Many older perennial pastures could benefit from renovation. While we think of these as “permanent pastures” it is important to realize that as perennial pastures age they evolve away from what was originally planted. Sometimes they evolve into a very desirable mixture of plants that is highly productive and highly adapted to management and the site in question. Sometimes they evolve into an undesirable population of plants that is not as productive or nutritious as it once was. Because of recent droughts, wet winters and other challenges, many pastures have become relatively unproductive.
Because of high hay and feed costs, coupled with high cattle prices, we are seeing increased interest in grazed forage management. It may be appropriate to renovate some of these old pastures, especially if they have an undesirable mix of plants, or are clearly less productive than they once were. But, how do you decide if you need to renovate, and how do you decide what pasture to renovate first?
To make good decisions you need to learn to objectively assess your pastures. As you plan for future activities in a pasture, you should evaluate the plant population, soil fertility, and indicators of general pasture condition. In some cases only a partial renovation will be needed, but in others total renovation will be called for.
Evaluating pasture botanical composition. The first step is to evaluate the botanical composition of the pasture. The most practical way to do this is to use a technique called “Step-Point”. To do this you walk a random path around the pasture and after a predetermined number of steps you write down the species at the tip of your boot. Each “hit” is recorded on a clipboard using a hatch mark system, and the process continues until you cover the whole pasture, gathering at least 100 points.
Of course to do this you need to know how to identify the major plants, both desirable and undesirable. You may not know many of the minor species, but as long as you can identify them as something you want in the pasture (other desirable) or something you don’t want (other undesirable) you can move on. If you have a dominant weed you don’t want but can’t identify, take some samples to someone that can identify it, to help plan possible herbicide application.
It can be sobering to walk the pasture and realize you don’t know the plants as well as you thought! Use the opportunity to learn new plants, and to learn the ones you know in a lot more detail. Plant identification apps can be quite useful for this if you are good on your smartphone. They might not always get you the species in question as the first choice, but they will usually get you close. If you use that approach to learn plants, don’t overlook the second or third choice which might be the actual plant you have.
Many of you will also have a trusted advisor such as your extension agent, conservationist, private industry consultant, or a fellow producer. They can also help you if you invite them for a pasture walk.
As you walk the pasture to determine the plant population, you should also make notes about characteristics important to overall pasture condition including the evidence of erosion, presence of bare ground, grazing intensity, grazing distribution, and presence of heavy use zones. These will be important when you plan an appropriate renovation strategy for the pasture.
Once you have totaled up the hits for each species, you can calculate the percentage of each. The goal would be to have a high percentage of desirable plants, a low percentage of bare ground, and very few noxious weeds. You can find a link to a guide and worksheet on this resource page: https://go.ncsu.edu/amazinggrazingresources
Evaluating soil. Evaluating soil fertility is another critical step in assessing pastures. Soil samples should be pulled at least every 3 years. If you are contemplating pasture renovation, it is critical to test fertility so soil pH and major nutrients can be applied economically. Make sure when you are soil sampling that you follow state guidelines for obtaining samples and submitting them to the lab for analysis.
In addition to traditional soil testing, you should walk the pasture with a shovel and make observations about soil health including compaction, root structure, color and the presence of biological activity.
Pasture condition scoring. I find the USDA-NRCS Pasture Condition Scoring System to be very useful in assessing pasture. This simple checklist-style approach walks you through the various aspects that add or detract from pasture condition and allow you to boil it down to a score that you can work on improving.
The botanical composition information you gather from the Step-Point analysis will be important in scoring plant diversity, percentage desirable plants, and presence or absence of legumes. The observations you made about bare area, erosion, etc. will also come in handy. The guide will help you understand and evaluate these factors in your pastures.
The NRCS guide to Pasture Condition Scoring and the accompanying worksheet can be obtained on-line.
Strategically renovating pastures. Once you have summarized botanical composition, determined pasture condition score, and received your soil test reports you can decide how you will approach renovation. If a pasture has a high percentage of desirable plants, then it may be best to do a “partial renovation” by improving soil fertility, spraying for undesirable weeds, and/or resting longer after grazing, Eventually, adding back clovers using frost seeding is a practical alternative for these pastures that still have a good grass population.
If a pasture has a low level of desirable plants (less than 50% of total hits), a lot of bare ground, or some other serious problem with pasture condition then a complete renovation might be in order. This would involve the use of glyphosate or tillage to kill the existing stand and then starting over with a new planting.
If a complete renovation is needed make sure you take advantage of advances that have been made in perennial forages. Plants like Novel Endophyte Tall Fescues and Native Warm Season Grasses can provide great benefits to your farm, and are strongly recommended if you go to the length of a complete renovation. Some shy away from these alternative species because of the generally high cost of the seed, but remember that if the pasture needs to be fully renovated then the costs incurred far overshadow simply the cost of the seed. In other words, if you go to the expense of renovating don’t plant toxic tall fescue or other off-quality seed, plant something with added value. Of course you need to pay attention to details as you proceed with the renovation, but the outcome can be very rewarding, especially if you try something new.
In summary, if you raise livestock on pasture then you should learn to identify plants, evaluate plant populations and score pasture condition. Pasture will remain the most economical source of nutrients for our grazing livestock, and taking action to improve what you have will pay big returns.
~ Matt Poore, NC State and Chair of the Alliance for Grassland Renewal. Originally posted for Hay and Forage Grower, January 2024.
The Alliance for Grassland Renewal is a national organization focused on enhancing the appropriate adoption of novel endophyte tall fescue technology through education, incentives, self-regulation and promotion. For more resources or to learn more about the Alliance for Grassland Renewal, go to www.grasslandrenewal.org
The Alliance for Grassland Renewal 