Grazing Pastures with Johnson Grass

[ValleyView]

Apologies in advance if this has been discussed ad nauseam, but what are y'alls thoughts on grazing pastures with heavy stands of Johnson Grass (JG)?


For reference, said pasture was fertilized with 150lbs of 9-23-30 and 50lbs of AMS so it was far from a hot mix. We've had tons of rain and I'd venture to say this pasture is 30-40% JG with remaining 60% being other WSG's, Sericea, weeds and legumes. The majority of the stand is well above 18" in height.

Last year, I stockpiled this pasture until early March (2019) to give the girls something better than a cue ball to calve on, but would like to let my first calf heifers graze it to gain steam as their calves are coming on 3 months now and I will soon turn the bull in with them.

Anything y'all do special prior to grazing in heavy JG pastures other than make sure they don't get turned in on empty stomachs?

 

[Banjo]

Nope. You might do a little dance of somekind.....lol

 

[ValleyView]

:help: Dang, am I making a mountain out of a mole hill again!?!? Ignorance is a hard thing to overcome! Haha

I will gladly do a jig for body condition and increased weaning weights! Lord knows I've done worse for less! :banana:

 

[Allenw]

As long as the johnson grass isn't stressed you should be all right putting cattle on it.

 

[callmefence]

No worries. They can be hard to find..lol
https://photos.app.goo.gl/XZXCzauBh6WBtQJa6

 

[True Grit Farms]

No worries. They can be hard to find..lol
https://photos.app.goo.gl/XZXCzauBh6WBtQJa6

You might need a little better hay to call the cows out of that.

 

[JLScattle]

A little off topic, but how does Johnson grass stockpile? I assume better than bermuda and bahia? Does it hold its nutritional value longer?

I have been stockpiling and strip grazing bermuda/bahia for a few years now over the winter, but I have to supplement protein heavy to keep condition. I just planted some test plots of millet, sorghum almum (essentially johnson grass), and sorghum sudan to test this winter.

 

[ValleyView]

A little off topic, but how does Johnson grass stockpile? I assume better than bermuda and bahia? Does it hold its nutritional value longer?

I have been stockpiling and strip grazing bermuda/bahia for a few years now over the winter, but I have to supplement protein heavy to keep condition. I just planted some test plots of millet, sorghum alumn (essentially johnson grass), and sorghum sudan to test this winter.

I should probably point out the point of my stockpiling was bc I waited too late in the fall to turn them in on the JG. By stockpiling, I mean there was just some decent cover out of the wind as I have minimal trees. Although, there were also large patches of fescue as I suspect there is little to no nutritional value to dormant JG, but someone more experienced than myself hopefully knows the answer to that.

Here's a pic of what it (JG) looked like. It shatters easily and a lot of it gets blown over.

 

[Texasmark]

If it wasn't for JG a lot of cattle would have starved around here. Been here 40 years and was here when JG was THE summer hay crop and never once heard of anybody having any kind of a problem with grazing nor baling.

I never had a problem with it but never had it grazed when fall frosts arrived. By then I had rye or wheat growing or had my JG in rolls to feed out. No doubt BTOs had it in their fields with their cows (and horses) turned out in it and did ok.....kinda like they get acclimated to it...said to be a fact actually.

You hear a lot of this and that about this problem and that problem with this and that. But considering you are talking to the world......with it's inhabitants..........under worldly conditions.......anything can happen.

 

[JLScattle]

Valley,
What month was that picture taken? I know it looks rough, but it still is probably still better than bermuda grass would be in the same conditions/time of year. My stockpiled bermuda quickly becomes a wet cardboard mat with the nutritional value as such.

 

[JLScattle]

Texasmark,
I agree. I feel like the problems associated with JG are greatly overblown and a little common sense management goes a long way. For all of the stories I have heard about people losing cows to JG, I don't think I have ever talked to anyone first hand that lost animals to find out all of the circumstances that led up to the issue. My searches on this site and this subject provide the same - all 3rd hand accounts with little to no first hand information.

 

[callmefence]

Texasmark,
I agree. I feel like the problems associated with JG are greatly overblown and a little common sense management goes a long way. For all of the stories I have heard about people losing cows to JG, I don't think I have ever talked to anyone first hand that lost animals to find out all of the circumstances that led up to the issue. My searches on this site and this subject provide the same - all 3rd hand accounts with little to no first hand information.

Exactly right
The only confirmed mass loss from purasic acid I'm aware of was on Tifton 85 Bermuda

https://today.agrilife.org/2012/06/26/experts-texas-cattle-deaths-due-to-prussic-acid-isolated-incident/

 

[ValleyView]

Valley,
What month was that picture taken? I know it looks rough, but it still is probably still better than bermuda grass would be in the same conditions/time of year. My stockpiled bermuda quickly becomes a wet cardboard mat with the nutritional value as such.

I went back through my pics and this was March 30 2019, so they had had access to this pasture for nearly 30 days when this picture was taken. What I can tell you, is the majority of the time I went to feed, they were hanging out in this particular pasture. I'm glad I stockpiled it, bc I made it through the winter with 2 round bales to spare!

 

[ValleyView]

Alright folks, I have a stand of 4-6' tall Johnsongrass and 8-10' tall grazing corn and a few other covers mixed in with Sericea (the bad kind) and I'm ready to turn the cows in. It is actually dry here now with less than 1/2" of rain in the last 30 days and lots of cracks in the ground.

That said, would you all still turn them in or hold off until some more rain? I'd like to graze this stand down so I can plant wheat in the next 60 days if possible.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

The lack of rain would worry me some.

 

[ValleyView]

The lack of rain would worry me some.

Yeah, pumping the brakes on that pasture isn't easy. We have a cold front in the forecast with a little rain coming. Think I'll wait another 10 days or so if the rain shows up. Here's a few pics of the pasture.

 

[ValleyView]

We've had a good couple showers over the last few weeks and I finally turned them in this evening. Hoping this helps them combat the summer slump bc heat index was HOT here today!

 

[Texasmark]

Waiting for a shot of rain would worry me some! I'll take the dry stress over the new growth after some water. JG has a terrific root system and my Houston Clay will crack the next day on a short rain, soon after a decent rain.

 

[Texasmark]

We've had a good couple showers over the last few weeks and I finally turned them in this evening. Hoping this helps them combat the summer slump bc heat index was HOT here today!

If those aren't pictures of "Hog" er ah "Bovine Heaven", I'd like to know what you'd call it. :clap: :banana: :nod: :cboy: Another neatest thing about the pic are all the heads that are mature and full of seeds for future generations.

 

[ValleyView]

We've had a good couple showers over the last few weeks and I finally turned them in this evening. Hoping this helps them combat the summer slump bc heat index was HOT here today!

If those aren't pictures of "Hog" er ah "Bovine Heaven", I'd like to know what you'd call it. :clap: :banana: :nod: :cboy: Another neatest thing about the pic are all the heads that are mature and full of seeds for future generations.

Haha, I think I could actually hear them getting fatter! They need to graze it down quick bc I'm planning on no till drilling wheat in that same pasture in about 45 days after spraying the sericea again...

Yeah, I'm not sure how to play the rains from here on out now that they're in that pastures. Storms on the way tonight, but at least it hasn't been stressed as of late.