Author Archives: grasslandrenewal

Adding red clover into grass-based pastures has many benefits but red clover is highly susceptible to herbicides, such as 2,4-D, used for broadleaf weed management in pastures.  In 2005, Dr. Norman Taylor began a project to create a 2,4-D tolerant red clover for Kentucky by crossing a 2,4-D tolerant red clover line from the UniversityContinue reading “Developing a Herbicide Tolerant Red Clover”

A myth can be defined in several ways, but it is often thought to be something that has been repeatedly stated over a period of years such that it becomes accepted truth when, in fact, it isn’t. Often, a myth is only partially true. At last month’s Kentucky Grazing School, a quartet of grazing mythsContinue reading “Many factors dictate how often to move cattle”

It continues to be a strange year with alternating dry and wet periods.  We were very dry through September and then the last day of the month we had Hurricane Ian come through and leave us 3.5 inches of rain, with a similar amount across most of North Carolina and South Central Virginia.  Since thatContinue reading “Triple Creek Journal: What to do when the tall fescue stands finally thin out”

Novel-endophyte (NE) tall fescue is a productive, persistent grass plant for the Fescue Belt of the United States, where the soils and climate support tall fescue. Novel-endophyte tall fescue supports a high level of animal performance comparable to endophyte-free (EF) tall fescue, while delivering the agronomic performance expected from toxic KY-31 tall fescue. The NEContinue reading “New Resource: Comparison of Commercially Available Novel-Endophyte Tall Fescue Forage Varieties”

Each morning, we experience some of the many services of soil — soft cotton fibers from which to arise, clean water to wash our face, firm ground to stand on, and the aromas of brewed coffee, baking pastries, and sizzling bacon. Benefits we derive from soil and its processes are called ecosystem services. Biomass productionContinue reading “Soil and Grasslands serve each other”

PLANTINGFor best results and maximum benefit, all toxic tall fescue and troublesome annual grasses including cheatgrass, rescue grass and unwanted ryegrassshould be killed prior to the blooming stage before establishing a novel endophyte tall fescue. A firm seedbed is important for good stand establishment. Seed can be drilled into a prepared, firm seedbed, no-tilled intoContinue reading “Fall Planting Guide”

It has been another good month for us in Southern Virginia.  Our wet July turned to a not too wet and not too hot August, with just enough rain so that we were never dry.   Over the last twenty years we have done everything we can to discourage the growth of tall fescue including fertilizingContinue reading “Triple Creek Journal: There is a whole world of plants out there….What’s in your pasture?”

I have been learning how to manage grazing with beef cattle on our farms at Virgilina , near the VA/NC line, for most of my life.  I have seen the rise of great temporary grazing equipment, the dramatic improvement of electric fence energizers and the wondrous “fault finder” fence tester, among many other great newContinue reading “Frontal Grazing is a Key Grazing Management Technique”

Albert Mallicoat is our featured fescue seed producer for the fall issue of The Fence Post and like all producers you will see similarities and differences in his operation to yours. He purchased Pennington’s Texoma MaxQ II, the novel endophyte tall fescue developed by the Noble Foundation for the Central and South-Central U.S. and thisContinue reading “Albert Mallicoat shares his experience renovating to Texoma MaxQ II”

Grain drill calibration is a critical, yet often ignored, part of successful forage establishment and pasture renovation. Planting lower seed rates than recommended can result in thin stands that are susceptible to weed encroachment. Planting more than the recommended seeding rate is undesirable due to increased seed costs. As drills wear, and tires and cogsContinue reading “Don’t Make a Mistake-Calibrate!”