Forage Fax

Lime is often recommended for pastures and hay meadows in order to increase soil pH. Many forages can be sensitive to soil pH, especially acidic soils (soil pH < 7). Maintaining an appropriate soil pH can increase nutrient use efficiency, meaning plant roots have the capability to pull nutrients from the soil and use them for plant growth and persistence. Liquid lime is a formulation of approximately 50% high quality dry lime and 50% water. Some advantages of liquid lime include: providing better uniformity of spread and reacting… Read More →

Bastard cabbage (Rapistrum rugosum) is a cool-season annual, multi-branched, herbaceous plant native to Eurasia that grows from one to five feet or more in height.  It has a robust taproot and dark green leaves that are lobed and wrinkled, but sometimes have a reddish cast.  Bastard cabbage typically flowers from early spring into summer, bearing clusters of small, showy yellow flowers at the tips of its branches.  Bastard cabbage can be identified by its unusually shaped two-segmented seed capsule.  The seed capsule is stalked, with a long beak… Read More →

Yellow Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) is often referred to as nutgrass or watergrass. Yellow nutsedge is a perennial plant that reproduces primarily by small underground tubers (called nutlets) that form at the end of underground stems (rhizomes). A single plant can produce several hundred of these tubers throughout the summer. Yellow nutsedge can also spread by rhizomes. Yellow nutsedge can be identified by the triangular shape of its stem as can all sedges. You can feel the shape by rolling the stem in your fingertips. One method of control… Read More →

Blackhawk Arrowleaf Clover is a new cultivar that was released by Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Overton, TX in 2013. Blackhawk has multiple disease tolerance compared to Apache and Yuchi cultivars. Blackhawk is slightly earlier in maturity than Apache arrowleaf and is in full bloom around May 10 at Overton, TX. Test soil and follow lime and fertilizer recommendations Soil pH should be 6.0 to 6.5 Plan acreage needed (0.5 to 0.8 acre/cow + calf) Graze or hay warm season grasses to about 2-inch height before planting. Disturb sod… Read More →

WEED OF THE WEEK: Hemp Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum L.) Hemp dogbane is an erect, one to three feet tall perennial. It grows from woody horizontal rootstocks. Leaves are smooth, elliptical, narrow and erect. Flowers are small with five greenish-white petals. Leaves and stems have a milky sap. Seed pods are long and slender. Hemp dogbane plants produce from 800-12,000 seeds per plant. Each plant usually has 10 to 60 seed pods and each pod contains between 80-200 seeds.Hemp dogbane is very competitive. It can reduce forage yields if not… Read More →

Sugarcane aphids feed on and damage all species of Sorghum grown for grain, forage and hay.  Aphids feed on plant sap and infested leaves turn yellow and then brown and die, reducing forage yield. Sugarcane aphids also produce large amounts of honeydew, a sticky waste product that accumulates on leaves.  A black sooty mold sometimes grows on the honeydew, turning leaves black.  The honeydew on leaves and stems can gum up harvest machinery.   The following practices can reduce the risk of sugarcane aphid damage: Plant hybrids with… Read More →

Basic Principles of Forage Quality AgriLife Extension conducts many programs across Texas on different kinds of forages.  We all know forage quality is important.  My observation is that many hay growers and hay feeders don’t test for it.  In fact, at sale I am sure most forage changes hands in Texas with no measurement of forage quality.  But forage quality indeed is a value factor.  Forage is not just about tons of hay per acre. A New Mexico State University colleague, research forage agronomist Leonard Lauriault, Tucumcari, shared… Read More →

Need a last minute Christmas gift or an extra stocking stuffer… Landowners interested in managing forage production for grazing and/or hay can use this calendar for management suggestions specific to each month and to record the dates of the management tasks performed. Keeping a record of management activities by date can help you document your management strategies for your pastures each year. To order a copy visit: https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu