Plan for drought by choosing the right forage plan

TUSCUMBIA, Mo. — Now is the time for forage growers to plan for drought, says Rudra Baral, University of Missouri Extension field specialist in agronomy.

Diversifying your forage base with warm-season grasses and legumes can provide a buffer against weather-related forage shortages, says Baral in a new MU Extension publication, “Maximizing Summer Grazing: A Guide to Warm-Season Forage Management in Missouri,” at https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g4167.

Baral’s publication comes on the heels of three consecutive droughts in Missouri and the second-warmest year in the state’s history, says MU Extension state climatologist Zachary Leasor.

Warm-season grasses provide high-quality forage during hot summer months when cool-season grasses fade, Baral says. They are a cost-effective option that reduces soil erosion and provides wildlife habitat.

The right choice of forages can help reduce fertilizer costs, weed pressure and reliance on costly commercial feed like soybean meal. In the new publication, Baral lays out how warm-season grasses can help livestock producers maintain productive pastures in the summer.

Some of the highlights include:

Understand your soil dynamics

A soil test will help farmers make decisions about crop selection, planting, fertilization, irrigation and weed and pest management. Other factors such as soil texture can affect pasture growth due to water retention, infiltration and nutrient availability.

Choose the right warm-season grass

Missouri’s climate is right for several warm-season grasses to survive, and Baral lists those in the publication. He gives the tentative planting time and characteristics of the grasses to match the local climate, soil type and grazing goal.

Add legumes to improve quality

Adding legumes such as white and red clovers or alfalfa to warm-season pastures can boost productivity and lower fertilizer needs. Legumes can replace 50-80 pounds of nitrogen per acre. They fix atmospheric nitrogen, improve soil fertility over time and offer substantial soil health benefits that make pastures more resilient.

Legumes grow when warm-season grasses may be less productive, providing a consistent forage supply throughout the growing season.

Baral says that a mix of 15%-20% legumes mixed into pastures can ensure a balance that provides nutrition and resilience and avoids bloat in cattle.

Adding legumes can increase crude protein levels by 3 to 5 percentage points and relative feed value by 20 to 40 points, which in turn increases livestock body weight gains, says Baral.

Other considerations

Baral says it is important to consider other practices, including fertilizer management, grazing management, harvesting, cultural practices and mechanical and biological controls.

For more information, see the MU Extension publication “Warm-Season Annual Forage Crops” at https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g4661.