Rejuvenating Forage Stands Can Improve Production

Feb 23, 2021

A number of producers take time over the winter to evaluate their farming and ranching operation.

Rejuvenating pastures or hay stands can help to improve productivity.

Range Management Extension Specialist Luke Jorgenson says over time when pastures are grazed and forage stands are baled, nutrients are lost.

"For grass hay you're taking off 40 pounds of actual nitrogen, and just over 10 pounds of phosphorus from each dry ton of forage that you're taking off and over time that really adds up."

He says fertilizing perennial tame hay stands can help to improve forage quality, yield and longevity of the stand.

"Depending on your soil zone you can expect 10 to 30 pound per acre of forage dry matter increase, for every pound per acre of actual nitrogen applied. And again, this is for grass forage, and then the unpredictability of that yield response is due mostly to moisture."

Environmental factors have a big impact on forage production, as well whether it's moisture or topography, soil texture or salinity.

He notes maintaining a healthy forage stand with good fertility and vigor can help improve resilience in tough conditions.

Click here to see more...

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

We're a 6th generation family farm in southeast Iowa showing the real ups and downs of pig farming and row crop farming. No script, just the work. Subscribe and follow along.

JOIN THE BARN TALK NEWSLETTER AND GET LIVE EVENT ACCESS: We're on a mission to hit 10,000 subscribers, and when we do, we're hosting a live event at the barn. Sign up for exclusive access to tickets and details.