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Alfalfa Varieties Information about performance summaries for alfalfa trials planted in various years.

Small Scale Animal Feed Small-scale Manufacture of Compound Animal Feed: Chapter 1 describes the economic background to the industry; theoretical aspects of animal nutrition are dealt with in Chapter 2; these are related to the properties of the various raw materials used in feed production in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 describes the manufacturing process and examines the physical requirements for setting up plants at various scales of output, and Chapter 5 develops cost and return models for the plants described.

Growing Alfalfa for Hay Alfalfa can produce abundant forage and is ideal for improving the soil nitrogen levels while providing erosion control. Its extensive root system often penetrates to depths of 20 feet or more, extracting water from great depths. This characteristic makes it well adapted for recharge areas that contribute to saline seep.

Forage Alternatives for Drought Conditions How do we recover from two or three successive years of drought? There are many alternative crops to consider planting in 2001. For the past 10 years, the MAES research centers have been evaluating several annual crops for forage production. There are many promising varieties of fall-seeded cereals, including awnless varieties of winter wheat, triticale and spelt, or spring-seeded hay barley, oats, or emmer. All of these crops would fit well into irrigation operations.

Warm Season Forages: Sorghum and Sudan Grass Warm season forage crops, including corn, sorghum, sudangrass, sorghum/sudangrass hybrids, and millets, have not been widely grown in Montana. However, several Montana ranchers have experimented with these crops and gotten good results. These forage crops must be seeded after soil temperatures are consistently above 60o F. For most years, this is an advantage in Montana, because by mid- to late May, we have a better idea of the seasonal moisture situation for perennial pastures and hay ground. Plus working with later season crops helps distribute the farming workload. After establishment, warm season forages can be very productive on dryland. Compared to our small grain forages, warm season forages generally have a higher water use efficiency, meaning they yield more forage per inch of soil moisture. Depending on moisture, warm season forages can yield 1.5 to 6 tons of dry hay per acre.

Get Rich Quick - Growing Native Grass Seed Sales and prices of native grass seeds have risen dramatically in recent years. Major reasons for this were the requirements for native species in new CRP contracts and re-vegetation of public lands disturbed by fire, road construction and other activities. Other factors were recent poor production years for both introduced and native species, which led to short supplies/higher prices of some species. Many Montana producers faced with low grain or cattle prices are considering grass seed harvest on a portion of their native or introduced pastures. Others have expressed an interest in “new” grass crops such as Indian ricegrass, which is being grown for use in gluten-free flour products.

Salt - Plant Materials for Saline-Alkaline Soils see also: Salt, Electrical Conductivity , Grass Salt Tolerance and Legume Salt Tolerance

Soil Sampling A soil test, the best available guide to the application of fertilizers and other nutrient sources, also is an excellent diagnostic tool for problem soils. Routine analysis for fertilizer recommendation generally includes soil pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, nitrate-nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The widespread growth in soil testing programs is due, in part, to improvements in analytical methods and procedures and better and more calibration data, which allow increased efficiency in nutrient management decisions.

Principles of Forage Establishment and Seedling Year Management The seeding and establishment of forage or conservation plantings consist of a number of operations. Each is based upon principles developed from research and experience, and each is conducted with anticipated results. This section deals with these principles as they apply to irrigated, dryland and range seedings. The discussion includes material on seeding equipment and techniques, the evaluation of seedings and some general statements on seeding management. Special purpose seedings (for seed production, water disposal, soil stabilization and repairing various kinds of disturbances) also are covered in this section.

Fertilizing Grasses and Mixed Stands Nitrogen, grasses and forages: Several researchers from MSU (S. Lorbeer, J. Jacobsen, H. Houlton, R. Lund, J. Martin, and G. Carlson) reported in an article in the Montana AgResearch (Spring, 1994, pg. 7-11) on a study involving nitrogen fertilization of grass stands near Havre. They reported on the results of a study of top-dressing dryland hay/grasses with nitrogen. The proposed that application of nitrogen to dryland hay could be profitable.

Fertilizing Dryland Grass Dryland grass and hay production have sharply declined in Montana over the past three years due to droughty conditions. Many ranchers were forced to reduce herd numbers if they were unable to locate and afford additional pasture or hay. In Montana, the application of fertilizer to dryland grass pasture or rangeland is not widely practiced, and during recent conditions, most producers have cut back on inputs such as fertilizer to reduce costs.

Fertilizer Guidelines for Alfalfa and Benefits Gained by Top-dressing Existing Alfalfa with Phosphorus

YEAR ROUND GRAZING CUTS WINTER FEED COSTS Jim Russell, Dennis Maxwell, Tracy S. Petersen. Iowa State University Extension Service. Extending the grazing season can save producers 50 cents a day per cow, compared to feeding hay throughout the winter, according to Jim Russell, forage grazing specialist at the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University.

Grazing Soybean Stubble Requires Supplementing Protein October 18, 2002 LINCOLN, Neb. — Producers putting their cattle out to graze soybean stubble this fall need to be sure their herds are getting enough protein, a University of Nebraska forage specialist said.

Graze or Bale Cornstalks This Fall For Extra Cattle Feed LINCOLN, Neb. — With Nebraska pastures depleted by drought, hay prices high and supplies tight, using cornstalks to their fullest could be especially important this winter for cattle producers, said Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska forage specialist.

Cutting Drought-Stressed Alfalfa During Winterization Is Risky LINCOLN, Neb. — It's never wise to cut alfalfa while the plants prepare for winter and that's especially important this year, a University of Nebraska forage specialist said. Related story

Much to Consider When Feeding Drought-Stressed Soybeans, Sorghum LINCOLN, Neb. — Feeding drought-stricken soybeans or sorghum as forage requires close management. While they're good sources of needed livestock feed, they also can be toxic, University of Nebraska specialists said.

Easy Field Method for Predicting Hay Quality at First Harvest: The Montana Haywatch Program

Understanding Forage Quality. 16-page color review of forage quality in US (American Farm Bureau Federation Publication 1-01):

Alfalfa Hay Quality Testing. 4-page overview of forage quality in Montana (MT9302)

Forage Species in Montana There are over 80 different species potentially used for forage in Montana and the northern Great Plains. These include species on native rangeland, improved seeded pastures, perennial hay crops, annual forages and crop aftermath. Renovation or establishment of new forage seedings are good investments, but can be very expensive and time-consuming. For satisfactory returns on investment, seeded species should be chosen carefully for adaptation, they must fit specific needs, and they must be properly established and managed.

Grasses Information on various species from "Alkali sacaton" to "Western wheatgrass"

Legumes Information on various species from "Alfalfa" to "White clover"

Shrubs or Browse Information on various species from "Bitterbush" to "Winterfat"

Characteristics of Montana Forage Species (compare species) Killer info.

Hay Information about growing, using, and finding hay in Montana.

Grazing Information about grazing forages in Montana.

Module 5, Lesson 4 - Grazing Management. This last lesson in the Living on the Land series is designed to get participants thinking of all the facets, problems and assets of their properties as one large system – a system they can improve by implementing effective grazing management. Effective grazing management increases forage production and grazing capacity, saves money, reduces erosion, and improves water quality. It will become increasingly important to demonstrate good grazing management practices for water quality protection in the future, as the government scrutinizes nonpoint sources of pollution.

Hay and Forage Grower Online Hay & Forage Grower is the only national publication devoted exclusively to alfalfa and other forage crops. Edited for big-acreage growers, the magazine covers a wide range of forage-related topics, from stand establishment to harvesting and marketing. While the magazine's primary focus is alfalfa, it includes information on all forage crops, whether they're used for hay, silage or rotational grazing. Hay & Forage Grower was launched in 1986 in cooperation with the American Forage & Grassland Council (AFGC). University agronomists and farmer-members of AFGC continue to be important contributors to the magazine's content.

Growing Millet in Montana Acreage of several millet species has increased in recent years. Millet is a short-term warm-season annual crop that has excellent drought hardiness. Millet grain is used for human food products, livestock feed or birdseed. Several millets can produce good forage yields, and are useful for emergency forage or a catch crop after hailed-out wheat. As warm-season species, millets are sensitive to late spring frosts, so they should be seeded after soil temperatures are consistently above 65 degrees. For emergency forage during a drought, millets can out-yield sudangrass or sorghums. However with good moisture or under irrigation, other warm-season forages (sudangrass, sorghum, sorghum X sudangrass hybrids or corn) are superior.

Is Swath/Windrow Grazing an Option for You? Swath grazing is an alternative forage handling method that offers the potential to lower winter feeding costs. This technique involves cutting hay, leaving it in windrows and allowing livestock to graze the windrows during the winter. Ranchers who currently utilize swath grazing are mostly windrowing annual crops such as oat and barley, but perennial hay crops and late-seeded oats or barley have also been successfully used. Swath grazing during all types of weather conditions is possible and has been done during open winters and in snow depths of over two feet.

Swath/Windrow Grazing: An Alternative Livestock Feeding Technique. In the northern United States and Canada, storing forages for feeding during the non-growing season has been a practice for over 100 years. The costs of swathing, baling, stacking, storing, and feeding baled hay can be reduced by as much as 60-75% by allowing the livestock to graze windrows, which eliminates the baling, stacking, storing, and feeding of a typical operation. So why isn’t every rancher making use of this technique?

Winter Grazing Successes in Montana Maintaining an economic viable livestock operation is what keeps the beef industry number one in Montana. Every ranch has their individual goals and objectives to accomplish this task. However, as public opinions influence how ranchers care for the environment and the costs of doing business compared to ranch income gets tighter, it is more important than ever for ranchers to share what techniques are producing successful results on their operations.

Grazing Riparian Areas in the Spring When are you planning on grazing riparian areas this year? If you are considering spring, here are some things to think about. Grazing pastures in the spring that have riparian areas may be advantageous for several reasons. Upland vegetation is available and succulent during this time of year, which may induce livestock out of riparian areas or at least reduce the use of riparian plants. Reducing livestock activity in riparian areas this time of year will also reduce soil compaction and bank trampling. The growing points of many grass species remain low to the ground until that plant is ready to flower so growing points may be unaffected by early season grazing. By grazing in the spring, there is adequate time throughout the remainder of the growing season to allow for regrowth of riparian vegetation. Woody species play an important role in maintaining riparian functions where they are present. The reduced reliance of livestock on riparian areas during spring will also reduce browsing on woody species allowing them maximum growth during this critical period.

Planting Forages Information about seeding and establishment.

Matching Livestock and Forage Resources in Controlled Grazing Livestock Technical Note. Many of the important management decisions a livestock producer makes relate to the management of the forage resources of the land unit. Both biological and economic efficiency are influenced by a producer's ability to match animal type and nutrient needs to forage availability and quality on a year-round basis. This article addresses grazing objectives, how forage management decisions can influence animal performance, and how the type of operation and animal management decisions influence efficiency of performance on pasture.

Alternative Feeds for Beef Cattle To improve profitability, beef producers need to find ways to decrease feed costs. Since hay and traditional supplements are often expensive, using alternative feeds can reduce feed costs. See also: G2076 Alternative Feeds for Beef Cows and Stockers

Grazing Alfalfa Successfully -- It takes a careful balance between the needs of the stock and the needs of the stand, says the University of Missouri's Jim Gerrish.

Managing Beef Cattle on Forage Putting together a practical grazing system takes a lot of planning and goal setting. Often these systems fail because the producer failed to do a good job of deciding what they were doing and why. The management of a forage system takes time and effort, and it is important that the producer set up a system that is best suited for their management style.

Cornstalks for Thought- Utilization of Corn Residue Grazing as a Major Feed Source Corn residues left on the ground after grain harvest may be utilized as a significant source of fall and/or winter grazing for beef cattle. It is estimated that half of a corn plant's dry matter production is in the form of grain; the other half is left on the field as unharvested grain, husks, leaves, cobs, and stalks. This half of the plant's production is potentially available as a roughage, energy, and low protein feed source for grazing ruminants.

Better Farming Series 43 - Feeding Animals on Straw (FAO, 1995, 30 p.) Straw and stalks are residues from the cultivation of rice and other cereals. They are normally not considered suitable as fodder of good quality for ruminants. However, this booklet presents two different methods for successfully using these residues as feed. In one method the straw and stalks are treated with a water solution of urea. This method is particularly suitable when the aim is to use rice, wheat, barley or oat straw as feed for cattle and buffaloes. The other method is suitable when there is an excess of straw and stalk, allowing the animals to select their feed. However, cattle and buffaloes cannot select from among the straw of different small cereals and the method is therefore more suitable for small ruminants like sheep and goats. This booklet provides detailed, practical guidelines for both methods. It is written in straightforward language and illustrations are used to support the text. It is possible to enlarge the illustrations and use them as posters or transparencies in extension work.

Better Farming Series 44 - Processing of Cassava and Sweet Potatoes for Animal Feeding (FAO, 1995, 49 p.) See also: Use of Cassava and Sweet Potatoes in Animal Feeding

Do I Have Enough Winter Feed- The number of days that feed is required must be determined. This will vary from around 90 to 150 days, depending on the climate in your area and the amount of stockpiled forage available. Stockpiled forage is an excellent way to reduce stored feed requirements.

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