February 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 21 Planting and Nutrients For spring annual forages, the planting period is typically late March to early April, or when soil temperatures are in the 42° to 45° F range. “We generally recommend planting spring annuals beginning in late March/early April. Even some places in southwest Nebraska, or if there’s a really early spring with warm temperatures, mid-March can work,” Volesky says. Forage is going to be needed for many producers this spring, so timely planting is critical. Redfearn warns producers to pay attention to the timeliness of the establishment. “We’re probably looking somewhere a week or two earlier than corn planting time in whatever area you are in,” Redfearn says. “Those soil temperatures are still cool, but they’re on the rise. While we can see some colder weather still, it’s rare to see much freezing loss on early growth of those annuals.” Forages planted too late in the spring will typically see a yield loss and stunted plants as it gets too warm too quickly for the cool-season crop. For annual forages to reach their yield potential, nitrogen fertilizer is recommended as it is usually the limited nutrient. While forage crops are managed differently from row crops, a soil test could help the producer determine what nutrients they need. “Nitrogen is probably the most important nutrient, with application anywhere from 50 to 70 pounds to really produce a nice, adequate crop,” Volesky says. “With that fertilizer, they do need to consider what was growing there the previous year and maybe even, in some cases, do some soil testing to make sure they’re on target with their fertilizer rates.” He also advises producers to consider the herbicides that may have been used on a field the previous year. Some herbicides have long residuals that could hinder establishment even into this spring. The amount of nitrogen is going to differ depending on location, growing temperature and precipitation. In the panhandle and northern parts of Nebraska, for example, plants are not going to have as much production potential so less nitrogen is needed, around 30 to 40 pounds. The central and eastern parts of the state where spring temperatures warm up earlier, around 60 pounds of nitrogen is needed. Nitrogen fertilization has also been shown to increase forage crude protein. “I always recommend to go ahead and plant the crop and don’t fertilize it until it gets up,” Redfearn says. “That way, if you have a failure from no rain or whatever, you’re not putting that added expense on top of something that’s not going to work.” Redfearn says he also gets producer questions about phosphorus and potassium. He says neither of those are typically much of an issue to growing a good forage crop. “If you’re planting on cropland in an area that might be eroded or have some lower quality soil, 20 to 30 pounds of phosphorus is probably not going to hurt,” Redfearn adds. “Potassium is generally not a big issue.” Grazing If grazing is the primary goal for early spring-planted annuals, grazing can typically begin around the third week of May into early June, depending on spring growing conditions. Management of grazing spring annuals is critical. Producers should be ready to start grazing when plant height reaches 6 to 8 inches. Once it is at that height, growth will occur quickly, and it can shoot up to 12 inches in almost no time. The early grazing will stimulate the formation of new tillers. Redfearn says that regrowth after grazing is better off of barley and triticale than oats, which is why a mix of those forages when planting could be a good combination. Ideally, producers should graze to keep the growth between 6 and 12 inches. This might require an initial lighter stocking rate, about one cow-calf pair for every two acres, then adjust animal numbers upward as forage growth changes. In general, a good stand of cereal small grains could support up to two cow-calf pairs per acre for about a six-week period. “In the spring, forages are green, lush and highly desirable for cattle, and there could be a concern of grass tetany,” CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 “I always recommend to go ahead and plant the crop and don’t fertilize it until it gets up. That way, if you have a failure from no rain or whatever, you’re not putting that added expense on top of something that’s not going to work.” – Daren Redfearn
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