Pasture Management Calendar, continued...
• Begin turning horses out on tall fescue fi elds set aside for winter grazing once orchardgrass and other pastures have been utilized. • Allow horses to closely graze pastures that will be frost-seeded with clover in the spring down to 4’’ to remove excess residues to allow for better establishment. • Pre-order certifi ed seed to take advantage of dealer discounts, seed availability and a Febru- ary delivery if spring spot seeding of pastures is needed.
DECEMBER
• Perform maintenance on all pasture manage- ment equipment. • Check water sources daily making sure to break ice to allow horse access to water, or if automatic waterers are used, make sure they are working properly.
JANUARY
• Keep horses off pastures when ground is soft and wet to avoid mud, trampling of pasture grasses, and soil compaction. • Confi ne horses in heavy-use areas located near barn during inclement weather. • Remove manure from sacrifi ce lot/heavy use area daily. • Lime fi elds in accordance with soil test rec-
ommendations when footing permits. FEBRUARY
• Continue to feed horses hay in sacrifi ce lot/ heavy use area if pastures are soft and wet. • Broadcast ladino-type white clover seed over bare spots in pastures (about 1 lb/acre) in order to maintain about 25% clover content during the grazing season. • Update Nutrient Management Plan if re- quired by law, including preparing and sending in the Annual Implementation Report (AIR).
MARCH
• Allow horses to graze when pastures begin to show new growth (i.e. “green-up”), and are a height of 6 inches or more. • Acclimate horses to lush spring pastures by allowing them access to pastures for an hour or two during the fi rst few days, and then gradu- ally increase their turnout to full-time over the next 7 days. • Apply composted manure or 1/3 of the an- nual fertilizer amount to pastures that are not currently being grazed, making sure to follow soil test recommendations or your farm’s nutri- ent management plan. • Drag or harrow pastures to break up manure pies after recent grazing.
For a complete list of monthly pasture man- agement tips from the
Horse Outreach Workgroup, visit https://
goo.gl/GqFdmS or scan the QR Code above with your cell phone.
30 | THE EQUIERY | APRIL 2018
800-244-9580 |
www.equiery.com
915470-180418
Sara Gordon
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