Developed by: Wendy Williams, NRCS, Bozeman, Montana UNCE, Reno, Nev.

 How plants make food  Legumes and grasses  How pasture plants grow  Growth and reproduction  Managing growing points  Determining forage yield

How plants make food for growth

 Legumes  Grasses  Weeds (we’ll talk about them later)  Woody shurbs  Trees UNCE, Reno, Nev.

taproot leaflet flower stem leaf stolon

 Vegetative growth  Bud stage  Flowering NCSU

Each segment contains a:  Leaf  Node  Internode  Axillary bud or potential bud – can produce a new stem or tiller NRCS, Bozeman, Mont.

OSUPenn State Univ. 2 tillers developing from the crown of the plant A joint (node)

NRCS, Bozeman, Mont. Growing Points  Location where cells divide and produce new growth  Occur close to the ground early in the growing season  Become elevated above ground as the growing season progresses

 Vegetative ◦ Growth of leaves  Elongation ◦ Lengthening of stem internodes, also called jointing ◦ Boot stage is the end of elongation  Reproductive ◦ Development of seedhead and seed

 Grass plants reproduce by forming seed heads  Some plants also reproduce by sending out spreading roots or shoots USDA NRCS UNCE, Reno, Nev.

Long-shoot phase of growth (elongated internodes) Short-shoot phase of growth Growing points removed; must regrow from basal buds Regrowth Growing point level Intact growing points

USDA NRCS

 Growing points at ground level  Growing points on the stem  Growing points at the stem tips Smooth brome

 Stored in roots, rhizomes, stolons and base of stem  Used for first spring growth of dormant plants  Allow rapid regrowth from stubble Kentucky bluegrass rhizome Penn State Univ.

Adapted from NRCS by A. Miller

Adapted from NRCS, Bozeman, Mont.

Adapted from NRCS, Bozeman, Mont. by A. Miller Take-half and Leave-half

UNCE, Reno, Nev.

A B C by A. Miller

 Early to mid-season, maximum forage production can be obtained by keeping the plant in a vegetative state by preventing seed head production  Depending on the species, you may want to let the grass form a seed head at the end of the season

 Annual  Biennial  Perennial OSU

 Optimum temp. range 65 to 75 degrees F  Productive in spring and fall  Reduced growth in summer  Higher in crude protein  Respond to nitrogen fertilizer  Examples: ◦ orchardgrass, ◦ fescues, ◦ perennial ryegrass, and ◦ bromes

 Better at using atmospheric nitrogen  Grow best at high temperatures (90 to 95 degrees F)  Lower in protein but protein is more efficiently used by animals  Triggered by day lengths  Examples: ◦ big and little bluestem, ◦ switchgrass, ◦ Indiangrass, and ◦ sudangrass

A. Miller

 Growth occurs in early spring or late fall  Grows in bunches or clumps  Grass propagates by seed only  More elevated leaves  Grazing must be managed to optimize productivity

 Growth occurs in early spring or late fall  Growth forms a mat of roots or sod  Plants propagate from both seed and rhizomes or stolons  More tolerant of grazing

 Growth occurs in late spring to early summer  Growth forms a mat of roots or sod  Plants propagate from both seed and rhizomes or stolons  More tolerant of grazing

 Plants that fix nitrogen from the air  Can reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizers  More growth in the hot summer months than grasses  Watch out for bloat  Need to be inoculated

Construct a clipping ring: use an eight foot long piece of cable that has been bolted together. “How much grass do I have?”

NRCS, Bozeman, Mont.

If the clipping weight is 200 grams, multiply by 20 for a total available forage yield of 4000 pounds per acre Usable forage – pasture 4000 lbs x 35% (0.35) = 1400 lb/acre Usable forage – “native” pasture 4000 lbs x 25% (0.25) = 1000 lb/acre

 Check your pasturelands handout to match hay yield to forage availability.  Clip the grasses for more accurate forage production figures

 Graze it!  How long can you graze?  Just long enough that you preserve growing points and leaf area  Then you must rest your pasture

 Depends upon: ◦ Period in the growing season ◦ Availability of irrigation water ◦ Amount of active leaf area remaining following the grazing period ◦ Cool-season grasses recover more quickly in spring and autumn

 What are you trying to manage?  What are your management goals? ◦ Attract and maintain wildlife ◦ Discourage wildlife ◦ Defensible space ◦ Aesthetics ◦ Noxious weed management

 Mowing ◦ Need equipment ◦ Need grass species that grow upright ◦ Be sure to maintain the growing points ◦ Fertilize or add legumes  Leasing to livestock managers for grazing ◦ Need to know your forage yield ◦ Don’t assume management will be good

 Removes rank vegetation, duff, litter  Release mineralized nutrients  Manage some weeds  Regeneration of certain species  Control diseases and insects

 Smoke management  Unhappy neighbors  Requires a permit UNCE, Reno, Nev.

 Liability issues – wildfire, etc.  Melts plastic fences  Dust and ash issues  Short-term water quality issues UNCE, Reno

 Identify what is growing in your pasture(s)  Determine which plant(s) to use as a “key species” for your pasture(s)  Determine the forage yield of your pasture(s)

 Identify three of the most common grass and legume species in each of your pastures.  Select your key species.  Calculate forage yields.