By Jennifer Whitlock
Field Editor
The start of fall is the ideal time to plant winter forages, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Assistant Professor and Forage Specialist Dr. Vanessa Olson.
“Often, a lot of us don’t think about needing any winter forages until we run out of hay. I get a lot of calls frequently in late December when we’ve already passed really the best opportunity for planting,” she said. “If you anticipate the need for any winter forages to graze—ryegrass or small grains—now is definitely time to be planting.”
September to mid-October is the best time to plant cool-season annual forages and small grains such as wheat and oats, Olson said in an interview with the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network.
Six weeks prior to the area’s average frost date is the best time frame to plant forages. Olson noted waiting past the frost date reduces forage yield potentials. Instead, planting before the frost date gives farmers and ranchers the opportunity to graze forages during winter and into early spring, as well.
Although conditions are getting dry, warm-season grazing remains good for now.
“The rains are long gone, and the grass is dry to crispy dry,” Dr. Joe Paschal, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, said. “Nights are cooler, so I doubt there will be any additional summer grass growth even if it did rain, but we could use the moisture to replenish tank water for livestock and wildlife and for any winter pasture that is planted.”
With weather turning drier over the past few weeks and an expected La Niña weather pattern in the winter, hay production is winding down for the year. Hay stores are currently adequate, but AgriLife Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Dr. Jason Smith cautioned farmers and ranchers to avoid overgrazing and have a backup plan in case supplies get tight later in the winter.
“I always encourage producers to be mindful and plan for the worst. It’s easier to react to an overabundance of forages than it is to respond to a shortage,” he said. “It has not been cheap to feed cattle anything over the past year, so producers need to be mindful of their input costs and adjust according to their situation.”
Click here for more advice from Olson on winter forages.