Dried up pastures -

[Nowland Farms]

Wanna' know what some of my pastures look like considering the following:

-Drought last year
-minus 25" of rain in the drought this year
-14 of 17 recent days with Temps over 100 degrees

It ain't suppose to be like this -

 

[Wewild]

We got some like that and one that will make a third cutting of hay. All this is within 15 miles as the crow flies.

I don't know what to say except I hate it for us. It has me torn up.

 

[WORANCH]

Our pastures are dry and brown also . But we culled hard 2 years ago and I have not held back any heifers so we can make it for 5-6 weeks more.

 

[C HOLLAND]

Nowland, it's about the same here, it rained just south of my home the last 2 days, over 1" in Dothan and Enterprise area, but not a drop here in Ariton DRY GULCH Alabama :roll: [/u]

 

[MrBilly]

Same here, but I am now seeing some spots that are drying up in my irrigated pastures too. Agronomist comind on Tue to help with cause. I won't even mention that our Coastal field is one half dead (not dry, dead), and it too is under irrigation this year for the first time. I guess I am one year too late on providing the moisture to my farm?

Billy

 

[Jogeephus]

Mr. Billy, I would appreciate it if you'd post the outcome of his visit. Have some spots like that too. I pulled a subsoiller thru them this spring and mine seem better but am curious and would like to learn more.

 

[bigbull338]

your right those pastures are burnt up.it makes you sick to look out an see pastures like that.all you can do is feed hay.an pray that you get rain soon.

 

[C HOLLAND]

Same here, but I am now seeing some spots that are drying up in my irrigated pastures too. Agronomist comind on Tue to help with cause. I won't even mention that our Coastal field is one half dead (not dry, dead), and it too is under irrigation this year for the first time. I guess I am one year too late on providing the moisture to my farm?

Billy

Billy, I guess that is one big plus for the Bahia pasture, I have a 6 acre spot that is about a foot tall and starting to grow sead heads and the base is about 8 inches tall. I had 10 ton of litter put on it at the end of April and have spread the cow piles twice with my tire drag. I am not sure if I want to put more litter on it now or would it do anything to hit it 100lb of N per acre. I think I could get it cut in about 3-4 weeks with some rain and I plan to over seed it this fall with rye grass.

 

[MrBilly]

Well we had the UGA agronomist and another forage expert out to look at our poor performing Coastal field. The field has been overtaken by crabgrass and large patches were seen after the recent cutting where there is little to no Bermuda - all this is new this year since the drought of the last two years.

I had done soil tests in the bad areas and again in the good areas. All measurements were good except the pH was low in both and lower in the bad areas (5.5 in the bad and 5.7 in the good). It was 6.2 in November, 2006. We do not understand why the large drop. This field is under irrigation for the first time this year, but I do not know if this could cause the problem.

There are just large areas with no Bermuda. We did find that some of the Coastal seems to be reverting to Common (two contiguous patches of Bermuda - one short and one tall). Apparently this is not unusual since the field is 50 years young and also next to a common Bermuda field.

They suggest looking for grubs in the affected areas but don't have much to suggest if I find them.

I think we are faced with killing everything and starting fresh. For our area of Georgia they suggest Russel Bermuda.



Billy