Tips for Successful Oat Pastures

Tips for Successful Oat Pastures

May 11, 2007

Oat pastures have increased in popularity in recent years as one way to reduce problems from drought. Oat pastures can be long lasting and productive, but also disappointing sometimes. Following are a few recommendations for successfully growing oat pastures.

Oats grows rapidly. Once plants are 5-6 inches tall, they quickly can shoot up to a foot tall in almost no time. As nice as this sounds, once oats gets that tall it may not stool out, tiller, and regrow after grazing. It's important to start grazing early and to graze hard enough to keep your oats vegetative and leafy, thereby stimulating them to constantly form new tillers.

So how early is early? That's hard to say, but if we start to first graze when oats are 6-8 inches tall and remove about half the growth, plants will recover rapidly and tiller well.

To stimulate tillering after this first grazing, keep oat regrowth between 6 and 16 inches tall, using either continuous or rotational stocking. Begin with a light stocking rate, about one animal every two acres. Then adjust the number of grazing animals as oat growth changes. Don't worry if a few plants head out. They might form seed that can naturally replant more pasture for fall grazing; however, if many plants get tall and approach the boot stage, either plan one last hard graze-out or consider cutting for hay.

Bruce Anderson
Extension Forage Specialist

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