grazing newsletter!
This is a GREAT resource, greenhorns. Download the pdf of the full newsletter HERE. An excerpt is below.
Tennessee Grazing Coalition
Forage News You Can Use 3.5.2011
Grazing in the Spring and Seeding Clover
Greg Brann USDA/NRCS/TN Grazing Specialist
This time of year I prefer to stop the grazing rotation, hold livestock back and let forage develop some leaf area before starting to rotate again. Yes, "when forage grows fast the standard recommendation is rotate fast" well I haven't seen any growing fast yet.
If you haven't seeded legumes now is the time to seed white clover, Will is a great ladino clover and Durana, is the most aggressive dutch white clover and Patriot, an intermediate clover is less aggressive than Durana, not quite as big as ladino types. Resolute, is another good intermediate white clover. No matter which variety all you need to seed of white clover is 1.5 to 2 lbs. /ac. Cinnamon plus red clover is a great red clover that grows into the summer more than white clover. Recommended seeding rate of red clover is 4 to 7 lbs. per acre. Annual lespedeza is another option for thinner stands of grass on less productive land. Eight to 10 lbs. per acre is the normal seeding rate. Kobe is the preferred type but Korean can perform fine. Improved varieties include Legend and Marion. In March it is recommended that you drill the seed or harrow, seed and cultipack. High density short duration grazing (10,000+ lbs. livestock/ac) after seeding can be substituted for the cultipacker. Look at the following University variety trials for other adapted varieties.