By Jordan Penrose
Drought conditions have affected most of Ohio at one point or more this summer and fall, and we need to consider the long-term effects that this could have on forages. Where I am at in Morgan County, in the southeastern part of the state we are still in D4 Exceptional Drought, and most farmers have been feeding hay and hauling water for a couple of months now. Forages have taken the back seat for now, as we try to make sure livestock have feed and water. While getting livestock through the winter is the main goal right now, we need to start looking at what will need to be done with pastures and hayfields. When we got rain in October from Hurricane Helene, our pastures and hayfields came out of dormancy and started to grow on my family’s farm. Hopefully, most of you took note as well if that rain brought your pastures and hayfields out of dormancy and had some sort of growth. The reason that I hope you took note is to gauge what you need to do with them, you will also get an idea in early spring as well, providing we get the moisture that we need, on what growth will look like and quickly determine what is going to need to be done. There are a couple of options that can be utilized when it comes to working on pasture and hayfield improvements, that I am going to talk about.
Frost seeding
Frost seeding is a relatively simple option that can be used before spring starts and is also cheaper and can be less time-consuming than other options. Frost seeding is the process of spreading seed on an already-established pasture or hayfield while the ground is still frozen. With frost seeding, there is a limited time that it can be done, and the recommended time is between early February to mid-March, although in some of the past winters we have had, I would try to be earlier in this timeline than later. The constant freezing and thawing of the ground during this time is what helps frost seeding succeed. The seed will work its way to a shallow coverage to protect the seed through constant freezing and thawing. The key to succeeding with frost seeding is being able to see bare ground when you spread the seed so there can be good seed-to-soil contact, for the best chance of germination. If there is snow on the ground, it is recommended that you wait to seed, because when the snow melts it could carry the seed away. When it comes to choosing a seed mixture to use for frost seeding, legumes work better as compared to grasses. Legume seeds tend to be a little heavier in weight as compared to grass seed and may help get down to the soil better than grass seed.
Interseeding
Interseeding is another option that can work with what you already have growing in your pasture and works a lot better with grasses than frost seeding. Interseeding can help improve pastures and hayfields without completely starting from scratch, as this method involves planting new forages directly into an existing pasture or hayfield to boost the stand’s quality and increase its diversity. Interseeding can help fill in those gaps in the existing stand that may be gone or not as strong, you could add some species that might be more drought tolerant as well. Equipment and timing are key to minimizing competition with the existing stand and weeds, as maximizing seed-to-soil contact can reduce competition, and reduce weed pressure from the existing stand. There are two times of the year that interseeding is best done and that is either in early spring or late summer when the competition from the existing stand is lower, or following a grazing or cutting, which helps reduce the competition and creates more open soil for the new seed. Monitor the new growth carefully in the first season to help it establish itself and avoid grazing too heavily while the new seedlings are getting established. This method will tend to cost more than frost seeding but is a good option if there is still a stand to work with, and that you believe is not ready for a complete makeover in that entire field.