RANCHING Business
Not all grasses are created
equal; therefore, good pasture managers understand that
native pasture and improved pastures have to be managed differently.
consultant at the Noble Foundation. “Having access to ample forage is a key ingredient to economic success.”
Native versus improved pasture Not all grasses are created equal; therefore, good
pasture managers understand that native pasture and improved pastures have to be managed differently. Aljoe says, “Obviously, you have to have rain to grow
grass, but you also have to have grass to grow grass. If producers mismanage their forage, whether it’s native or introduced grasses, they create an environment ripe for pasture management problems such as weed and brush encroachment and erosion.” Native range grasses such as big bluestem, little
bluestem, indiangrass, switchgrass and side oats grama evolved under periodic, intensive grazing by migratory herds of bison. As a result, they require adequate time to rest and recover between grazing events. To protect the native plants’ rootstock and carbohy-
drate energy stores, managers should not harvest more than 25 percent of total production through grazing. As a visual marker, appropriate grazing will take the top one-third of the plant and leave two-thirds stand- ing. Haying native pastures should be avoided if pos- sible. If it is necessary to produce native pasture hay, then producers should avoid repeatedly haying the same pastures. Introduced grasses such as bermudagrass, old world
bluestems and kleingrass were selected for maximum forage productivity in response to nitrogen fertilizer. They respond quickly and vigorously to fertilization, which is a key economic point, Aljoe says. He also says fertilizing native grasses is not recommended because “producers don’t get the same return on their invest- ment with inputs on native pasture.” In north Texas and south central Oklahoma, produc-
ers can run 1 cow per 3 to 5 acres on a bermudagrass pasture with a nitrogen-only fertilizer cost of approxi- mately $25 per acre, which translates to $75 to $125
66 The Cattleman April 2015
per cow. In addition, excess grass is often harvested to produce hay. Native pasture in that same area of Texas and Okla-
homa requires 15 to 20 acres to support a cow, but fertilizer is not needed nor is hay in most years. Pro- ducers can run the same number of cows on fewer acres of introduced pasture, but there are associated input costs to do so. Because improved grasses have been selected for
productivity, they can withstand a higher level of sustained grazing pressure than will native grasses. Introduced grasses can tolerate harvesting at 50 to 65 percent of total production through grazing and up 90 percent of total production through haying. Visually, producers should strive to graze only the top one-half of the plant, maintaining at least 4 inches of residue at all times. “I encourage managers who are haying to raise
the cutter bar to at least 3 inches,” says Locke. “The tonnage that they are leaving in the fi eld is generally stem and older leaf, but it reduces the stress on the plant, allowing it to grow back more quickly.” In his experience, those managers who leave greater residue are often able to cut hay every 28 days, while those who “skin” the grass closely may need up to 45 days before the hay is ready to cut again. One common misconception is that native range
inherently survives drought better than do introduced grasses. Aljoe says survivability is actually a function of management, not species or variety. Native grasses evolved under drought conditions,
but they did not evolve with constant grazing pres- sure. In periods of stress, mismanaged native grasses are more susceptible to the long-term detrimental ef- fects of constant grazing than are introduced grasses. “If producers fi nd themselves needing to have ‘sac-
rifi ce’ areas, I recommend using pastures with intro- duced grasses if available because in general, with a little management, they will bounce back much more quickly than native grasses,” Aljoe says.
Components of a good pasture management plan A good pasture management plan begins by using
the existing forages that a producer has available. “People often ask, ‘Do I need a better or different
grass?’ Generally, it doesn’t make economic sense to replace existing grass with another species or variety,” Aljoe says. “People are much better off making the most of what they have, whether that is native pasture,
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