Because our soils are typically low in soil organic matter, we must provide almost all the N needed by the crop. Using nitrogen that is not urea-based but is composed of ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate may also help decrease volatilization. Apply manure as soon as possible after harvest to avoid salt burn injury and wheel track damage to regrowing alfalfa. There has also been a lot of speculation about phosphate prices increasing because of declining resources and increased world demand. This is why soil testing after each harvest and before buying more fertilizer is so necessary. When the spring flush growth occurs after winter finally subsides, adding fertilizer to bolster the ample sweet grasses in pastures even more could actually be harmful to the livestock. For every ton of legume or tall grass hay harvested from a hayfield roughly 50 pounds of potassium and 13 pounds of phosphorus is removed from the soil. Therefore application of manure on hay fields can increase the economic return from manure nutrients compared to late fall applications of the same manure for next years crops. Applying Manure to Alfalfa, Pros, Cons, and Recommendations for Three Application Strategies. 10 new mower conditioners in 2016, Why cutting height and moisture levels matter. One of the two best times to topdress maintenance fertilizer on hay is right after the first cutting. | Columbus, Ohio 43210. The preplant application strategy is best suited for producers who have slurry or solid manure systems. If there is little to light residue it should only take one quarter to half of an inch to dissolve the urea into the dirt. Phone: 740-223-4043, 2022| 2120 Fyffe Road | Room 3 Ag Admin Bldg. Several factors are causing the increase in fertilizer prices, says Mitchell. Driving heavy manure spreaders on wet soils causes soil compaction. 10 new mower conditioners in 2016. The time (about two weeks during a busy time of the year) and money spent on soil testing can save you far more money and wasted time if the wrong fertilizer mixture is applied to a pasture of hayfield. Keeping these facts in mind, says Mitchell, Alabama producers can get the most out of their fertilizer budget with one of several available alternatives. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. For technical support please contact the CFAES Helpdesk. For dryland applications in western South Dakota and Nebraska with lower annual rainfall, its a good idea to make sure you have the fertilizer available, then watch the forecast for a significant rain coming up and make a quick application right before a rain. It takes roughly 20 to 40 pounds (9 to 18 kgs) of fertilizer per acre to foster legume and grass hay growth. Tara The roller coaster that is fertilizer prices appears to be headed back up for 2011, after reaching a peak in 2008 and dropping rapidly in 2009. Getting the fertilizer in place prior to plant growth in the spring is ideal. Legume and grass hayfield need a different mixture and quantity of fertilizer than hayfields that grow oat based hay, for example. Here are three things to think about before fertilizing your hay fields: Hay meadows respond well to fertilizer, writes Anderson in UNLs BEEFWatch May newsletter. Applying manure before alfalfa seed is planted is excellent for alfalfa production while avoiding many problems associated with surface application on established stands. Manure is more evenly distributed when livestock is confined in a designated space for small amounts of time, then rotated to another space to do the same. In many cases, applying fertilizer will pay very well, but not in every instance.. Nitrates typically accumulate at the bottom of the stalk of most forages, so its best to make sure you are taking whole plant samples (from the soil surface and up).. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Legumes such as alfalfa and clover fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil, but phosphorus and potassium are also key macronutrients vital to soil and plant health. In some cases a legume/grass mixture may produce more dry matter per acre than grass alone, particularly as compared to grass receiving little or no N fertilizer. Pastures tend to benefit significantly more than hayfields from the natural fertilization cycle. When manure is used as the sole source of nitrogen for a grass hay crop, other nutrient levels in the soil, specifically phosphorous and potassium may increase over time. Thus, we see potash prices rising as well.. At home on the ranch in South Dakota, were hustling to get heifers and cows synchronized and artificially inseminated, move creep feeders to pasture, fix fences and line up help for moving pairs to summer grass. For additional tips on fertilizing hay fields this spring and getting the most tonnage when baling, check out these five BEEF resources: Calculate manure and fertilizer equivalents with this app, Pasture fertilization starts with a soil test, Its hay time! On the average, a ton of fresh broiler litter will contain at least 60-60-40 pounds N-P2O5-K2O. How to control sucking & biting lice on cattle, When is the best time to wean? CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. Fertilizing in the spring can be a huge waste of money and time unless the hayfield or pasture has not been well tended to, or has been overworked. Calves are more susceptible to the disease than mature animals. Solid hayfield and pasture management practices begin with soil testing. If you have sandy soil in all or part of your fields, consider using split percentage levels of nitrogen to avoid infusing too much of the nutrient into the soil and increasing the possibility of leaching. For warm season grasses such as switchgrass, big bluestem or foxtail millet, a June application is best. Warm-season grass meadows will soon start to green up, too, he writes. University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service. You should assume any link is an affiliate link. Its imperative to make sure that youre feeding your alfalfa stands so they stay healthy and productive as long as good soil management profitability allows, Bauder said. It might be younger than you think, Late-gestation trace mineral supplementation shows promise, 7 tips for limiting the spread of invasive species in your pastures, 60 stunning photos that showcase ranch work ethics, 65 Photos That Celebrate Cowgirls & Cattlewomen, It's hay time! We can grow a little grass without fertilization because Mother Nature usually gives us about 20 to 30 pounds of N per acre per year in rainfall. This application should be limited in acreage for pastures, based on how much grass growth is needed to carry the herd or flock. If the fertilizer is spread onto ground that is already wet and rain is not in the forecast for a few days, the evaporating water can attach to the ammonia gases released, and risk losing the urea content of the fertilizer. It is not recommended to add nitrogen on alfalfa as it is a legume and should not need any additional nitrogen, Bauder said. This means 52 pounds of phosphorus and about 200 pounds of potassium would be depleted from the dirt on every acre. However, the single most valuable advantage forage legumes offer is better forage quality on average than grasses, which usually sharply increase animal gains and may enhance livestock reproductive rates, he says. Be aware of the forecasted weather conditions when applying nitrogen. Depending on the rate applied, supplemental fertilizer N may be needed for maximum hay production. All rights reserved. Sometimes, dividing up a pasture into quarters or thirds and fertilizing is the best way to keep the soil in a grazing area continually infused with nutrients. A 50 pound bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer contains 15 actual pounds of fertilizer nutrients, and the rest being comprised of natural filler materials like limestone and sand. The single most beneficial technique for lowering N fertilizer costs is to grow forage legumes, he says. It especially seems to impact ruminant animals like sheep, as well as both beef and dairy cattle. On average, 1000 gallons of slurry contains 22-28 lb of N and one ton of solid manure contains 8-10 lb N. However, on average only 50% of N in manure is available for the current crop thus, you should expect only 40 lb of N/A if you are applying 3000 gals of liquid manure; (3000 gal/A x 26 lb N/1000 gal x 0.50 = 40). Unless you are guessing at what your dirt needs and buying off the shelf (which is strongly recommended against) the staff at the agriculture store will mix the fertilizer to meet the specific needs of the soil being treated. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Grazing livestock recycles nutrients. As long as the stand is at least one third alfalfa, you should not need any additional nitrogen. Moderate amounts of nitrogen (30-50 pounds N/Acre) can be applied in June through early July after the first cutting or after the spring flush and reproductive stages of the cool-season grasses are over in pastures. Beef Magazine is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. Use equipment that applies uniformly and without clumps. Here in the Nebraska Sandhills, hay meadows can be pretty wet in April so some guys get their fertilizer down even earlier while the ground is still frozen, but April is the most common timeframe.. If the soil tests High in one of these, then research has shown that applying more as fertilizer is a waste of money.. Simply spreading fertilizer on the ground without knowing what type of mix that you need or when it is really needed is like driving without headlights down a dark and curvy country road you will eventually get somewhere, but a lot of damage will likely occur along the way. If so, when and how much? Applying too much fertilizer is a waste of money; applying too little will result in less-than-optimum forage production. This application will stimulate summer hay growth or pasture grass growth that can be stockpiled for use when pastures slow down later in the season. Rains and snowmelt replace a small amount of nitrogen, but its a losing battle if you dont ever put anything back.. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Liquid manure is probably best on hay fields because there is less chance of smothering and producers are less likely to gather up remnants of the manure in the next hay harvest. The other top choice is in the early fall. C.O.R.N. The Ohio State University Extension has an Excel tool to help you determine the right rates to apply based on your soil test report. Strategic applications of nitrogen might be needed on pure grass hay and pasture stands. Alternatives available for fertilizing pastures, hay fields, Awareness crucial for mental health intervention, Study looks at declining Oklahoma wild turkey population, Shrinking cattle herd could equal high calf, beef prices, Southwest cotton organizations report on crop status, Keep an eye out for algae overgrowth in ponds this summer, Peanut industry gathers to discuss progress, challenges ahead, Allowed HTML tags: . C.O.R.N. Different livestock producers will need to take different approaches based upon their location, resources available, and type of operation. The next step is to push a pencil to determine whether investing in added fertilizer will pay off. Some research in Wisconsin and Minnesota has shown manure can sometimes improve alfalfa yields when compared with commercial fertilizer sources. This site may earn commissions when you visit certain links. Auburn Universitys soil test recommendations assume a high level of management and production and are based on the assumption that the forage produced can and will be used. The first number on a fertilizer bag refers to the amount of nitrogen (N) container in the bag. Wait before fertilizing your warm-season grass meadows.. Our fields have responded well to the rainy days, and the cool-season grasses are really thriving in the late spring season. The second number pertains to the level of phosphate (P205) in the fertilizer mix. The alfalfa seed should not be in direct contact with a manure layer during germination, and the seedling should not grow through a layer of manure at the soil surface. How much and how quickly this type of surface volatilization occurs will depend on several factors: the pH balance of the soil, moisture levels, and temperature. On good irrigated pastures or hayfields you can put down a lot more fertilizer because you have the moisture available.. Grass tetany happens when livestock grazes too heavily on the quickly growing spring grass. The rate to apply declines as we go from east to west use about 80 poundsof nitrogen per acre in eastern Nebraska but only 30-40 poundsin the Panhandle., 3. C.O.R.N. If it is warmer than 50 degrees F (10 C) and the pH balance is higher than 6.5, the rate of urea conversion to ammonia gasses is substantially enhanced.
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