Here are some thoughts on how to manage forages from our fellow Extension agent Matt Booher who works out of Rockingham county. Many of these thoughts apply in the Northern Shenandoah Valley as well.
Most of Virginia is experiencing an early spring. How can we best manage hay and pasture to take advantage of an extended spring?
• Supply adequate nitrogen. Its a no-brainer to fertilize with around 50-60 lbs. N/acre for a first cutting of hay. We typically don't recommend much spring N be applied to pasture, but that's not set in stone. There are some pastures out there that need pushed, either because they are heavily used or because nitrogen is not being released from the natural system. For example, maybe you have a pasture with poor legumes content. Or maybe you are renting a field for the first time where the previous tenant's grazing management resulted in all the manure & urine deposited only around shade and water. Its also important in an "early year" like this one to ensure adequate nitrogen throughout weather conditions that favor cool-season forage growth. Often, we don't have to think about this because whether is getting unfavorable for cool-season forage growth by the time we've taken the 1st cutting or gone through the first round of a grazing rotation. In a year like this, remember that grasses are sponges for nitrogen, and will take up much of the free nitrogen available. If the forage is removed (hay) or grazed without uniform manure distribution, you may want to apply N to push regrowth. For hay, this will require an additional 40 or 50 lbs. of N/acre to push the 2nd cutting. For pasture its harder to decide...if grass growth is poor, spreading manure or fertilizer will certainly increase growth, but I'd rather see grazing management and legume content addressed.
• Keep pastures vegetative. Forage plants that move from the vegetative to reproductive stage suppress new growth through hormonal processes and by simply shading out the plant crown. In a season where this occurs early, you will want to remove mature growth to take advantage of the extended opportunity for regrowth. Think about your entire grazing system: in which fields can you use livestock to mow down the mature growth? Do you need to rotate livestock more quickly among fewer fields to keep-up (stockpiling or bushhogging a select few)? Consider this: orchardgrass and fescue will only go to seed once, therefore, removing the seedheads will stimulate leafy regrowth. Bushogging in mid-May instead of mid-July could give you an extended period of rapid forage re-growth. Also be aware that keeping pastures vegetative is more difficult if you follow the previous suggestion to apply nitrogen! For the most part, additional N is not recommended on spring pastures; rotational grazing done well should supply all the N needed.
• Maintain enough leaf area. Now that I've told you not to let pasture get too tall, its time to say don't let them get too short! As, you know, grazing too low removes the plant's ability to photosynthesize and forces it to stop growth and mobilize energy reserves. Maintaining at least 4" of stubble when grazing ensures enough leaf area for plants to continue photosynthesizing and regrow immediately. Some species, like white clover and bluegrass, are more tolerant of close grazing, but we need to manage pastures for more sensitive species like fescue and orchardgrass. To maintain adequate leaf area in your pasture you'll need to monitor the average plant height and note the grazing pressure on the most sensitive and palatable species. Move livestock before they graze pasture too low, and before they start to graze regrowth. Try not to turn back into a field until it has regrown to at least 8" tall. All this is not easy. Thankfully, plants are pretty forgiving; even a minimal effort to provide adequate rest and recovery to the pasture will result in better growth and resilience.
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