Grazing

Hereford cow and calf in field eating hay — A cow's energy requirements increase about 30% and protein needs nearly double after calving. Because of this, it's important to use your best quality forages with any needed supplements to provide adequate nutrition.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Considerations for Feed After Calving, Adding Legumes to Pastures

February 12, 2024

Tips on meeting nutrient requirements of cows after calving season and improving pasture production by frost seeding or interseeding legumes.

Cattle eating hay during winter — Properly testing hay and adjusting mineral and livestock diets during the winter are important steps in minimizing the risk of issues like tetany and nitrate poisoning.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Considerations for Pasture Leases and Winter Hay Nutrition

January 30, 2024

Extension educators review factors that affect the success of pasture grazing leases, and how to avoid toxicity and malnutrition through livestock feed during the winter.

Oat field in summer — While taking stock of your operation for the new year, it’s also a good time to start planning spring annual forages. While oats are probably the most common cool-season annual forage planted in Nebraska, spring triticale or spring barley are also good options, with comparable forage yield and quality.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Preparing Your Operation for 2024, Planning Spring Annual Forages

January 23, 2024

Winter brings time to take stock of our current operations and plan for the future, which can make a significant impact on success in the upcoming year.

Pasture landscape — For some areas of Nebraska that struggled with drought in 2023, pasture and forage production could be challenging, especially in early 2024. One strategy for improving production early in the season is frost-seeding legumes like red clover from February to mid-March.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Reflecting on 2023, Improving Pastures in 2024

January 2, 2024

Extension Forage Crop Residue Specialist Daren Redfearn shares his observations on pasture and forage production throughout 2023, and what producers can do to enhance plant growth in 2024.

Cattle in snow-covered corn residue — While fall and winter weathering can reduce its nutritional quality, cornstalks are still a great and economical winter feed source if supplementation is managed appropriately.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Tips for Cornstalk Grazing, Using Bad Hay and Silage

December 26, 2023

Considerations for grazing cornstalks with snow cover and utilizing low-quality hay and silage during periods of low supply and high feed costs.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Water Costs for Grazing Cattle, Twine in Feed

December 12, 2023

Extension educators share recommendations for calculating the cost of water for cattle grazing on cornstalks, and highlight the risks associated with cattle ingesting twine or net wrap in hay feed.