Description
Winter feeding is the largest expense of maintaining a beef herd in terms of money and time. Stockpiled bermudagrass is an effective practice for reducing winter feeding expenses and extending the grazing season. Stockpiling forage is the practice of accumulating forage growth intended for grazing in a later season. In Arkansas, bermudagrass is stockpiled from early August to late October and is grazed from late October through mid-December. Rainfall during late summer can be erratic with high risk of drought stress, but an early start date maximizes the opportunity for acceptable stockpiled forage yield. Therefore, stockpiling bermudagrass should begin by early August in north Arkansas and by mid-August in south Arkansas to allow enough time for dry matter accumulation before cooler autumn night temperatures slow grass growth. Delaying the initiation of stockpiling from early August until early September reduced forage yield in October by up to 84%. Nitrogen fertilizer should be applied in early August at the N rate of 56-67 kg/ha. Ammonium nitrate or urea are common N sources and studies show that both give similar yield response. Poultry litter or animal manure can also be used as a fertilizer source with good results. Dry matter of stockpiled bermudagrass has been measured up to 6,720 kg/ha in on-farm grazing demonstrations. Forage quality of stockpiled bermudagrass remained above crude protein (CP) and energy (TDN) requirements for nonlactating cows from October through February. Stockpiling bermudagrass is a very reliable practice for extending the grazing season. In ninety on-farm stockpiled forage demonstrations across 32 Arkansas counties, the average savings for stockpiled bermudagrass compared to feeding hay was over $20 per 454-kg animal unit (AU) over the winter hay feeding season.
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Stockpiling Perennial Warm-Season Grasses: Bermudagrass Example
Winter feeding is the largest expense of maintaining a beef herd in terms of money and time. Stockpiled bermudagrass is an effective practice for reducing winter feeding expenses and extending the grazing season. Stockpiling forage is the practice of accumulating forage growth intended for grazing in a later season. In Arkansas, bermudagrass is stockpiled from early August to late October and is grazed from late October through mid-December. Rainfall during late summer can be erratic with high risk of drought stress, but an early start date maximizes the opportunity for acceptable stockpiled forage yield. Therefore, stockpiling bermudagrass should begin by early August in north Arkansas and by mid-August in south Arkansas to allow enough time for dry matter accumulation before cooler autumn night temperatures slow grass growth. Delaying the initiation of stockpiling from early August until early September reduced forage yield in October by up to 84%. Nitrogen fertilizer should be applied in early August at the N rate of 56-67 kg/ha. Ammonium nitrate or urea are common N sources and studies show that both give similar yield response. Poultry litter or animal manure can also be used as a fertilizer source with good results. Dry matter of stockpiled bermudagrass has been measured up to 6,720 kg/ha in on-farm grazing demonstrations. Forage quality of stockpiled bermudagrass remained above crude protein (CP) and energy (TDN) requirements for nonlactating cows from October through February. Stockpiling bermudagrass is a very reliable practice for extending the grazing season. In ninety on-farm stockpiled forage demonstrations across 32 Arkansas counties, the average savings for stockpiled bermudagrass compared to feeding hay was over $20 per 454-kg animal unit (AU) over the winter hay feeding season.
