| Good Pasture = Dr. Green Pasture Management by Kevin H. Kline & Edward N. Ballard Begin grazing tall grasses (orchardgrass, smooth bromegrass, and so forth) when the pasture is 6" to 8" tall and graze back to 3" to 4". If you have a pure stand of bluegrass, begin grazing when the pasture 4" to 6" tall and graze back to 2" to 3". If a legume is included in your mixture, start grazing when the legume is about 8" to 10" in height to maintain growth and help establish the legume in the stand. Horses can graze pure stands of alfalfa, though with possible laxative effects. To provide productive pasture for horses, alfalfa is usually mixed with bromegrass or orchardgrass. Do not put horses into the pasture for the first time when they are hungry. Horses should be gradually introduced to pasture over a period of several days. Nitrogen fertilization of grasses provides earlier grazing in spring and supplies forage in the fall when legumes should be rested. Use a pasture system containing a pure grass pasture for early spring grazing and for fall grazing after September 15th. Use a second pasture, containing a mixture of legumes and grasses, for mid-season grazing to provide productive high quality forage during the full grazing season. Grazing alfalfa past mid-September will greatly decrease its winter survival rate.
Kevin H. Kline is an Associate Professor of Animal Sciences, and Edward N. Ballard is an Animal Systems Extension Educator, both at the University of Illinois in Effingham. This article appeared in the Spring 2000 issue of Rural Heritage. |
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PO Box 2067, Cedar Rapids IA 52406-2067 E-Mail: |
05 October 2005