Plan Now for Annual Pasture
Spring is the time to plan for the annual forages that you might incorporate
into this year's pasture program. Waiting until mid summer does not give
enough time for the annuals to develop sufficient growth for productive
pasture.
There are a number of annuals to consider for late summer and fall pasture:
- Sorghum-sudan grass is a high yielding annual that is best managed
as zero graze but can also be strip grazed. Sorghum-sudan should be
planted in late May to early June. Grazing can start once there is 45
cm (18 in.) of top growth.
- Cereals + peas can be used as pasture or silage and can also be used
as a nurse crop when seeding down perennial forages. If pasturing when
under-seeded exercise caution that perennial forage seedlings are not
damaged by the grazing livestock. Mid summer seeding of spring cereals
can produce some good fall pasture. Oats are likely the preferred choice
for this option. Seeded in early August oats can produce late season
grazing starting about 6 weeks after emergence. The oats can be broadcast
or drilled into wheat or spring grain stubble. If oats are broadcast,
they should be disced in to provide soil coverage of the seed. The one
advantage of an oat crop is that they do not over winter where as barley
may and could be a problem in the following crop year.
- Pearl millet and Japanese millet are annual grasses that will produce
a good volume of forage although they may best be harvested as hay.
The millets should be seeded into warm soils after all danger of frost.
- Grazing corn is an option that will produce a large quantity of feed
that can be utilized during late summer, early fall or stockpiled and
utilized during late fall and early winter. Strip grazing is essential
to prevent wastage.
- Brassicas including fodder-rape and turnips are a specialized grazing
crop that can provide good late season forage. Turnips can be seeded
in July or early August for fall grazing. The tops can be grazed, then
the roots are grazed later.
There are several factsheets that give more extensive details on annual
forages available in the crops section of the OMAFRA website www.ontario.ca/crops
By planning now and determining your seasonal forage needs you will be
able to provide full season grazing for your livestock.
