to burn or not to burn?

[rowdyred]

I usually burn most of my pastures every year. Last week listened to a speaker telling the benefits of not burning pasture. Do you have an opinion one way or the other, if you do I would like to hear it, please.

Have a great day

 

[Nesikep]

if you want to make hay on it and it has all of last years garbage, I'd burn it.. I think it should be done early enough to not burn off all the new shoots though.. I have a pasture to burn too, there's big long strands of dead alfalfa that the cows are just going to pick through.

 

[pdfangus]

i can not say that I am a burning advocate.....

Organic matter feeds the soil and the life in the soil....if you burn off the organic matter your are starving and killing the keys to good soil health....

you are essentially taking nutrients from the soil and converting them to smoke and sending the carbon back into the air....the carbons is way more valuable to the soil....

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

What kind of grass?

 

[Jake]

Depends on the type of grass and what you are trying to control with the burn. Woody plants are almost impossible to control without fire while weeds you can spray out. KSU has done quite a bit of research showing that yearling cattle gain better on burned pasture.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

i can not say that I am a burning advocate.....

Organic matter feeds the soil and the life in the soil....if you burn off the organic matter your are starving and killing the keys to good soil health....

you are essentially taking nutrients from the soil and converting them to smoke and sending the carbon back into the air....the carbons is way more valuable to the soil....

Organic matter sitting on top of the ground takes much longer to break down, and a lot of nutrients "gas off" or wash out, specially N. If you burn it you crate potash, and reduce weeds. You plow it under you get nitrogen, but can increase weeds. You let cows eat it you get Phos. and nitrogen. Grazing, or making hay and then spreading the manure usally is best. All depends on what your soil, and grass needs.

 

[lynnmcmahan]

I usually burn most of my pastures every year. Last week listened to a speaker telling the benefits of not burning pasture. Do you have an opinion one way or the other, if you do I would like to hear it, please.


What did he say about the benefits?

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

A lot would depend on what type off grasses you have. For cool seasons like fescue I don't like burning. for Bermuda and native warm season grasses burning is good.

 

[Banjo]

Why not just bushhog it?

 

[rowdyred]

I usually burn most of my pastures every year. Last week listened to a speaker telling the benefits of not burning pasture. Do you have an opinion one way or the other, if you do I would like to hear it, please.


What did he say about the benefits?

He said it would destroy the thatch that has built up. The thatch contains bugs that carry the manure into the ground. No thatch, No bugs, No spreading the manure. Makes sense to me, but I'm still gonna burn some of my pasture. He said the same thing about cutting, raking, baling hay on pasture ground. He thinks it should be 2 different places.