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Grasses, Pastures & Hay
Does Mowing Winter Pastures Markedly Improve Spring Green-up?
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<blockquote data-quote="Mark Reynolds" data-source="post: 1806297" data-attributes="member: 43196"><p>The answer really depends upon what your objectives are. (I know, I'm in Ohio so what do I know. MS in rangeland management from Oregon. I know rangeland and I know wildlife and animal science. 2 BS degrees from Purdue). First, you comment about the klein grass providing habitat for wildlife, both food and shelter. That alone changes what you want standing over winter if wildlife is an objective. It isn't for everyone, but in your case it is, so if you mow it, what have you done to that objective? Are you only mowing part? How much? Second, you say that you are under stocked. This tells me right there that you have more grass than what you can use. That makes me ask the question, is the livestock getting all the forage they need and want with the existing prior 2-3 years growth being 'in the way'. In other words, will the cows gain anything by you clearing the old growth away in terms if increased feed intake? I've heard of klein grass as a forage but am not versed in its value. Being a warm season grass, you do not want to over graze it especially during the warm months, but doesn't sound like a problem. Pretty much the only way you could end up delaying the growth of the klien grass the following year is to overgraze/over utilize it at the end of the growing season the prior year which would deprive the grass from storing needed carbohydrate reserves for initiating growth the following spring. Mowing, or even burning the klein grass while it is dormant (winter) will not slow spring/early summer greenup. Those management techniques may have the opposite effect by letting the soil warm up sooner in the spring and growth will initiate sooner.</p><p></p><p>In short, possible/probable sooner greenup. Palatability of the new growth will be roughly the same in a stand of old material or if the old material is removed. The cows will have equal access to thew new growth either way, but they might have to work a bit harder to get the new growth that is mixed with the old growth.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mark Reynolds, post: 1806297, member: 43196"] The answer really depends upon what your objectives are. (I know, I'm in Ohio so what do I know. MS in rangeland management from Oregon. I know rangeland and I know wildlife and animal science. 2 BS degrees from Purdue). First, you comment about the klein grass providing habitat for wildlife, both food and shelter. That alone changes what you want standing over winter if wildlife is an objective. It isn't for everyone, but in your case it is, so if you mow it, what have you done to that objective? Are you only mowing part? How much? Second, you say that you are under stocked. This tells me right there that you have more grass than what you can use. That makes me ask the question, is the livestock getting all the forage they need and want with the existing prior 2-3 years growth being 'in the way'. In other words, will the cows gain anything by you clearing the old growth away in terms if increased feed intake? I've heard of klein grass as a forage but am not versed in its value. Being a warm season grass, you do not want to over graze it especially during the warm months, but doesn't sound like a problem. Pretty much the only way you could end up delaying the growth of the klien grass the following year is to overgraze/over utilize it at the end of the growing season the prior year which would deprive the grass from storing needed carbohydrate reserves for initiating growth the following spring. Mowing, or even burning the klein grass while it is dormant (winter) will not slow spring/early summer greenup. Those management techniques may have the opposite effect by letting the soil warm up sooner in the spring and growth will initiate sooner. In short, possible/probable sooner greenup. Palatability of the new growth will be roughly the same in a stand of old material or if the old material is removed. The cows will have equal access to thew new growth either way, but they might have to work a bit harder to get the new growth that is mixed with the old growth. [/QUOTE]
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Does Mowing Winter Pastures Markedly Improve Spring Green-up?
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