Richard E. Joost, Univ. of Tennessee at Martin
Gary E. Bates, Univ. of Tennessee Extension
Gregory L. Brann, USDA-NRCS

 Grass – any one of a number of plant species that have leaves that are typically longer than they are wide, with parallel veins
 Forb –broadleaf plants that are not grasses, sometimes divided to separate out legumes
 Legume – plants that produce pod type fruits and are characterized by fixing atmospheric N
 Browse – the leaves and growing tips of forbs and woody shrubs

Botanical Composition of Grazing
Animal Diets
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Bison Horses Cattle Sheep Goats Deer
Livestock Species
Grass
Forb
Browse

1. Conventional tillage
2. No-till with equipment
3. Broadcast seeding
1. Frost seeding
2. Animal Tread-in

Keys to Successful Pasture Establishment
1. Select the proper seeding rate
2. Plant within the proper seeding date window
3. Insure good soil-seed contact
4. Control competition from weeds and existing species
5. Make sure soil pH and fertility are adequate
6. Inoculate legumes

 A sample should represent a maximum of 20 acres, preferably much less
 Avoid sampling within 150 feet of watering points, mineral access, and shade
 Use a coring device to take 15-20 cores from the area the sample will represent
 Take to the depth used by the lab you are using
 Sample pastures every 3-5 years

Legumes Cool-season
High (5.8-6.5)
Warm-Season
Alfalfa, Sweet clover, Sainfoin
Medium (5.5-5.8)
Arrowleaf clover, Ball clover Johnsongrass,
Sorghum-sudangrass
White clover, Red clover,
Crimson clover,
Subterranean clover,
Birdsfoot trefoil
Low (5.1-5.5)
Bromegrass,
Reed canarygrass,
Orchardgrass,
Wheat, Oats
Pearl millet,
Napier, Guinea
Dallisgrass
Kudzu
Sericea lespedeza,
Annual lespedezas
Very Low (Below 5.1)
Tall fescue
Ryegrass, Rye, Timothy
Bermudagrass
Bahiagrass
Crabgrass

Checklist for Forage Stand Failures
 Failure to germinate
 Dry seedbed
 Non-viable seed
 Hard or dormant seed
 Unfavorable temperature
 Herbicide residue
 Waterlogged soil
 Emergence failure, germination but no emergence
 Early seedling stand failure

Checklist for Forage Stand Failures
 Failure to germinate
 Emergence failure, germination but no emergence
 Planted too deep
 Soil crusted at surface
 Poor seedling vigor
 Insects or disease
 Extreme temperatures

Too hot or too cold
 Early seedling stand failure

Checklist for Forage Stand Failures
 Failure to germinate
 Emergence failure, germination but no emergence
 Early seedling stand failure
 Soil too acid or low fertility
 Insects or disease
 Drought
 Weed competition
 No legume nodulation
 Winterkill
 Frost heaving
 Sandblasting from high winds
 Grazing too early

 Liming
 Impacts nutrient availability and root growth of forage species
 Nitrogen
 Influences vegetative growth of pasture species, especially grasses
 Phosphorus
 Important to root growth, especially of seedlings
 Potassium
 Impacts cold hardiness and disease resistance of forages

Mineral Nutrient Cycling in Pastures

Nutrient Availability in Relation to Soil pH from Troeh and Thompsen, 2005

Average Annual Nitrogen Fixation by
Common Forage Legumes
Legume
Alfalfa
Alsike clover
Annual lespedeza
Birdsfoot trefoil
Ball clover
Crimson clover
Hairy vetch
Red clover
Sweet clover
White clover
Annual N Fixation
(kg/ha)
150-350
20-165
50-193
30-130
34-112
56-230
110-168
60-200
70-140
112-190

 Physical factors
 Texture
 Hairiness
 Thorns and spines
 Succulence
 Leafiness
 Chemical factors
 Aroma
 Sugar content
 Fertilization/mineral content

Grazing Preference - dependent on forages available and animals experience
 Desirable
 Multiflora rose














Briars
Ironweed
Ragweed
Lambsquarter
Sericea lespedeza
Annual lespedezas
Honeysuckle
Spiny amaranth pigweed
Privet
Kudzu
Buckbush
Curly dock
Winter annuals
 Intermediate
 bermuda







Chickweed
Thistle
Burdock
Tree of heaven
White clover
Buttercup
Japanese grass
 Undesirable


Horse nettle
Black nightshade


Perilla mint
Poison hemlock

1.
Moisture
Oven dry at 135 ° C
2. Ash
Inorganic constituents remaining after ashing at
>600 ° C in muffle furnace
3. Crude Protein (CP)
N content X 6.25
Kjeldahl distillation
Assumes all N is in protein and all protein is 16%
N

4.
Ether Extract
Fats, oils, waxes, resins, and pigments
5.
Crude Fiber
Digest in dilute acid, dilute alkali
Residue – Ash = Crude Fiber
Consists of cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose
6.
Nitrogen Free Extract (NFE)
100 – (Moisture + Crude Fiber + Ether Extract + Ash + CP)
Measures mostly the remaining carbohydrates

Total Digestible Nutrients
TDN =

DCF + DNFE + DCP + (DEE X 2.25)
Requires digestiblity coefficients for each constituent.

P. J. Van Soest
Buffered 2% sodium lauryl sulfate
Extracts soluble cell contents and pectins.
Residue
LIGNIN + CELLULOSE + HEMICELLULOSE
Highly correlated with intake.
%bw DMI = 120/%NDF

1N H
2
SO
4
+ 2% hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide
Extracts hemicellulose and some cellulose.
Residue
LIGNIN + CELLULOSE
Highly correlated with digestibility.
DDM%= 88.9-(%ADF x 0.779)

Solubles Forage Sample
Neutral Detergent
Cell Walls
Insoluble Residues
Cell Contents
Hemicellulose
KMnO
Ignition
Lignin & Cellulose
Cellulose & Ash
Acid Detergent
72% H2SO4
Lignin & Ash
Ignition
Ash Ash

Forage Quality & Goat Requirements
TDN
60
50
40
30
80
70
Weanling
Does in Early Lactation Yearling
Dry & Early Pregnant Does
Pasture Veget. Pasture Mature Pasture Dead

Forage Quality & Goat Requirements
PROTEIN
20
15
10
Weanling
Yearling
Does in Early Lactation
Dry and Early Pregnant Does
5
0
Pasture Veget.
Pasture Mature Pasture Dead

30
25
20
15
10
5
0
9/97 6/98
Black locust
Mimosa
Mulberry
Honey locust

Chemical composition of various plants browsed by goats (%)
Browse type
Multiflora rose
Black locust
Honeysuckle
Brambles
Privet
Green briar
Trumpet creeper
Crude protein
18.2
23.0
16.0
17.1
20.0
16.1
16.7
Neutral detergent fiber Calcium Phosphorous
34.5
44.0
34.5
24.5
26.8
39.5
43.1
0.99
1.26
1.21
0.23
0.89
0.60
0.42
0.32
0.21
0.30
0.84
0.34
0.18
0.22

1. Annuals
Plants that complete their life cycle in one year and need to be re-seeded to come back
2. Perennials
Plants that come back every year from vegetative plant parts without needing to be re-seeded
3. Warm-Season Plants
Plants that complete the majority of their growth in the summer at temperatures of 85-95 ºF
 Cool-Season Plants
Plants that complete the majority of their growth in the fall and spring at temperatures of 65-75 ºF

Cool Season –vs- Warm Season

Warm-Season
Cedar
Elm
Greenbriar
Maple
Oak
Sumac
Wild Plum
Yaupon
Buckbrush
Multiflora rose
Privet
Cool-Season
Honeysuckle

Privet
Perennial warm-season browse

Multiflora Rose
Perennial warm-season browse

Yaupon
Perennial warm-season browse

Greenbriar
Perennial warm-season browse

Honeysuckle
Perennial cool-season browse

Warm-Season
Burdock
Plantain
Goldenrod
Ironweed
Curly Dock
Thistle
Cool-Season
Chicory
Dandelion

Goldenrod
Perennial warm-season forb

Ironweed
Perennial warm-season forb

Chicory
Perennial cool-season forb
Seeding rate 4 lbs/acre

Warm-Season
Bermudagrass
Big bluestem
Dallisgrass
Eastern gamagrass
Indiangrass
Johnsongrass
Switchgrass
Cool-Season
Kentucky bluegrass
Matua Bromegrass
Orchardgrass
Reed canarygrass
Tall fescue’
Timothy

Bermudagrass
Perennial warm-season grass
Seeding rate 5 lbs/acre

Big Bluestem
Perennial warm-season grass
Seeding rate 8 lbs/acre

Johnsongrass
Perennial warm-season grass
Seeding rate 20 lbs/acre

Tall Fescue
Perennial cool-season grass
Seeding rate 20 lbs/acre

Timothy
Perennial cool-season grass
Seeding rate 8 lbs/acre

Warm-Season
Illinois bundleflower
Kudzu
Sericea lespedeza
Alfalfa
Cool-Season
Birdsfoot trefoil
Red clover
Sweetclover
White clover

Illinois Bundleflower
Perennial warm-season legume
Seeding Rate 13 lbs/acre

Sericea lespedeza
Perennial warm-season legume
Seeding Rate 25 lbs/acre

Kudzu
Perennial warm-season legume

Alfalfa
Perennial cool-season legume
Seeding rate 15 lbs/acre

Warm-Season
Lambsquarter
Pigweed
Spiny amaranth
Ragweed
Cool-Season
Forage rape
Kale
Swedes
Turnips

Lambsquarter
Annual warm-season forb

Pigweed
Annual warm-season forb

Pigweed
Annual warm-season forb

Ragweed
Annual warm-season forb

Forage Rapeseed
Annual cool-season forb

Warm-Season
Broadleaf signalgrass
Crabgrass
Foxtails
Pearl millet
Sorghum-sudangrass
Cool-Season
Oats
Rye
Ryegrass
Triticale

Broadleaf Signalgrass
Annual warm-season grass

Foxtail
Annual warm-season grass

Warm-Season
Cowpea
Hemp sesbania
Korean lespedeza
Partridge pea
Striate lespedeza
Cool-Season
Arrowleaf clover
Berseem clover
Crimson clover
Vetch

Striate lespedeza
Annual warm-season legume
Seeding rate 25 lbs/acre

Hemp sesbania
Annual warm-season legume

Partridge pea
Annual warm-season legume

Crimson clover
Annual cool-season legume
Seeding rate 20 lbs/acre

Definition
Manipulation of animal grazing to supply the forage needed for the grazing animal to achieve production goals while obtaining desired plant, land and economic responses.

>

Guidelines for Grazing System Design
1. Water placement
2. Paddock shape
3. Number of paddocks
4. Follow the landscape
5. Use of similar grazing capacities
6. Plan alleyways for animal movement only

Impact of Distance to Water on Forage
Utilization

 Keep paddocks as near square as possible
 Improves uniformity of grazing
 Interacts with distance to water
 With shorter grazing periods, shape is less critical
 Amount of fencing required varies with paddock shape
Area = 1 acre
Perimeter = 834.84 ft.
Area = 1 acre
Perimeter = 1043.55 ft.
Area = 1 acre
Perimeter = 1147.9 ft.

 Select based on utilization and performance goals
 Consider grazing tolerance of forages
 Base on regrowth characteristics of forages
 Look at the economic potential of various systems
Paddocks needed = (Rest period/Grazing period) + 1

 Allows producers to better fit forages to soil capability
 Provides better ability to pull paddocks out of rotation for hay harvest
 Evens out pasture productivity



Better maintains forage availability and quality throughout a grazing period
Keeping paddocks similar sized may result in nutritional stress
 Need to focus on stocking rate and animal production when setting fences

Impact of Grazing Rotation on Forage
Quality