What to Consider When Renovating Pastures in Late Summer and Early Fall – Lancaster Farming

Now is the time to renovate hay fields and pastures.

Late summer and early fall are optimal times to evaluate hay fields and pastures to determine next steps and potential improvements.

A careful assessment will allow you to determine if a full burndown and reseeding is necessary or if some more basic remediation practices can be done to try and improve the field.

Extension agronomist Leanna Duppstadt explains forage seedings in Pennsylvania are most successful in mid-August to early September due to cool evenings and early fall rains that provide ideal conditions for our cool-season grasses.

Weather is an important planting consideration, as late summer can still be hot and dry, so in certain years planting may need pushed back to ensure adequate moisture, but never any later than six weeks before a killing frost.

A popular choice for fall planting of forages is a no-till drill. It can be used to overseed existing pastures and hay fields or do a full reseeding after a burndown application.

A full burndown has its pros and cons, so careful stand assessment is important. For more discussion on stand evaluation and determining whether to restore or renovate your fields, use the Penn State Extension resources on Seeding Perennial Foragesand Fall Management for Pastures.

Managing soil fertility is a key component of improving a pasture or hay field. Collecting a soil sample should always be the first step.

Knowing the fertility of the soil will allow you to make the necessary fertilizer applications before attempting to incorporate a new seeding or come through with any weed control.

Key point: If you are trying to improve your fields, you need to first understand why the improvement was necessary.

Yes, the field may be old and in need of a new seeding, but a majority of the time, the problem is fertility- or pH-related. Improving the fertility first will improve your chance of success.

In times of high prices (even outside of that, but especially then), adjusting soil pH and making lime applications can be the most effective and economical way to improve forage growth.

The biggest improvements will be seen when pH is well outside the preferred range for grass growth, which is around 6.5 to 7.

If a soil test shows a pH of 5.8 and another shows a pH of 6.1, you will see a greater overall improvement of the grasses when adding lime at the soil pH of 5.8 because the change is more dramatic.

Regardless, it is important to have the pH in the optimal range before seeding; otherwise poor germination could occur. Lime is also an excellent source of calcium and is the most economical way to make magnesium applications.

One ton of grass hay typically removes about 50 pounds of nitrogen, 15 to 20 pounds of phosphorus, and 45 to 60 pounds of potassium (potash). Fall is an excellent time to replace phosphorus and potassium.

For hay fields, manure makes an excellent fertilizer, except where legumes are present, and can be applied as a topdress before or after no-till seeding.

Potassium is directly related to winter survival and minimizing winter kill.

In pastures, it is important to understand that the continuous supply of manure from livestock will not be enough to feed the grasses. Additional fertilizer applications will need to be applied for optimal forage production.

Check out Extension's Soil Fertility resource for more information.

There are many factors that should go into selecting forages that will suit your needs, but thankfully many single species or species mixes will check multiple boxes.

Select species that are best adapted to your area, soil type, management practices and livestock species. Consider end use, intended markets, desired yields and forage quality.

Consult Extension's resources on selecting correct foragesand pasture species selectionfor more information.

Fall is when perennial forages are starting to store energy in their roots to overwinter. It is typically recommended to leave taller than average stubble or residue in the late summer and fall to ensure plants are able to store enough nutrients, survive winter, and have a jump start in the spring.

Overgrazing or mowing too short inhibits root systems, doesnt allow for proper carbohydrate storage, and increases plants susceptibility to stress.

Generally, a stubble height of 3 to 4 inches is recommended during any point in the season but especially in the fall, with 4 to 5 inches being more ideal.

This may mean pulling livestock off fields in the late summer (sometimes earlier than usual), feeding stored forages and allowing pasture forages to regrow, particularly in dry summers.

Consider the cost of heavily overgrazing the pasture and requiring a full reseeding in the spring compared to using stored forages.

Clipping or mowing before overseeding or a full burndown and planting a new seeding will help with weed control and allow increased light penetration, which will aid in the germination and growth of the new seedlings.

Be sure to mow weeds prior to them setting seed to avoid further spreading.

Chemical control of existing weeds prior to overseeding can be difficult because certain products have a 30-day planting restriction. Such products include 2,4-D and dicamba, which are the most common herbicides used for broadleaf weed control in grasses.

Glyphosate is usually used for burndown because it is nonselective, highly effective, and amenable to reseeding immediately after application.

For more information on fall weed control, check out Extension's resource on the matter.

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What to Consider When Renovating Pastures in Late Summer and Early Fall - Lancaster Farming