MANAGING STOCKPILED
FORAGEBob Woods
Area Extension Agronomy Specialist
Poteau, OK – July 23, 2009
Forage GrowthJan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Cool-season Grass
Cool-season legume
Bermudagrass
Native Range
After 16 years of treatment
Post-oak savannah Harvest pine-burn annually
• Control – no treatment
Thousands of acres in central and eastern Oklahoma are just like this – unmanaged and unproductive
267 acres/cow
Maximizes wildlife objectives
Harvest pine-thin hardwood-
burn every 3 years
23 acres/cow
267 acres /cow
Maximizes livestock objectives Harvest pine-thin
hardwood- burn annually
10 acres/cow
267 acres /cow
WRONG QUESTION•Can I run 500 cows?
RIGHT QUESTION•How many cattle can my forage
system support?
Success Depends on Stocking Rate
Forage Requirement for a Spring Calving herd under 4 different
management options
Herd Descrip. AUM/Cow Lb./cow/year
Cows and replacements
17.6
13,780
Sell calves, buy replace.
15.3
11,934
1100 lb. cows and replace.
18.9
14,742
Retain steers 21.4 16,692
Each 100 pound increase in cow weight adds950 pounds to yearly DM requirement
Determining Stocking Rate on Native Range or Unfertilized Pasture
Web Soil Survey - HomeElectronic version
of the old soil survey books
79870
26035
91875
1875
173,646
•Lbs X 25% X Acres = harvestable yield•4900 X .25 X 16.3= 19967•6350 X .25 X 4.1 = 6508•5250 X .25 X 17.5 = 22968•1875 X .25 X 1 = 468•Total 49911/39 = 1280 lbs/A
Fence or Patch Burn?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60Control
Patch Burn
OSURR-TallgrassDec.1 – Sept.1
Trea
tmen
ts a
pplie
d
Gai
n/ha
(Kg)
1998 1999 2000
Year
Cattle PerformanceTallgrass Prairie PreserveIES (April 1-July 15 2001)
0
0.7
2.6
2
1.4
Aver
age
Dai
ly G
ain
(lb.
)
Traditional, All Burn Patch Burn
Stockpiling on Native Sites Get the stocking rate right Patch Burning Fencing
Stockpiled Fescue
•AUY = 9360 pounds•9360/1280 = 7.3 acres•Stockers SL = 3.6 A/hd•Stockers IES = 1.8 A/hd
•Lbs X 25% X Acres = harvestable yield•4900 X .25 X 16.3= 19967•6350 X .25 X 4.1 = 6508•5250 X .25 X 17.5 = 22968•1875 X .25 X 1 = 468•Total 49911/39 = 1280 lbs/A
Fescue Survey, 1994-95 276 lb. of Forage per Inch of
Height
02468
1012141618
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
ControlFert + grazeFert + stockpile
Treatment effect on tall fescue crudeTreatment effect on tall fescue crudeprotein level in northeast Oklahoma,protein level in northeast Oklahoma,
1994-951994-95
Cru
de P
rote
in le
vel (
%)
Cru
de P
rote
in le
vel (
%)
Lactating cow
GrowingSteer
DryCow
Treatment effect on tall fescue TDN levelTreatment effect on tall fescue TDN levelin northeast Oklahoma, 1994-95in northeast Oklahoma, 1994-95
TDN
leve
l (%
)TD
N le
vel (
%)
Lactating cow
Dry cow
52
54
56
58
60
62
64
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
ControlFert + grazeFert + stockpile
Growing Steer
Fall Fertilized Fescue 2001
CherokeeCraigDelawareMayesMuskogeeNowataOkfuskeeOttawaWagonerWashington
Unfert.Lbs/A8651108778885111765913291382885723
FertilizedLbs/A3803217421112281320124193733452054801574
IncreaseLbs/A293810671333139620841760240431384596851
Stockpiled Bermudagrass
Late Summer Fertilization, Cherokee Co. 1996 (LB./a)
0500
100015002000250030003500
0-N 50 N Urea100 N Urea150 N Urea150 N Am. Nit.
Yieldlbs./A
Live Wt. Change, Year 1Nov.4 - Jan. 22 (77 days)
40
-84
46
-33
46
-20
44
-20
-100-80-60-40-20
0204060
CONT LOW MED HIGH
Period 1Period 2
Wei
ght l
bs.
Period 2 Quadratic Effect (P<.05)
Treatment
Overall Wt. Change, Year 2Nov. 3 - Feb. 2
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Cont Low Med High
Lbs.
61
91 9783
Chemical composition of grazed forage samples at Stillwater, percent of dry matter
Sample Date Protein TDN‘97-98 Nov. 13.1 54.0 Dec. 12.5 53.5 Jan. 10.9 48.9 Feb. 12.7 47.9‘98-99 Nov. 15.2 48.4 Dec. 14.7 47.9 Jan. 11.6 43.3 Feb. 13.2 46.3
Forage Growth, Rainfall, and Fertilizer Timing
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep oct Nov Dec0
5
10
15
20
25
30
0 0 0
8
2024
1410
14
64
0
BermudagrassTall FescueRainfall Fertilize
Warm or cool season grass
Fertilize warm season grass
Fertilize cool season
grass
Rainfall for Leflore County (1971-2000)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec0
1
2
3
4
5
6
47.9 inches average total rainfallVaries from 42 to 51 from north to south
Fertilize cool season grass
Fertilize warm season grass
Fertilize Warm or cool season grass
Rainfall Exceedence (2 in 10 years)
Sallisaw April 1893 – Feb 2004
Jan Feb
Mar AprMay Jun Jul Au
gSe
p Oct Nov Dec0123456789
10
Precipitation less thanPrecipitation greater than
Totals35.86 to 51.69
Legumes are not a free fertilizer option!
P, K, pH – According to Soil Test
3 Tons/A contribution that did not require N
Legume Management Residue Management – 2 inches or less in
late summer or fall. Follow soil test recommendation Drill to establish if possible Plant cool season legumes in late
summer or early fall, lespedeza in late winter or early spring
Innoculate the seed
Small Grains Planting Dates
Picture taken 11/30/99
9/10/99
10/21/99 9/23/99
11/4/99
10/7/99
First planting was clipped 10/27/99 removing 1,880 lb/a of forage
Hay Avoidance Strategy Graze Bermudagrass to be overseeded
with a cool season legume in August and Sept.,
Graze fertilized and stockpiled bermudagrass in October until fully grazed
Graze native range with added protein supplement until cool season grass is sufficient.
Graze fertilized stockpiled fescue after stockpiled bermudagrass and native grass is grazed
SURVIVAL IN THE COW BUSINESS
The Right Stocking RateMake the Cow do the Work
Smart use of FertilizerGrazing Strategy