Pasture and Forage Minute

While some parts of Nebraska have caught precipitation recently, some areas are still dealing with significant drought. When drought stress causes dryland alfalfa stands stop growing What should you do? Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Forage Systems Educator.

Bluegrass can be a common weed in irrigated alfalfa lowering forage quality and shortening stand longevity. Thankfully, these pesky plants can be controlled by maintaining thick alfalfa stands; properly managing irrigation; and/or using herbicides. Todd Whitney, Nebraska Extension Forage Agronomist.

As summertime temperatures begin to heat up and cattle are on pasture, it’s important to make sure there is adequate water for livestock. How much do cattle need and where should it come from? Jerry Volesky, Nebraska Extension Range and Forage Systems Specialist.

Alfalfa seeded this spring is ready, or soon will be ready, to cut. Proper care and management now could have big impacts on cuttings later this year. Use the following harvest guidelines to get the most from your first-year alfalfa. Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Forage Systems Educator.

Yucca plants, which are also called soapweed, can be quite common on rangeland in western and central Nebraska. They are especially noticeable here in June when flowering. In some areas, they can be quite thick and significantly reduce grass production. There are ways, though, to reclaim those grazinglands. Jerry Volesky, Nebraska Extension Range and Forage Systems Specialist.

Wheat and rye stubble can be an excellent seedbed to plant forages using No-till if moisture is available. Despite drought lowering small grain yields, recent rains may provide opportunity for those needing additional forage this year with summer annuals seeding. Todd Whitney, Nebraska Extension Forage Agronomist.

While poisonous plants are generally not as problematic in Nebraska compared to other western states, they can exact their toll on livestock enterprises, and many times the losses are unrecognized. Jerry Volesky, Nebraska Extension Range and Forage Specialist.

As we move through the month of June, grazers will notice big changes occurring in their pastures. How these shifts impact our grazing management as we continue through the summer depend largely on the forage species present. Are you prepared for the summer forage shift? Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Forage Systems Educator.

With the lowest level of hay stocks since 1974 and continued drought in many parts of Nebraska. Many producers have been planning for a potential continuation of low hay stocks and high prices. Shannon Sand, Nebraska Ag Economics Extension Educator.

A cool spring and dry weather has resulted in lower than expected pasture production in parts of the state. With summer upon us, even ample moisture now may not return pastures, especially those that are cool season dominated, to full productivity. So what can we do to stretch a limited forage supply? Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Forage Systems Educator.