Web Soil Survey Report for Your Land

NRCS/USDA Web Soil Survey is a very useful soil data available online. Before starting any farm operation or other use of the land, it is important to know the type of soil present in different portions of your land. Knowing the soil type helps farmers and land managers select suitable agricultural or non-agricultural use of the land resources.

Step by step procedure of obtaining the web soil survey report is available at this link: Obtaining the Web Soil Survey Report






 

Developing Cool-Season Pastures

Introduction

Winter peas and ryegrass mixed pasture

Developing cool-season pastures is crucial for sustainable pasture-based livestock production. This is because feeding costs account for more than 50 percent of the variable costs required for livestock operations. If no cool-season forages are included in pastures, there will not be much forage available for grazing from October to April (in the situation of most part of Alabama and most parts of the southeast USA). This situation compels producers to procure hay, agricultural byproducts, or commercially prepared feeds to feed their livestock for around seven months each year, and sacrifice possible profits they would make otherwise (if there were productive, cool-season pastures and no requirements for buying feeds). It is always cheaper to develop a productive pastures and let the animals harvest by themselves than purchasing hay and other feedstuffs and manually feeding the animals.

Ryegrass and crimson clover mixed pasture

Important Steps for Developing Cool-Season Pastures

(See the Year-Round Pasture and Grazing Calendar for identifying a suitable time for accomplishing each step below)

1. Soil test is necessary to know the requirements for lime and fertilizer applications. For fall planting, soil samples should be tested in June or earlier. For further detail about the soil test, contact your local county agents.

2. Weed control. Weeds should be controlled very well before applying lime or fertilizers and planting seeds. Further information about weed control is available in the Weed Control Workshop Proceedings.

3. Apply lime based on soil test recommendations. Generally, lime has to be applied 3-6 months prior to scheduled planting date so that soil pH is adjusted by the time of planting.

4. Select forage species based on pasture soil, climatic condition of the location, and livestock species. Here are few examples of cool-season grasses: annual ryegrass, tall fescue (MaxQ tall fescue does not have toxic endophyte), orchard grass, small grains (wheat, oats, barley, triticale); cool-season legumes: white clover, crimson clover, red clover, arrowleaf clover, beseem clover, hairy vetch, common vetch, bigflower vetch, winter peas, alfalfa, and birdsfoot trefoil; cool-season forbs: chicory, brassica - rape, kale, and turnip. All legumes must be inoculated with specific inoculant just before planting while planting them in the new fields. If you need help on which forages to plant this season, please contact your local county agents, forage specialists, or livestock specialists. While planting any leguminous forage in a new field, seeds must be inoculated properly with the right kind of inoculum just prior to planting. See this video - the inoculation portion - to have a detailed information about the need of inoculation and inoculation process - Sustainable Year-Round Pasture & Grazing Video

5. Procure selected quality forage seed from the trusted source and fertilizers based on soil test recommendations.

6. Plant selected forages on time. Most of the winter forages are planted in September or early October. Apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer (as recommended based on the soil test) within a week of planting or at the time of planting. Nitrogen fertilizer is needed only for non-leguminous crops (grasses). If the pasture composed of 33% or more leguminous forages, nitrogen fertilizer may not be needed. For the sole-grass pastures, nitrogen fertilizer should be applied in divided doses since it is the least stable fertilizer. Plants need nitrogen for photosynthesis and green leafy growth. So, its application is effective when grasses (not mixed with legumes) are in active vegetative growth (at the beginning and after each harvest).

 

Grazing Management

Follow an appropriate grazing management plan once the planted forages are well established.  It is very useful to attend 'Grazing Management Training' sessions, read relevant educational materials, and consult county agents and/or livestock specialists for developing a sustainable grazing management plan and implement it properly.

Updated 10/5/2019

Time to Plant Cool-season Forages in Alabama

This is time to plant cool-season forages. Productive winter pastures are essential to minimize the requirements for purchased feeds (hay, commercial feeds, concentrates, etc.). Following are few tips to initiate developing winter pastures. Interested producers must have completed steps 1-5 by now. Now this is time to implement Step 6.


1. Do the soil test.

2. Control weeds.

3. Apply lime based on soil test recommendations. Generally, lime has to be applied 3-6 months prior to scheduled planting so that soil pH is adjusted by the time of planting.

4. Select forage species based on pasture soil, climatic condition of the location, and livestock species.

5. Procure selected quality forage seed from the trusted source and fertilizers based on soil test recommendations.

6. Plant selected forages on time. Most of the winter forages are planted in September or early October. Apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer (as recommended) at the time of planting. Nitrogen fertilizer is needed only for non-leguminous crops (grasses). It should be applied in divided doses since it is the least stable fertilizer. Plants need nitrogen for photosynthesis and green leafy growth. So, its application is effective when grasses (not mixed with legumes) are in active vegetative growth (at the beginning and after each harvest).

7. Follow an appropriate grazing management once the planted forages are well established.   If you need help on which forages to plant this season, please contact your local county agents, forage specialists, or livestock specialists. Here are few examples of cool-season grasses: annual ryegrass, tall fescue (MaxQ tall fescue does not have toxic endophyte), orchard grass, small grains (wheat, oats, barley, triticale); cool-season legumes: white clover, crimsom clover, red clover, arrowleaf clover, berseen clover, hairy vetch, common vetch, bigflower vetch, winter peas, alfalfa, and birdsfoot trefoil. All legumes must be inoculated with specific inoculant just before planting while planting them in the new fields.   PLEASE POST COMMENTS ABOUT THIS ARTICLE: whether it was useful to you or more information is needed. Specify what more information is needed if you post comments that 'more information is needed'.

Goat Parasite Problem Worsening with Wet and Warm Weather

Introduction

After a long drought, southeast US is getting some rainfall and making the pastures green. Livestock producers are happy, so are animals because of having access to something to graze on. However, there are couple of things producers need to be aware of and manage grazing properly to minimize potential parasite problem, especially gastrointestinal parasites in small ruminants such as sheep and goats (more so in goats than in sheep). Additionally, when animals are suddenly exposed to young, lush pasture, various digestive and metabolic problems may develop. To avoid this situation, animals should be gradually exposed to the lush pasture, and they should have access to a good quality hay and mineral mixture before allowed to graze the lush pasture and while in the lush pasture field. When lush pasture is wet, it will be more problematic. So, let it dry before letting the animals graze such pastures. Read the Full article and take an appropriate action on time to prevent any loss from parasites.

If you cannot access the 'Full article' link, post comment on this page.

Protect Your Herd from Johne's Disease

Introduction

Emaciated cattle with Johne's disease

 Source: http://www.johnes.org/biology/index.html

Johne’s disease is incurable, chronic, infectious disease of ruminants. Cattle are mostly affected, and sheep and goats are less affected. Major symptom of this disease is progressive wasting in all clinical cases although the infected animals eat normally. Shooting diarrhea (continuous or intermittent) is common in infected cattle, but only occassionally seen in sheep and goats.

How does the disease transmit?

• Fecal contamination from the affected animals; if there is one affected animal in the herd, the environment is contaminated and there is a chance that all susceptible animals get infected
• Colostrum and milk from infected dam
• Dam to fetus through placenta

How soon an animal get infected?

• Fetus gets infected before birth if the dam is infected
• Healthy newborns born to a contaminated environment get infected within 30 days of birth from contaminated colostrum, milk, water, food, etc. 

Emaciated goat suffereing from Johne's disease
Source: http://www.johnes.org/goats/faqs.html

 When does the infected animal show disease symptoms?

• This disease has a long incubation period showing clinical symptoms after two years of age and beyond
• Disease symptoms can be commonly seen in 2-6 years age group

How do you protect your herd?

• There is no effective treatment for this disease
• PREVENTION is the only way to protect the herd 

 Disease Prevention

• Buy animals only from sources with ‘Johne’s disease free’ status
• Unknown history does not mean no disease
• Get your herd tested for Johne’s disease
• If positive cases are found in your herd, take the following steps: 

1. Identify and remove the positive animals or depopulate all the herd
2. Give at least one year of rest to the contaminated pastures as the bacteria causing this disease can survive in the environment for a year or longer
3. Thoroughly clean all the facilities
4. Start over with 'Johne’s-disease-free' herd after enough rest for the contaminated pastures  

• If no positive cases found, get ‘Johne’s disease free’ status 
• Maintain a close herd

'AL Johne's Newsletter Beef- Summer2012' presents how Johne's disease is trammitting from herd to herd. Appropriate actions need to be taken now to protect your herd from this severely wasting disease. 

Tests for Johne's Disease and Certification of Your Herd

Contact Johne's Coordinator at your state. Contact inforamtion is availalable for coordinators from all US States at this link:  http://www.johnesdisease.org/State%20Contacts-Info.html; click the state of your interest in the map to view the contact inforamtion for the coordinator and other Johne's contact persons in the state. Moreover, this site contains several educational articles you can take advantage of.

'Johne's Disease Newsletter, Fall 2012' - read and take necessary precautions to protect the livestock herd and the possible environmental contamination.

New - 'Johne's Disease Newsletter, Winter 2013' - discusses precautions that need to be taken while buying bulls, testing for Johne's disease, and management strategies to minimize the prevalence of Johne's disease. Take advantage of reading this newsletter and apply necessary precautions to protect your livestock. 



Updated - Jan. 11, 2013

Save your animals from heat stress

Heat Stress in Animals

Animals need to be in a "comfort zone" to perform well. Comfort zone is a temperature range in which animals do not have to spend any energy to maintain their normal body temperature. Comfort zone differs depending on animal species, breed, and age. However, temperature ranging from 60oF to 80oF is comfortable to most of the livestock species. Environmental temperature higher than 85oF combined with high humidity is stressful to farm animals. In this kind of environment, animals try to minimize heat stress by seeking shelter, drinking cool water, wallowing in water, panting, increasing respiration rate, sweating (if they have sweat glands), minimizing feed intake, and so on. Heat stress may cause reduced animal performance, abortion in pregnant animals, and even death.



Cattle congregated under trees on a hot day, Union Springs, AL



Current situation and animal care

Currently, most part of USA is experiencing heat wave. Livestock producers have to pay particular attention to take care of their animals to minimize the loss that may occur from existing weather condition. Few tips are presented below to minimize heat stress in animals.

• Make sure animals have access to shelter or shade all the time. Natural shade from trees have a great value to protect animals from heat and direct sunlight 
• Provide enough cool, fresh drinking water to animals
• Let the animals graze in the cooler portion of a day – early morning and late afternoon or evening
• During the hot portion of a day, provide a good quality hay and other supplementary feeds as necessary under the shade if you determine that grazing on pastures during the cooler portion of a day is not going to be enough for fulfilling the nutrient demand of the animals
• If animals are housed in a constructed structure, sprinkling water couple of times during the hot portion of a day will facilitate the evaporative cooling and minimize heat stress