General Updates

Why draw more insects to the field? Most row crop fields are acres upon acres of monoculture. If these crops are grown to bloom stage, they will provide food for vitally important pollinators for a very short time, and the single plant species creates food for limited insect species. You can use mixes of flowering…

Dave Wilson, Research Agronomist When planning our crop rotations, including cover crops, we need to consider how the weeds will be controlled in each crop and if there is any risk of herbicide carry-over that will affect the next crop in rotation. Read herbicide labels and look for listed rotational restrictions for the crop that…

In support of the ROSE Project at Penn State University we are posting the latest edition of “The Rose Review” which is a periodic newsletter for the ROSE Project. The ROSE project stands for Reduced-Tillage Organic Systems Experiment; the research theme is  “A Reduced-Tillage Toolbox: Alternative approaches for integrating cover crops and reduced tillage in an organic…

Q: We have a small cow calf operation (38 cows). Our pastures are mostly fescue with some other grasses and clovers mixed with the fescue. We have been planting annual rye in some of our pastures that are not heavy fescue sod. We have been thinking of purchasing a roller crimper and planting a summer…

Damage from grazing heavily frosted Cosaque Winter Oats, Georgia Did your small grain forages get away from you during the fall? It’s been a common problem this winter. Snow mold from overgrown winter annual forage is certainly a risk, but we still don’t recommend cutting or grazing in the middle of winter. You probably did…

Beef cattle grazing Mojo Crabgrass in North Carolina (Photo by Josh Baker) Improved forage crabgrass varieties are not weeds, but high-quality, high-producing forages that fit well from the Mid-Atlantic region through the Southeast. With good fertility and moisture conditions, crabgrass forage can yield 3-5 tons of dry matter. As a low-growing summer annual crop, crabgrass…

  With a sagging dairy economy, a high-forage diet can provide the quickest route to improving your bottom line. High grain diets become less efficient with higher grain prices, but producing high-quality forages on the farm and feeding them as a majority of the ration can increase profitability and lower the break-even price for milk…

Early spring is not too late to make the move to supplement your pastures with high-energy forage that can be grown in 60 days or less. Whether they stretch perennial pastures or winter annual small grain forage you planted this fall, spring annuals help diversify your inventory. They can also be part of a renovation…

Written by Cassidy Woolsey Published on 14 November 2015 Progressive Forage Grower www.progressiveforage.com/forage-types/grasses-and-grazing/overgrazing-the-sin-of-all-sins Extension agents and consultants have heard it all when it comes to pasture management. Some of these comments may include: “I just don’t have an alternative to overgrazing,” “Hay is just too expensive,” “I don’t have the equipment needed to renovate,” “Do…

A note from the University of Georgia extension team about the dangers of Fescue Toxicosis, especially this year. This highlights the importance of renovating old pastures that may still contain K-31 Fescue, and replacing it with an endophyte-free or novel endophyte fescue, such as our BarOptima Plus E34. This issue has been particularly prevalent in…