Many perennial forage plants were forced into summer dormancy for survival due to the severity of the drought. Dormant plants survived on energy reserves stored in plant crowns and roots when normally they would have generated energy through photosynthesis in green leaves.
The Noble Research Institute recently undertook a study that may shed some light on management strategies for dealing with toxic tall fescue during fall and winter.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the price of nitrogen fertilizer increased more than 120 percent between 2000 and 2007. More alarming are the unexpected periods when the price of nitrogen spikes well above the trend price.
Benefits of nativegrass mixtures on the Southern Great Plains have increased interest in effective methods of converting improved pastureland areas to nativegrass pastures.
In our region of the Southern Great Plains, we basically grow forage during the spring and fall, corresponding to our seasonal rainfall pattern. We are typically short on forage during the winter and...