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Almost all our potash in now mined and imported from western Canada. Thus, we see potash prices rising as well.. Legume and grass-style hay will nearly always flourish in the spring without the need of any fertilizer because it has had all winter to rest and build up nutrients. Like cool-season grasses, recommended nitrogen rates decline from 60 pounds in eastern Nebraska to 30 poundsout west. If you do not know what nutrients the soil lacks or has an overabundance of (or the pH balance), it would be impossible to choose the right fertilizer for the area or know how much should be applied. Follow regular soil testing to monitor soil nutrient level. A 50 pound bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer contains 15 actual pounds of fertilizer nutrients, and the rest being comprised of natural filler materials like limestone and sand. If nutrient deficiencies are suspect, then tissue tests can be helpful in diagnosis along with the soil test values. C.O.R.N. 
Nature has provided the perfect patterns for renewal of the soil; as animals graze, they return recycled plant material rich in nitrogen to the ground in the form of manure. Nice article of good information, I will need to read couple of time to catch all you have said. Legume and grass hayfield need a different mixture and quantity of fertilizer than hayfields that grow oat based hay, for example. With a hay crop, its all taken off, and you are removing nutrients year after year.
The beginning or middle of June is often the optimal time to add fertilizer to a pasture. Breaking down what the three numbers in bold print actually mean will help you understand not only what you are buying, but what you need to give your hay fields and pastures both before the growing season starts and after each harvest. First, is the value of the nutrients in the material high enough to justify the cost of obtaining and applying it? The next step is to push a pencil to determine whether investing in added fertilizer will pay off. A fertilizer recipe sometimes has more of one ingredient than another, or even zero percent of the third ingredient.
If the soil tests High in one of these, then research has shown that applying more as fertilizer is a waste of money.. A recent soil test should be the guide for what nutrients to apply and how much. It takes roughly 20 to 40 pounds (9 to 18 kgs) of fertilizer per acre to foster legume and grass hay growth. Grass hay has a high demand for all manure nutrients and will make more efficient use of manure nutrients compared to legume based hay. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. • There are fertilizer alternatives, but none of them are cheap. How much a producer fertilizes usually depends upon how much forage he needs and how much he can afford to spend.
Fortunately, there are alternatives, but none of them are cheap.
Legumes such as alfalfa and clover fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil, but phosphorus and potassium are also key macronutrients vital to soil and plant health. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. Number 8860726.
Adding more nitrogen to a patch of dirt that is already high in nitrogen can cause far more damage to the hay crop, straw crop, or pasture than would have occurred if you had simply left the area alone, and did not apply any fertilizer at all. Example: 12-12-12 fertilizer grade is composed of 12% nitrogen, 12% phosphate, and 12% of potash.
Sometimes, dividing up a pasture into quarters or thirds and fertilizing is the best way to keep the soil in a grazing area continually infused with nutrients. Stopping ammonia volatilization from urea can occur if the crystals have direct contact with the dirt and enough rain falls soon after the fertilizer is applied, the urea content will wash from the residue of plants in the field down into the dirt. This is why soil testing after each harvest and before buying more fertilizer is so necessary. Soils high in organic matter are more productive. The second factor is whether the material contains any pathogens, heavy metals, or other undesirable components that could be harmful to animals, humans, or to the soil.. Soil types can vary greatly within only a short geographical distance. Legume hay crops need less nitrogen than grass plants. Its imperative to make sure that youre feeding your alfalfa stands so they stay healthy and productive as long as good soil management profitability allows, Bauder said. If you have sandy soil in all or part of your fields, consider using split percentage levels of nitrogen to avoid infusing too much of the nutrient into the soil and increasing the possibility of leaching. Applying manure before alfalfa seed is planted is excellent for alfalfa production while avoiding many problems associated with surface application on established stands. These natural benefits can be applied to hayfields by grazing them in the fall or early winter. For dryland applications in western South Dakota and Nebraska with lower annual rainfall, its a good idea to make sure you have the fertilizer available, then watch the forecast for a significant rain coming up and make a quick application right before a rain. Wait before fertilizing your warm-season grass meadows.. Manure should be applied as soon as possible after cutting to reduce potential injury to the regrowth. Producers should be prepared to manage the increased weed pressure with timely harvests or herbicides. A soil test can tell you how much phosphorus to use; usually 20-40 pounds peracre will stimulate legume growth nicely in most hay meadows.
These steps will need to be repeated if the hayfield or pasture being tested is comprised of varying environmental attributes like those noted above. The most common fertilizer mix recipes for pastures and hayfields often include: The soil does not need to be tested just once a year in the early spring when the first dose of fertilizer is applied but before each application in all areas. Therefore application of manure on hay fields can increase the economic return from manure nutrients compared to late fall applications of the same manure for next years crops.
Pastures tend to benefit significantly more than hayfields from the natural fertilization cycle.
Use equipment that applies uniformly and without clumps. The opinions of Amanda Radke are not necessarily those of beefmagazine.com or Penton Agriculture. Producers also can be more efficient in pasture fertilization through practicing better grazing management, says Mitchell. Jerry Volesky, University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor of Agronomy and Horticulture, says that soil testing is a good first step in determining just what each fields soils may need. More than half the soil samples for forage tested at the laboratory at Auburn University have a pH too acid for best production and need agricultural limestone to correct this.
Timing of fertilizer application is everything. If the fertilizer is spread onto ground that is already wet and rain is not in the forecast for a few days, the evaporating water can attach to the ammonia gases released, and risk losing the urea content of the fertilizer.
It is not recommended to add nitrogen on alfalfa as it is a legume and should not need any additional nitrogen, Bauder said. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity.osu.edu. Pastures and native rangelands in western South Dakota, the Nebraska Sandhills, and similar arid regions are not typically fertilized, but Volesky said that producers in areas with more rainfall, such as eastern South Dakota and Nebraska might find an application of fertilizer would boost growth, especially in pastures that are predominately smooth brome or other tame grasses. If the hayfield or pasture has had agricultural lime applied to it in the past 90 days, fertilizer that is urea based should not be used. Moderate amounts of nitrogen (30-50 pounds N/Acre) can be applied in June through early July after the first cutting or after the spring flush and reproductive stages of the cool-season grasses are over in pastures. But, be sure to use the types and amounts of fertilizer that work best for the plants in your hay meadow. It especially seems to impact ruminant animals like sheep, as well as both beef and dairy cattle.
C.O.R.N. While moderate rainfall will incorporate most sources of nitrogen when topdressed, be mindful when predicted rainfall exceeds 1 inch which increases potential losses of nitrogen into downstream water sources. Nitrates typically accumulate at the bottom of the stalk of most forages, so its best to make sure you are taking whole plant samples (from the soil surface and up).. When fertilizing a pasture the application dates should coincide with the increased or decreased grazing needs for the upcoming season. Variables to consider while planning fertilizer applications include the amount of expected moisture, the anticipated value of the hay crop per ton, historical tonnage produced and increased tonnage expected after fertilizing. Simply spreading fertilizer on the ground without knowing what type of mix that you need or when it is really needed is like driving without headlights down a dark and curvy country road you will eventually get somewhere, but a lot of damage will likely occur along the way. It might be younger than you think, Late-gestation trace mineral supplementation shows promise, 7 tips for limiting the spread of invasive species in your pastures, 60 stunning photos that showcase ranch work ethics, 65 Photos That Celebrate Cowgirls & Cattlewomen, It's hay time! Copyright 2022.
Common cool season hay grass varieties include wheatgrass, brome, Timothy, and bluegrass. Number 8860726. University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service.
The rate to apply declines as we go from east to west use about 80 poundsof nitrogen per acre in eastern Nebraska but only 30-40 poundsin the Panhandle., 3.
Rain and snow also nitrogen to the ground, and roots of legumes such as alfalfa fix nitrogen in the soil. Tara lives on a 56 acres farm in the Appalachian Mountains, where she faces homesteading and farming challenges every single day. Phosphorus and potassium will build up in all our soils. Should hay producers fertilize? These legumes then will help supply some nitrogen to the grasses in your meadow, and the hay you cut from this meadow will yield more and contain more protein than straight grass hay.. Do not fertilize quite yet. This means 52 pounds of phosphorus and about 200 pounds of potassium would be depleted from the dirt on every acre. In addition, a single fertilizer recipe mix might be perfect for one hayfield, but be entirely wrong for an adjacent one or a nearby pasture. At home on the ranch in South Dakota, were hustling to get heifers and cows synchronized and artificially inseminated, move creep feeders to pasture, fix fences and line up help for moving pairs to summer grass. Fertilizer grades are made by combining at least two soil nutrient sources into a single blend that is referred to as mixed fertilizers.. Youve got to have rain to get the value out of it, Volesky said. This is the same result that would occur if 20 percent to 30 percent more fertilizer was applied. When the spring flush growth occurs after winter finally subsides, adding fertilizer to bolster the ample sweet grasses in pastures even more could actually be harmful to the livestock.