and estimates the amount of forage using a conversion table. Table 1 shows grass height conversions to pounds of forage per acre. Ed Rayburn and John Lozier of West Virginia Uni-
versity list 3 steps for measuring pasture forage mass by plant height: 1) Record forage height from different points in the pas- ture with a yard stick. Take 15 to 30 or more heights depending upon size of the pasture. Calculate the average pasture height.
2) Evaluate grass density in relative terms as thin, aver- age or thick. The best way to do this is to get down on your knees and look closely.
3) Using average grass height and estimated density, obtain the estimated forage mass from Table 1. “Because of the variability of plant species and
densities in native grass pastures, we typically throw frames and clip all the grass within the quadrat,” says Mark Moseley, USDA-NRCS rangeland management specialist at San Antonio. “A quadrat or frame can be made from steel rod or quarter-inch PVC pipe. In most areas, I use an 11.5-inch by 22-inch frame, which equals a 1.92 square foot area. Where vegetation is sparse, I use a 1-square-yard frame.
“Select locations that represent the average forage
production for the pasture and randomly throw the quadrat a distance of approximately 10 to 15 feet for each clipping,” Moseley continues. “Work the frame through vegetation to the ground in the spot where it lands. Clip, at ground level, the vegetation rooted within the boundaries of the frame. Put the clipped forage in a previously weighed paper bag and let it dry for a couple of days. When the forage is relatively dry, weigh the samples with a gram scale. Grams times 50 equals pounds per acre for the 1.92-square-foot frame and the multiplier for the square yard frame is 10.7.” “A simple way to measure forage production is to use
a common yard stick,” adds Goodwin. “Lay the stick on the ground and square off 1 square yard. Then clip the grazable forage to the ground, let it air dry and then weigh the samples in grams. To determine pounds of forage per acre, simply multiply the grams of air-dried forage by 10.7. Sample forage at enough locations across the pasture until you have a representative sample. An average of the net dry weights is used to calculate es- timated total forage production per acre. “One of the periods when I like to sample forage is during the fi rst part of July, because 70 percent of our
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tscra.org February 2014 The Cattleman 83
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