Forages

Pasture landscape

The Department of Agronomy and Horticulture features a website devoted to information on Range, Pasture, and Forages, including sections on forage crop and pasture, integrated crop-livestock systems, rangeland ecology and management, grazing, bioenergy and a section on forage publications. Use the links below to this site to identify Nebraska Extension forage publications on these topics.

The site also includes reports of recent and ongoing forage crop and pasture studies underway with researchers at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

UNL Extension Forage Publications

available through the Department of Agronomy of Horticulture Range, Pasture, and Forages website

For information on other topics, please see the full library of Nebraska Extension Publications.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Controlling Alfalfa Weevil and Leafy Spurge, First Cutting Alfalfa

June 1, 2023

With first cutting alfalfa to begin soon, extension educators discuss the importance of scouting for alfalfa weevils to mitigate yield losses and strategies for timing harvest, plus control options for leafy spurge.

Hay harvest — The best time to cut grass hay is when the grass nutrient content matches the nutritional needs of your livestock — before heads begin to emerge for young animals, and before seeds develop for mature animals.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Small Grains and Grass Harvest, Fencing Costs

May 23, 2023

This week — Nebraska Extension educators share target protein levels of small grains and grass hay for the upcoming harvest, and analyze the cost of various fencing options.

Cattle in pasture — Whether cereal plant forages are grazed out, hayed or harvested as wheatlage this year, the goal is to timely plant subsequent summer annuals between mid-May to mid-June for optimizing yields.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Wheat Grazing vs. Grain Value, Choosing Summer Forage

May 16, 2023

This week — Recommendations for producers considering wheat for forage, including varieties and planting timelines for summer annual grasses, plus tips on control measures for poison hemlock.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Equipment Maintenance, Controlling Musk Thistle and No-Till on the Plains Tours

May 11, 2023

This week, extension educators review a checklist for pre-season hay equipment maintenance, tips for controlling musk thistle in pastures, and details of this year's No-Till on the Plains Whirlwind tours in June.

Cattle grazing — Grazing wheat or harvesting it early in the boot stage for hay could also open a window of opportunity to plant a summer annual forage into the wheat stubble as a second crop if good moisture conditions are present. (Photo by Troy Walz)

Winter Wheat May Have More Value as Forage Than Taking It to Grain

May 4, 2023

Due to current cattle market conditions, and the price and availability of hay, Nebraska Extension Educator Aaron Berger evaluates the value of grazing or haying winter wheat this year.

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