Hay – 10 Tips for Successful Hay Establishment

Download a PDF copy of this management sheet:   Prepare a firm seed bed – soil left too loose, especially in late spring and summer, combined with minimal rainfall allows the seed to germinate, but also to dry out quickly killing the seedling before it has enough root to survive. Plant grass seed no deeper […]

Hay – Grasses for Mechanical Harvest

Download a PDF copy of this management sheet:   Over the past few years, a mixed hay sample, containing STF-43 soft-leafed, endophyte-free tall fescue, has been entered in the World Dairy Expo hay contest. These samples had RFQ values over 200 and were consistently in the top 10% compared with over 200 straight alfalfa samples! […]

Dairy – Rotational Forage Options for Storage and Grazing

Download a PDF copy of this management sheet:   High yielding, digestible annual forages have a place on every dairy. For early spring planting straight or as an alfalfa nurse crop, we recommend Baler forage oats, OPtimum II, or Green Spirit Italian Ryegrass for early summer harvest. Once soil temperatures reach at least sixty-five degrees […]

Dairy – High Quality Grass for Lactating Cows and Replacement Heifers

Download a PDF copy of this management sheet:   Dairymen and nutritionists alike are recognizing the nutritional benefits of high quality grass forage.  For years, farmers have noted that cows often “go up” in milk production when turned out on grass.  Thanks to advances in forage digestibility analysis (NDFd), we now know that improved grasses […]

Dairy – Growing High Quality Dairy Pasture

Download a PDF copy of this management sheet: A typical grass-based dairy should have about one acre per cow of high quality pasture.  In addition, dairymen should have another acre per cow in flexible forage that can either be made for hay or grazed as needed based upon the season.  Many dairymen have at least […]

Beef – Summer Grazing & Winter Feed

Download a PDF copy of this management sheet:   Every livestock manager utilizing pasture is concerned about drought.  Rather than having to feed expensive hay or sell animals when your cool season pastures slow down, we recommend planning ahead.  After soil temperatures reach at least 65 degrees in late May, we recommend planting FSM Brand […]

Beef – Rotational Forage

Download a PDF copy of this management sheet:   High yielding, digestible annual forages have a place on every beef operation.  For early spring planting straight or as an alfalfa nurse crop, we recommend Baler forage oats, OPtimum II, or Green Spirit Italian Ryegrass for early summer harvest.  Once soil temperatures reach at least sixty-five […]

Beef – Multi-purpose Pasture Options

Download a PDF copy of this management sheet:   In some years, pastures begin to slow down in early summer and more grazing acres are needed other years, the cattle cant keep up with all the grass.  One way to manage this situation is to plant a portion of the farm to a forage mixture […]

Beef – High Quality Rotational Pasture for Stockers, Replacement Heifers and Cow-Calf Pairs

Download a PDF copy of this management sheet:   Many cattleman have a portion of their farm well-suited to the production of high quality pasture. Generally, soils with good fertility that are not excessively wet or droughty can support high quality pasture grasses with proper management. Soft-leafed tall fescues, like Barenbrugs endophyte-free Bariane or friendly-endophyte […]

Beef – Basic Improvements for Difficult to Manage Permanent Pasture

Download a PDF copy of this management sheet:   Beef production has traditionally been a way of utilizing farmland least suited to crop production.  Therefore, many long-term pastures tend to have soil moisture extremes, steeper slopes and may be untillable due to rocks or trees.  By default, these areas may also be infested with undesirable […]