LOMOND, Alta. – Even with good spring moisture in the far southern
portions of the Prairies, overgrazed and depleted pastures will still
require several years to recover from successive drought years.
“Drought has had a very negative effect on pasture productivity and on
forage growth,” said forage specialist Tracy Dow of Alberta Agriculture.
“We’ll have to give it a lot of tender loving care and time to
recover.”
He recently told a group of producers at a range management course in
Read Also
Alberta eases water access for riparian restoration
Alberta government removes requirement for temporary diversion licence to water plants up to 100 cubic metres per day for smaller riparian restoration projects
Lomond that annual forages are one way to take the pressure off
perennial pastures.
Grazing fall-seeded crops such as rye is common in Alberta, but
producers may consider other cereals such as oats, barley, winter
wheat, winter triticale and Italian ryegrass. Many people already use
these as silage crops.
It is important to link cattle’s nutrient needs with the time the
forages are most productive. He said it will be more economical this
year to build body condition in cows before they head into the winter,
when feed is likely to be in short supply in many places.
“Not all the cereals are going to perform the same throughout the year
and it depends on what kind of program you want.”
Spring-seeded winter cereals produce enough vegetation in the year of
seeding without forming heads. They plateau in late summer, while fall
seeding brings on substantial growth in early spring.
Crops such as oats and barley are available for grazing within six to
seven weeks of seeding.
Average barley yield is 3,080 kilograms per acre with 64.5 percent
total digestible nutrients, or TDN. Oats provide about 3,484 kg and 64
percent TDN.
Interseeding crops is another possibility. These crops should be seeded
in equal parts at three-quarters of the regular rate depending on
moisture conditions. If moisture is adequate, add nitrogen fertilizer
for extra growth.
A barley-oat mixture can yield 3,517 kg per acre. Barley and fall rye
yields less at 2,736 kg, but the nutritional value is higher.
“Oats tends to be the highest yielding of the annual crops and if you
want to enhance the TDN, include some fall rye in the mix,” Dow said.
If a spring and fall crop is mixed, cattle eat the lush, quick-growing
spring crop first and eat the later-developing fall cereal last.
Mixtures may also be harvested for silage. If moisture is adequate, a
dose of nitrogen can encourage regrowth for added grazing opportunities
later in the season.
