Cattle producers turning their livestock out to pasture this spring may find that some pasture ground has been impacted by drought conditions and other factors.

“Soil moisture is definitely a concern as that will put pressure on many of our perennials, as last year’s conditions will impact this year,” said Shelby Gruss, assistant professor and forage extension specialist at Iowa State University. “We have had fairly decent moisture this spring so far, but evaluating your stands will be very beneficial to better understand if renovation is needed, or interseeding is needed. One big aspect is to not graze too early.”

Turning cattle out to green pastures may be tempting, but grazing that ground too early will start the season off on the wrong foot, Gruss said.

“If continuous stock, do not start grazing till 8 inches; if rotational stocking, we can start grazing earlier at 4 to 6 inches,” Gruss said. “In the spring, we have an on flush of growth and with quick moves, we will give plants plenty of time to rest, but we want to avoid overgrazing with continuous stocking, which is why we need to wait longer.”

For hay ground that will be baled, farmers should first evaluate stands.

“Last year was a bit up and down with a lot of rain in the spring and no rain by mid- to late summer, putting pressure on our stands. Three cuttings should be achievable, and potentially four depending on your cutting schedule for alfalfa, but it all starts with starting off the season right,” Gruss said. “We have been seeing warmer spring temperatures leading to earlier green-up, so overall being prepared, utilizing tools such as PEAQ, or GDDs (700-750 = 35% NDF) or scissor cuts can really help determine when your first cutting is ready. Also, if we have another year like last year when it seemed to continually rain throughout the spring, we need to be able to take the rain-free windows when we can.”

Most forage extension specialists do not anticipate a shortage of hay this summer and fall, but there might not be an abundance of high quality hay stored over the winter from last year.

“I would not expect a forage shortage, particularly with the amount of hay that was produced last year, but with that it may not be high quality hay, so testing the hay for quality could help balancing diets to ensure we are meeting the animals’ nutritional requirements. Although we did end the year in a drought,” Gruss said.

However, pasture productivity may be lower, so understanding the quality of pasture stand will be important.

“As pasture productivity declines, we will start to see more weed encroachment, favorable species falling out of the stand and lower productivity overall. This also goes back to the point of grazing too early can start the season off on the wrong foot, so be patient,” Gruss said. “Also, having some alternative forage available, such as warm-season annuals, can be beneficial to fill gaps (summer slump) during times when our pastures are not as productive.”

To help out those pasture grounds, be sure and rotational graze to give the plants a rest period, she said. That also helps pastures become more resistant to drought, since the plants will have a better chance to develop an extensive root system, better manure distribution and grazing utilization.

“Interseeding your pastures should be determined by your pasture’s evaluations. This can help determine what you need to interseed, or if complete renovation is necessary. Outside of those two things, I would say evaluating your stands and starting your season off on the right foot, whether that be you do not graze too early, or being prepared for your first hay harvest is going to be the precedent for your season,” Gruss said.

Rebecca Vittetoe, Iowa State University Extension field agronomist, said that now is a good time to evaluate pasture ground to determine if there was any winter kill and what should be done, such as interseeding, to help thicken a stand.

“We also want to think about fertility, especially if we are removing any hay from that field or pasture and trying to replace the nutrients we are taking off. This can have a big impact on productivity,” Vittetoe said. “We also want to think about what weeds we may have out there, and if spring is an appropriate time to do anything. It can be for our biannual weeds before they bolt.”