By Victor Shelton
By November, most of us are thinking more about how much grazing remains rather than how much forage is still growing. There still may be some growth occurring if conditions are favorable, but shorter days and cooler temperatures are gradually bringing the growing season to a close. That doesn’t mean we should be in a hurry to graze off everything that remains.
One of the better things we can do for pastures that struggled this year is allow desirable grasses to finish the growing season without another grazing event. Even after the first frost, cool-season grasses may continue photosynthesizing and rebuilding energy reserves whenever conditions allow. Grazing that growth before dormancy can reduce the reserves needed for early spring growth, particularly in plants that were already stressed during the summer.
Of course, there are exceptions. Sometimes reducing the vigor and competitiveness of existing grasses is exactly what we want to accomplish, especially when preparing a pasture for frost seeding clover later this winter. Frost seeding red or white clover into an existing pasture can be a relatively inexpensive way to improve forage quality, increase diversity and add a source of nitrogen through biological fixation. One of the biggest challenges, though, is getting adequate seed-to-soil contact and reducing competition from established grasses. Grazing a pasture a little closer after it has gone dormant can help accomplish both.
That doesn’t mean we should graze every pasture down to the ground. It means knowing what we are trying to accomplish. A pasture with a strong stand of desirable grasses that needs more clover might benefit from closer winter grazing ahead of frost seeding. A pasture already struggling to maintain those desirable grasses may be better left alone. The same grazing practice can be beneficial in one situation and detrimental in another.
Source : osu.edu