Annual Forage Growth in Iowa
Animal Science
Denise Schwab
Extension Beef Specialist
Iowa State University
Vinton
Abstract
Annual Forage Production in Iowa
Schwab, D.1, Vittetoe, R.2,
1 Extension beef specialist, Iowa State University Extension, Vinton, IA 52349; 2 Extension agronomist, Iowa State University Extension, Washington, IA 52358
With the shortage of pasture and hay ground many livestock producers are looking for alternative forage feed sources. Annual forages provide producers an opportunity for alternative forage feed sources. Annual forages can extend grazing days into the early spring prior to pasture turnout, through the typical summer slump when cool season pasture growth slows, into the fall alongside corn stalk grazing, and into the winter months with the use of swath grazing. Simply the addition of one week in the spring, three weeks in the summer, and three weeks of additional grazing in the fall can reduce the cost of feed to an Iowa cow herd by nearly $100 per cow. In many cases, producers can raise a forage crop followed by a grain crop on the same land, increasing overall farm production. However, limited current data exists for annual forage crop yields in Iowa. As a result, several Iowa State University Extension staff have established demonstration projects at five research farms over the last three years and one independent farm to determine yields of winter annuals, spring annuals and summer annual forages. The results of these demonstrations have been a springboard to create and fund additional education programs. In the past year, yield results as well as management practices have been shared at more than 20 programs or field days to more than 400 producers. End-of-meeting evaluations show that 65% of participants are currently seeding winter annuals, 56% are using spring annuals and 47% are using summer annuals. Additionally, 13% of non-users plan to add annual forages to their forage base. Evaluations also showed an increase in knowledge of more than one full level increase on a 5-point scale.
Authors: Denise Schwab, Rebecca Vittetoe
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Denise Schwab Extension Beef Specialist, Iowa State University Extension, Iowa, 42349
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Rebecca Vittetoe Extension Agronomist, Iowa State University Extension, Iowa, 52358