April is not too early to plan next winter’s swath grazing program.
Seed grower Graham Ogilvie of Lacombe, Alta., says planting annuals can add more acres of grazing and reduce the pressure on over-burdened hay fields and pastures.
Swath grazing is part of a larger grazing plan to lower winter feeding costs and now is the time to select fields and crops.
“The swath grazing issue is a reduction in costs of feeding, far more important than the selection of variety or species,” Ogilvie said.
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“Those who have tried it in the vast majority of cases have been very happy with the results.”
He estimated a third of producers have considered swath grazing but may not have actually tried it.
“The status quo guys are still baling hay.”
The concept is simple but requires management to capture the most nutrition and swath volume to carry cows over the winter.
Late-seeded annuals are swathed in mid-September in the soft dough stage and left for cattle to graze during winter.
When selecting a field, consider those close to farm buildings and water. Bluffs of trees or portable windbreaks are needed to protect cattle from cold winter winds.
Planting decisions often involve a mixture of varieties and species, with barley and oats most commonly selected.
Cereal seeding rates should be 25 percent higher than what’s used for grain production to ensure stand density. High-yielding grain varieties generally produce higher forage yields.
A barley and oat mixture produces plenty of healthy leaves for photosynthesis and plant vigour, ultimately producing bigger swathes. A healthy stand is also more disease resistant.
“If you can reduce the disease incidence within a plant population you are going to get a higher grain yield than you would with more disease,” Olgilvie said.
He favours a combination of oats and triticale because both are highly disease resistant and reasonably drought tolerant. Growers should book triticale seed early.
“In tonnes per acre of silage it’ll probably outperform barley by a minimum of 10 percent,” he said.
Grazing can also be extended by planting winter triticale in spring, which grows plenty of leaves and can be grazed. It continues to grow until the end of October and will not set seeds until the following year. Cows can be turned out on it early in the spring while perennial pastures are emerging.
“There are so many people who do not realize the flexibility they can build into their existing system like incorporating winter cereals,” he said.
When experimenting with new crops, he recommends finding a seed supplier who can explain planting, fertility and other agronomic tips.
For example, triticale needs to be shallow seeded into good moisture at a depth of one to 21Ú2 centimetres.
“If you see the odd seed on the ground you’re probably about right,” he said.
Planting deeper at five to 71Ú2 cm will result in reduced emergence and stunted plants.
Farmers concerned about awns on grain heads can add oats to the mix or look for varieties where that trait is eliminated.
“Oats are a nice complement for yield and can be a backstop for the awns,” which can be rough in the animal’s mouth.
Oat hulls can cause eye problems.
If lodging is a problem in the region, consider shorter barley varieties, said Arvid Aasen, a forage specialist with the Western Forage Beef Group in Lacombe.
He is less enthusiastic about winter triticale because it needs more management. As well, he said the quality for silage or swath grazing may not be as good in the second year of growth.
“If you are going to overwinter winter triticale for grazing, you have your hands full managing it because it wants to go to head quickly,” he said.
“Generally after you have grazed it once or twice in the spring, you might be just as wise to work it under and reseed again.”
Aasen said some producers allow triticale to reach the very early head stage before spraying it with glyphosate. Cows strip graze the crop once it has dried out and it can then be reseeded to a swath grazing crop.
He recommended a back-up plan in case cattle can’t get to the swathes because of extreme cold, deep snow or ice.
“To have swath grazing as the sole source of winter feed is a bit of a gamble,” Aasen said.
To ensure there is enough feed on hand, one rule of thumb is to ensure that a cow’s feed requirements are around two and a half percent of its body weight. To measure quantity, producers should bale a swath to see how much is available for the planned stocking rates.
Feed should be tested and soil fertility measured. Cattle scatter manure and urine as they graze, but manure needs time to break down before nitrogen is available to growing plants.
If recropping the same field, consider rotating a different crop to break potential disease cycles.
