When deciding whether to fertilize cool-season pastures with nitrogen, consider fertilizer cost, moisture available to use the fertilizer, and when the extra growth is needed.
Normally we get plenty of early spring growth without much fertilizer; additional fertilizer might just be wasted. Usually I encourage waiting until early to mid-May to fertilize brome or other cool-season grass pastures so more growth will be available for extra summer grazing.
This spring, though, subsoils are dry and forecasts aren't promising. Most pastures will produce less grass than normal unless we have a very wet season. Plus, nitrogen prices are higher than normal.
This year, to ensure as much extra and early pasture as possible, apply nitrogen fertilizer to cool-season pastures as soon as possible. Early application will stimulate maximum pounds of extra grass growth per pound of nitrogen applied. Since most soils are dry, it’s unlikely that extra growth will be wasteful; however, if it doesn't rain, fertilizer dollars could be wasted.
To address both these concerns, apply slightly less than the usual rate of nitrogen to about half your pastures now and wait until early May to better judge moisture conditions before fertilizing the rest of your pastures. This should give you the early pasture you need without risking too many fertilizer dollars.
Drought forces us to make many pasture management changes. When and how much fertilizer to apply is one of them.
Bruce Anderson
Extension Forage Specialist
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