RANCHING Business
tend the grazing season of a winter pasture,” Johnson says. “The addition of ryegrass can extend the grazing season 30 days on wheat, 45 days on triticale and 60 days on cereal rye.” It is important to note that although ryegrass is an
annual plant, it is a prolifi c seed producer, Johnson says. Its propensity to reseed itself can become problematic if a producer overseeds a grain fi eld with ryegrass and then later converts the mixed fi eld back to a dedicated grain fi eld. The volunteer ryegrass can contaminate the grain harvest. Whether producers choose to use a small grain,
ryegrass, or a combination, the plant material provides exceptional nutrition. “Across the board, these small grains and winter
forages provide excess nutrition for the livestock,” John- son says. “The choice of plants comes down to what species works best in the producer’s environment and meets his or her production goals.” The success of a winter pasture depends on many
factors, including moisture. “Winter pastures benefi t from timely rain,” Johnson
says. “Small amounts of well-timed rain can go a long way.” In general, producers need September rains to
Preemptive planning prevents poor performance.
get a stand, late fall or winter rains to sustain growth, and spring rains to keep the plants growing and lush.” “As we know all too well, rainfall is unpredictable,”
Johnson says. “When it comes time to plant, I wouldn’t ever want to dust in (plant into soil so dry the seed will not germinate until it gets a rain) 100 percent of my acreage, nor would I want to wait for moisture to plant 100 percent of my acreage. It’s a matter of listening to forecasts and using your best judgment.” He continues, “The thing about winter pasture is
you can’t afford to wait too long or you’ll miss your window of opportunity.” Although the planting date shifts slightly every
year depending on weather conditions, it is important to have the seed in the ground at the “nebulous” op- timal planting date, Johnson says. Why? A producer can expect about 30 pounds of dry matter production
68 The Cattleman August 2015
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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