water infiltration. Yet, it's often ignored and neglected.

You May Not Need to Use Nitrogen on Wheat in 2011
by Eddie Funderburg

As we approach the end of 2011, many soil sample results have considerably higher than average amounts of nitrates, especially in wheat and winter pasture fields.