Graziers have always been challenged by the spring flush of forage, but most wouldn’t give it up unless there was an assurance of consistent growth throughout the summer, which never happens.
The flush of cool-season grasses that occurs as soil temperatures warm to near 60°F means that the hay-feeding season has ended. Keeping ahead of the forage tsunami is a monumental battle, and one that is often lost.
The University of Missouri’s Eric Bailey encourages farmers to look at the spring flush as an opportunity. By grazing at the right time, the beef specialist sees it as a time to improve productivity and enhance the nutritional intake of grazing cattle.
“One of the most effective ways to manage the spring flush of tall fescue is through management-intensive grazing,” says University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist Harley Naumann. “This involves rotating cattle among smaller, well-defined paddocks, giving each area time to recover before being grazed again. Management-intensive grazing prevents overgrazing and encourages healthy pasture regrowth, and it may improve soil health by promoting more uniform forage utilization and manure distribution,” he adds.
The challenge with the spring flush is to keep cool-season grasses like tall fescue in a vegetative, high-quality state. Once grasses reach reproductive stages, forage quality quickly takes a nose dive. “It can be a delicate balancing act, but the objective is to graze close enough to remove the reproductive tillers so that the majority of pasture regrowth remains vegetative while not overgrazing,” Naumann notes.
Naumann recommends to begin rotational grazing before pastures look ready. “If you wait until the first paddock looks ready, the last-used paddocks will be overgrown by the time you turn cows out on them,” he asserts.
The first time through a grazing rotation, cattle will need to be moved frequently from paddock to paddock.
Another option
The reality is that spring rotational grazing may still not be enough to keep all pastures in a vegetative state, so Bailey promotes a second management component.
“By incorporating management-intensive grazing and adding flexible grazing units like stocker cattle, you can reap the most benefits of the spring flush and maintain a sustainable grazing system,” Bailey says.
The reality of the situation remains that with no change in animal units, forage will either be excessive in the spring or short during the summer slump. Some farmers will employ the practice of making dry hay from some pastures for winter feeding. Often, this hay gets baled too late and is poor quality.
Bailey promotes a system whereby stocker cattle are added to a cow-calf operation in the spring and sold before grass becomes limiting. “Over the past five years, our research has consistently demonstrated substantial stocker cattle weight gain by grazing calves at high stocking rates on tall fescue in the spring,” he explains.
“Gains above 1.5 pounds per day are possible when grazing weaned beef calves on tall fescue in April, May, and June,” Bailey says. “Be sure to remove calves from tall fescue during July and August as daily weight gain drops below 0.5 pounds per day.”
Adding stockers temporarily boosts grazing pressure, reducing the accumulation of mature, unpalatable forage. This makes it easier to keep pastures in a vegetative state. It also promotes more even grazing across the entire pasture, ensuring that both your cow-calf pairs and stockers have access to high-quality grass, according to Bailey.
“Flexible grazing units like stocker cattle can help improve pasture health, enhance herd nutrition, and enhance the profitability of your operation,” the beef nutrition specialist concludes.
