Strategies for CRP Grazing, Haying

 BROOKINGS, S.D. -- The federal decision to open CRP lands to haying or grazing helps producers but also calls for wise management of livestock and feeds, South Dakota State University Extension specialists said.
 
Emergency grazing of Conservation Reserve Program lands was authorized June 28 in 28 drought-stricken South Dakota counties which are also approved for haying.  The counties are Aurora, Bon Homme, Brown, Butte, Campbell, Corson, Dewey, Edmunds, Faulk, Haakon, Hand, Harding, Hughes, Hyde, Jackson, Jones, Lyman, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Pennington, Perkins, Potter, Spink, Stanley, Sully, Walworth and Ziebach.

Emergency haying is also permitted on some CRP land enrolled in a wetland restoration program known as practice CP23.

SDSU Extension specialists said producers should contact local Farm Service Agency offices for guidelines about how grazing or haying rules apply in their county.

They added that producers can take steps to get the most value from their use of CRP forage.

* SDSU Extension Beef Specialist Cody Wright said producers who choose to hay CRP lands should do it as soon as possible to preserve forage quality. CRP hay is likely to be of mediocre quality, Wright said, but producers should take a sample and have it tested before they feed it to evaluate the protein and energy content.

* Be sure to supplement CRP hay with protein -- about as much as in a winter ration, or roughly one to two pounds per animal per day depending on the quality of the hay. Degradable protein sources, such as soybean meal and sunflower meal, will help improve the intake and digestibility of the forage.

* Pay close attention to vitamin A and phosphorus in vitamin and mineral supplements while relying on CRP land -- they tend to decline in poor quality forage or feed grown under drought conditions.

* Grinding of CRP hay and perhaps blending with better quality hay may improve utilization.

* Producers can ammoniate forages to improve protein content and digestibility, but the process is complex and somewhat dangerous. Producers might require assistance from someone who has done it before. Information about the process, as well as directions on sampling and testing of forages, is at an SDSU Department of Animal and Range Science Web site, http://ars.sdstate.edu/extbeef/Drought_Management.htm.

South Dakota State University Extension Range Livestock Production Specialist Barry Dunn said the value of CRP grazing will depend on factors such as transportation of cattle to and from the field, fencing, water, stocking rate and supplementation. It's an exciting alternative for producers facing the possible liquidation of their herds, Dunn said, but still presents management challenges.

* Temporary fences must be built on parcels that aren't fenced, and producers must find suitable water supplies for livestock using a parcel.

* Grazing will provide adequate nutrition for at least the first month and perhaps longer if it rains. Cattle will graze the green material under the older growth first. After that the nutritional quality will start to decline dramatically.

* Once animals start to feed on old or dead material, a protein supplement will help improve efficiency. Dunn said providing supplemental protein keeps a healthy population of microorganisms in the rumen, which in turn allows the cow to better digest coarse, fibrous material and extract the nutrition from it.

* Stocking rates will vary from area to area. Check with your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office about any guidelines that apply. Local NRCS offices are working with producers to put together modified haying or grazing plans for CRP lands.

More information about responding to drought can be found at a South Dakota State University Extension Web site, http://sdces.sdstate.edu/drought/.
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Contact: Cody Wright, (605) 688-5448; Barry Dunn, (605) 688-5455
** For links to other sites showcasing SDSU's work in teaching, research, and Extension, visit http://sdces.sdstate.edu.

Lance Nixon, Editor
AgBio Communications Unit
South Dakota State University
ACC, Box 2231, Rm 200
Lance_Nixon@sdstate.edu