Planning Livestock Forage Needs

FARGO - May 27/05 - SNS -- An extremely dry winter and spring in the Dakotas, eastern Montana and Wyoming, will likely result in lower forage production levels this year, says Kevin Sedivec, North Dakota State University Extension Service rangeland specialist.

This makes it important for livestock producers to plan early to take advantage of available moisture and cooler temperatures when reviewing their forage options.

"Options for adding forage to your operation include planting an annual forage crop," Sedivec says. "Much of the Dakotas and Montana have received some rainfall this spring, providing an excellent opportunity to establish annual forages.

"To choose forage, you must decide when you can plant, when you would like to harvest and if you need pasture or hay," Sedivec continues.

Forages recommended as harvested crops are grasses used for hay, haylage or silage. Proven to perform well in North Dakota are millets, sudan-sorghum hybrids, sudangrass, pearl millet, grain sorghum, grass/intermediate sorghum, oats, barley (forage and grain), triticale and corn.

If planning to harvest silage, Sedivec recommends corn and grain sorghum. Corn is more digestible, but requires more humidity, higher soil fertility, deeper soils and better drainage. Corn is also less salt and drought tolerant.

Pearl millet is another silage option. It has produced tonnage similar to sorghum and corn in areas receiving high moisture. The millet is lower in total digestible nutrients (TDN), but higher in crude protein. It performs well on sandy soils when moisture conditions are good and temperatures warm.

"When choosing a grass for late-season hay production, millet and sudangrass are good choices for quality and production," Sedivec says.

In trials at the NDSU Carrington and Minot Research Extension Centers, foxtail millet and sudangrass tested similarly in crude protein and tonnage, but sudangrass had a 10% advantage in TDN.

However, millet is less stemmy, leafier and usually easier to cure. Additionally, sudangrass can become high in prussic acid and poisonous to livestock if grazed when the plant is stressed.

"Oats and barley continue to be popular early season grasses for hay and pasture," Sedivec says. "Both grasses tend to be lower producing than millets and sudangrass, but provide better nutritional quality, similar to pearl millet."

Triticale and annual ryegrass also are options for pasture and hay. Triticale is a hybrid between wheat and rye. Newer varieties are highly productive, according to Sedivec.

Triticale and annual ryegrass are less palatable than oats and barley, and need to be grazed in the vegetative stages, either fall or spring. They can be seeded in late summer for fall and subsequent spring pasturage, or spring for spring grazing alone.

"There is always a risk in planting forage crop in August due to dry, hot conditions and poor stand establishment," Sedivec notes.

Pearl millet and sudangrass also are recommended for pasture. Depending on moisture conditions, they provide similar or greater yields than cereal grains. However, pearl millet is not tolerant of drought, and sudangrass again raises a prussic acid concern. All small-grain grasses have potential high nitrate concerns under stressed conditions.

"Annual forages have been commonly planted on cropland eligible for the Preventive Planning (PP) Farm Service Agency program," Sedivec says. "This option still is available, but the 2005 program includes up to a 65% reduction in PP payments if a forage crop is established and grazed or hayed prior to Nov. 1."

Sedivec encourages producers to visit with their crop insurance agents prior to planting if idle acres qualify for PP. Also, if a small grain crop (oats, barley) is planted and fails, producers may wish to work with agents on loss claims and potential forage crop options.