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Trampling damage to winter pasture forage can severely impact a stocker operation.

Now is the time to start thinking about forage management for next fall and winter. Whenever winter forage management is discussed, most people think of feeding hay or utilizing small grain pasture. Have you ever considered using bermudagrass as dry-standing forage from late November though January? In most years, when conditions are right it can easily be done.

When key forage species get overgrazed, forbs (weeds) or less desirable species will take their place.

Nitrate and prussic acid quick tests are not meant to be quantitative. At best, a quick test only indicates whether or not potentially dangerous levels of accumulation might exist in a sample.

For ranchers who use rotational grazing and spend time in their pastures with the cattle, there is a reliable way of predicting future forage supply relative to livestock demand. The method is called the Reserve Herd Day (RHD) concept, and it is credited to retired Foundation forage specialist R.L. Dalrymple.

In this project, we are evaluating the effects of limit grazing and method of limit grazing on animal performance, forage utilization and grazing enterprise profitability by comparing the effectiveness of every-other-day winter annual grazing, daily restricted grazing intervals and ad-libitum grazing.

Many producers are practitioners of rotational grazing management in various forms. Although they are willing to implement a rotational grazing scheme or a fertility recommendation, few are keeping grazing records that can determine the effectiveness of such recommendations.

There are basically two schools of thought when it comes to grazing management: continuous grazing and rotational grazing. While there are some variations among these methods, this article will deal with basic principles of these two approaches. With either system, the forage must meet the nutritional demands of the livestock.

Cattle producers have used consistency of manure to make pasture rotation decisions for years - here's an explanation of how to estimate forage quality based on manure consistency.

The early and mid-eighties were bad times in production agriculture. We saw many producers go out of business. Here we are today with the same picture. Has this happened because we are so efficient and do not need as many farmers?