Perennials: Forage for the Long Haul

While commodity prices continue to disappoint, cattle owners are looking to capitalize on the booming livestock market. Regardless of your plan, if you have livestock you need forage, and the most cost-effective option is letting your cattle harvest it themselves rather than doing the work for them. But choosing what type of forage to grow may seem a bit daunting. Whether you’re planting a perennial or an annual is probably the first question to answer. Each one has pros and cons and your decision will depend on your particular context.

Perennials: Forage for the long haul

Perennials fit the bill for a wide variety of situations. The most reliable source of pasture for livestock is a blend of perennial forages. Perennials have deep and well-established root systems that convey greater drought tolerance compared to annual pastures. Perennials are also used for wildlife habitat and are great pollinator attractors. Since perennials are a long-term investment that will produce for many years, it’s worth taking the time to develop a solid establishment plan for buying seed. In many cases, prepping the soil with a couple years of annual cover crops creates an environment where new perennials can thrive.  

Look for Improved Varieties

Plant genetics have come a long way over the years and perennials are no exception. Using improved varieties of clovers, fescues, and ryegrasses are a great place to start. We carry a wide range of excellent perennials so you can improve or establish productive pastures. Newer genetics often offer greater biomass potential, better longevity and higher nutritive qualities.

Frost Seeding to Enhance Existing Pasture

Now is the perfect time to be prepping for frost seeding. Frost seeding is a technique where seeds are broadcast during freezing temperatures, allowing the natural freeze-thaw cycles of the soil to gradually work the small seeds into the subsurface. This technique allows for minimal disturbance and it is especially useful for land you can’t get a drill on.

This method provides a great opportunity to add diversity or quality back into existing pasture systems.  Small seeded broadleaf species can not only increase protein in a grazing ration, but they can also help take some of the fertilizer load off of the cool and warm season grasses.  A good seeding rate goal when frost seeding is about 25% of a full rate.  This amount provides good coverage in areas  where grasses might be thinning. Clovers and other broadleaves are the ideal candidates for frost seeding. Red and white clover, Korean Lespedeza, chicory and plantain are all cold tolerant species with a small enough seed size that makes broadcasting easy and efficient. Our Pasture Frost Seed Mix contains improved varieties of red and white clover along with Korean Lespedeza, chicory and plantain. 

Annuals: Grow lots of forage this year

Annuals, like their name suggests, perform their entire life cycle in a single growing season. These plants can produce a tremendous amount of biomass and add tons of diversity to the soil. As a relatively low commitment option,  annuals establish quickly, and work well in cash crop systems or in preparation for a perennial system. 

Each plant species belongs to a certain plant family. Plants within a plant family will associate with specific soil microbes such as fungi and bacteria. Increasing the diversity of plant families in a mix will greatly increase the diversity of soil life. Plants in different families also develop different root structures, have different growth patterns, and access different micronutrients from the soil. For example, plants in the legume family grow a taproot and form relationships with rhizobia bacteria to fix nitrogen. Targeting at least 4-6 plant families in a cover crop mix will increase biological activity in the soil. A mix with 7 or more families will be highly effective at building and healing the soil.

The Legume Family (Fabaceae) 

Legumes are best known for their ability to form symbiotic relationships with rhizobia bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen. This trait makes them very valuable in row crop situations where nitrogen fertilizer can be a high input costs. Utilizing millions of microbes, legumes can fix free atmospheric nitrogen into the soil where it’s accessible to the following crop. Farmers are finding this to be a useful strategy for decreasing their input costs. Certain legumes are more efficient at fixing nitrogen than others and it’s important to give them an adequate growing season to do their job. Many legumes are fast-growing and provide high protein forage for livestock. They are also a valuable addition to mixes used to reduce erosion, build organic matter, and attract beneficial insects. Legume seeds are available inoculated with rhizobium bacteria to ensure complete, fast, and successful nitrogen fixation. 

Key Features: nitrogen fixers, protein rich forage, great for wildlife and livestock, support soil biology, fuel for microbes and mycorrhizae

Examples: clovers, vetch, peas, cowpeas, etc, 

The Grass Family (Poaceae) 

All grasses belong to the Poaceae family, a group of fibrous-root growing, biomass-producing plants that are usually the bedrock for most cover crop mixes. In an annual forage mix, grasses should make up 50-75% of the mix to maximize forage production. In addition, the biomass can be used to suppress weeds both while the cover is actively growing and after it’s been terminated. This residue has a high C:N ratio, resisting decomposition and actively protecting the soil from the elements for a long period of time. Warm-season grasses, like their name implies, are ideal for warm weather months and can grow huge amounts of biomass. Capitalizing on the long hours of sunlight and warm temperatures, this is a great time to grow forage for livestock, pump carbon into the soil, and encourage the growth of a cover crop instead of weeds. Warm-season grasses are a great option for stockpile forage. Cool-season grasses are best suited for spring and fall when cooler temperatures and, hopefully,  wetter conditions are utilized to extend the growing season. Cool-season grasses tend to establish very quickly which is great for weed and erosion control and growing forage. 

Key Features: biomass builders, tons of biomass above and below ground, fine root structure improves soil structure and reduces erosion, scavenges nutrients especially nitrogen

Examples: ryegrass, oats, sorghum, teff, millet

The Brassica Family (Brassicaceae)

Some of the most common cover crop species belong to the brassica family, namely turnips and radishes. Brassicas are an excellent addition to many cover crop mixtures because of their ability to suppress weeds and break up soil compaction. Brassicas are also used for nutrient scavenging and producing fast growing and highly nutritious biomass in the fall. They can be a great component of a grazing mixture when used at appropriate seeding rates. Collards and hybrid turnips are two examples that work great in grazing mixes as they exhibit excellent regrowth following a grazing event. Because of their small seed size, brassicas can be used at very low rates in most mixes and work great in broadcast situations.

Key Features: deep rooted taproot to break compaction and bring nutrients to the surface, fast growing great for quick cover and weed suppression, great forage for grazing, 2-4lb/ac is plenty

Examples: radish, mustard, turnip, collards

The Broadleaves – represent lots of different families

Broadleaves are a great way to add diversity to a cover crop mix as they represent multiple different plant families. Most broadleaves have extensive root systems that are fantastic for soil building. Broadleaves can also be used for compaction breaking, erosion control, and attracting beneficial insects. Plants that fall into the broadleaf category often have very unique features that lend themselves very useful in particular situations. Sunflowers, for example, are a great way to soak up excess nitrogen in a system. Buckwheat works with microbes to extract phosphorus from the soil making it more available for the next crop. Broadleaves can be added at very low rates to a mix and still add substantial soil health benefits due to the diversity they bring to the table. 

Key Features: increase diversity, nutrient cycling, great for pollinators

Examples: sunflower, buckwheat, flax, phacelia

Use your specific context and goals to help drive your forage decision this year. If you’re looking for long-term forage that is pretty low maintenance over the course of many years, perennials are your best bet. With a little extra up front cost and establishment labor you can be on the road to a thriving perennial pasture. If quick and flexible forage is what you need, an annual forage mix fits the bill. The ease of establishment and single year growth gives you the forage you need this year and the flexibility to do something different with that field next year. In either case, we have a full inventory of perennials and annuals to keep your critters fed throughout the year. Give us a call or send us a message and we’ll work with you to build a custom forage mix that’s right for you.