Pasture Improvement: Choosing the Improvement Technique

Pub 19: Pasture Production > Chapter 3: Pasture Improvement > Choosing the Improvement Technique

 

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Excerpt from Publication 19, Pasture Production, Order this publication

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Choosing the Improvement Technique
3. Poor Pasture Performance
4. Production Goals
5. Limiting Conditions
6. Cost
7. Other Pasture Improvement Recommendations
   • Rejuvenation
   • Renovation
   • Seeding into the Sod
   • Broadcast Seeding
   • Limited Tillage
   • Frost Seeding
   • Using Livestock to Renovate Pastures
   • Fertilizing Pastures
   • Nutrient Cycling
   • Soil Tests
   • Impact of Grazing Animals on Pasture Fertility
   • Weed Control
   • Trampling Effects
8. Related Links

Introduction

Pastures that are no longer productive can be improved without ploughing. There are 2 basic approaches to restoring established pastures to a productive state:

• rejuvenation and
• renovation

Choosing the Improvement Technique

There are 4 steps to choosing which technique to use to improve your pasture.

1. Pasture Performance

Determine why the pasture is performing poorly. Look for:

• signs of poor fertility
• overgrazing or undergrazing
• weeds
• the amount and distribution of productive forages
• the amount of unproductive grasses
• bare spots
• thinness or thickness of the sod

If productivity is poor because of the first 3 signs, rejuvenation is a suitable option. If the sod is thin or full of bare patches, with little in the way of productive grasses or legumes, renovating would be a better choice.

2. Production Goals

Determine your production goals for the field and how quickly the pasture must be improved. In general, rejuvenation is quicker than renovating, and broadcast and sod seeding are faster than improvement methods using livestock. Legume content tends to be superior in renovated fields. These fields require less fertilizer to improve yield and perform better over the entire grazing season than rejuvenated fields.

3. Limiting Conditions

Determine if there are conditions that limit the choice of either option. Consider:

• topography
• stoniness
• drainage conditions
• accessibility of field to equipment
• availability of equipment
• erosion potential
• depth of soil

4. Cost

Consider the cost of the different improvement techniques.

 

Related Links

... on forages and pastures, visit Forages and Pastures (OMAFRA)
... on weed control, order Publication 75 Guide to Weed Control: Forage Crops
... on agronomy for field crops, order Pub. 811 Agronomy Guide for Field Crops: Chapter 3 Forages
... on field crop protection, order Publication 812, Field Crop Protection Guide
... on livestock, visit Livestock (OMAFRA)